How jasmine tea gets its scent, and why real jasmine matters
Jasmine tea is green tea that has been taught to smell of flowers. The traditional way of doing it is slow and a bit romantic, and it is the reason a good jasmine tea smells like a garden at night rather than like soap. Here is how it is done, how to spot the shortcuts, and how to brew it.
The traditional scenting
It comes from Fujian in China. Jasmine flowers are picked in the heat of the day while the buds are still closed, then laid out with the dried green tea in the evening. As the night cools, the buds open and release their scent, and the tea leaf, which absorbs smells readily, takes it in. In the morning the spent flowers are sifted out. For a good tea this is repeated with fresh flowers several nights running, sometimes six or seven times. No oil, no spray, just leaf and blossom in a room together.
Real jasmine versus flavoured
Cheap jasmine tea is often green tea sprayed with jasmine flavouring. It smells strong in the pouch and fades fast in the cup, with a flat, perfumed edge. Traditionally scented tea smells softer in the pouch and blooms when the hot water hits it. Ours is naturally scented with jasmine blossom. There are no flavourings in it. If you see a few petals in the leaf, that is decoration. The scent is in the tea itself.
What it tastes like
Fragrant without being perfumey, smooth and light, with the green tea underneath giving it a gentle freshness. The smell gets me every time I open the pouch. It is the green tea I give people who think they do not like green tea.
How to brew it
Water at about 80°C, so boiled and left for two or three minutes. One heaped teaspoon per 200ml mug, two to three minutes. Hot water kills the scent and brings out bitterness, so do not rush the cooling. It gives a good second steep. No milk.
Cold brew
If you make one tea cold this summer, make it this one. Four teaspoons in a litre of cold water, fridge overnight, strain. It comes out sweet, floral and completely smooth. A few fresh mint leaves in the jug makes it even better.