Mitzie's Kitchen Organic Jasmine Tea

A tea that goes back to the 5th century and is still going strong, there are a thousand and one reasons to fall head over heels with the delicate delight of jasmine tea. When we talk about jasmine tea we are really referring to tea that has been scented with the lilt of gentle jasmine flowers. This practice has been going on since the early dynasty days of China. While it sounds like a simple pretty idea (bringing a floral burst to tea), adding jasmine to your cup also comes with a ton of benefits too. Who knew that this joyful blossoms brought so many health boosts to the table.

Because jasmine tea is primarily made with tea leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant, when you sit down to sip a cup of jasmine tea, you get all the benefits that come with black and green tea along with a few added extras carried by the sweet and fragrant jasmine flower. Here we dive into all the jasmine tea benefits so you too can get jazzed about this beautiful bloom…

 What is Jasmine Tea? 

Jasmine tea is a tea that is scented with jasmine flowers. It is usually made with a green tea base although you can also use white tea or black tea. The jasmine blossom is added and it brings a slightly sweet taste and fragrance. This is one of the most popular scented teas in China.

Using jasmine blossom in tea became big news back in the Ming dynasty. Who knows how it first came about but as the Ming’s were obsessed with florals it makes sense that they would see fit to sprinkle some onto their most popular drink too. Every relic that has survived from that time shows intricate patterns of beautiful blooms adorning everything and this trend carried over into the food and drink set upon the tables. 

Adding a flavorful twist to tea was no new thing in ancient China, from the heady scent of bergamot to citrus shades and lovely lychee, adding flavor notes to a beautiful brew was considered to be quite the crowd-pleaser. Jasmine was the scent that made quite the splash and was so popular that it carried on over into the Qing dynasty and even became one of the first flavored teas to travel outside of China in the 19th century. Carried on a ship to western shores as soon as it hit, the world fell in love and even to this day, jasmine tea is one of the most beloved tea tastes across the world. 

Jasmine tea is made by using an existing tea as the base. Often its green tea that is the tea of choice but sometimes black, white, and even oolong are used too. Not only will the teas differ but the jasmine can differ too. There are two main types of jasmine flowers – common jasmine (AKA Jasminum officinale) and Sampaguita (Jasminum sambac). Of the two types, the common jasmine is the oldest and was believed to have been imported from the exotic lands of Persia. Even in our modern world the vision of the vine like jasmine draping itself over everything in sight and blooming with its bright and intense star like flowers is enough to make you swoon. 

Crafting jasmine tea is an art and the process pays homage to its delightful delicacy. The tea leaves are picked in late spring when they are fresh and fragrant. They are then dried according to the type of tea and with varying oxidation depending on if the tea is black, white, green or oolong. The tea is then stored for a few months until the jasmine is ready to bloom. 

Jamine blooms in the late summer when everything is heady and hot. They are picked at noon when the day's temperature hits the highest. At this time, the jasmine bud remains tightly closed against the sun and they will only burst open later when they are cool and ready. It’s done this way to ensure the very best scenting process. But there is another method in which the flowers are picked at night when they are said to be open and at their highest scent level. The freshly bloomed flowers are placed with the tea leaves in carefully controlled circumstances. The temperature and environment have to be just right so the tea leaves will soak up that delicious floral scent. Depending on the quality and artisanship of the tea it may be scented again and again (always with fresh jasmine flowers) and it can take a day to complete or several weeks depending on the complexity.