A tippy, large leaf curled green China tea from Fujian Province mixed with just the right quantity of fresh jasmine blossoms to produce a very delicate and light premium tea, much admired for its subtlety.
Jasmine tea is the most famous scented tea in China and usually is produced using green tea as the base although in this country black tea Jasmine is the typical.
Tea leaves are harvested in the early spring and stored until the late summer when fresh jasmine flowers are in bloom. Jasmine flowers are picked early in the day when the small petals are tightly closed. The flowers are kept cool until nightfall. During the night jasmine flowers open, and release their fragrance, and this is when the tea scenting takes place.
It takes over four hours for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the jasmine blossoms. The scenting process can be repeated as many as six or seven times for top grades such as Yin Hao. The tea absorbs moisture from the fresh Jasmine flowers so it must be dried again to prevent spoilage.
