Fuzhou green tea scented by repeated layering with fresh jasmine blossoms. Floral on the nose, clean tea body underneath.
Scenting tea with flowers dates to the Song; jasmine tea reached commercial mass production in Fuzhou in the late Qing (Xianfeng era, 1851–1861) when Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac) was naturalized along the Min River. Fuzhou was named World Jasmine Tea Origin in 2011, and in 2014 its 'Jasmine and Tea Culture System' was inscribed by the FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
The base is usually Fuding daibai or Fuyun green tea, not Longjing. Beijing's Wu Yutai (founded 1887) made jasmine tea the default Beijing breakfast tea — locals call it xianghapian (香片). Real grade is judged by 杯底香, not how strong the dry leaf smells.
Pale gold liquor, scent of fresh-cut jasmine on the empty cup (杯底香) is the test. Body should taste like tea, not perfume — sweet, light, a touch grassy. Cheap versions are jasmine oil-sprayed; the smell vanishes after one steep.
Yinhua (窨花): green tea base layered with jasmine buds picked at 4pm and bloomed overnight at 38°C; the petals release scent only when opening. Layered, sieved, dried, repeated 3-9 times. A 9-yin (九窨) tea uses ~5kg flowers per 1kg tea.
Variations
Mo Li Yin Hao (茉莉银毫, white-tip silver needles), Mo Li Long Zhu (茉莉龙珠, hand-rolled pearls), Mo Li Da Bai Hao (茉莉大白毫), Heng County Guangxi style (cheaper base, dominant flower), and Su-style (Suzhou, lighter scent).
On the Palate
Where Jasmine Tea sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 1How it's made
4 steps · 2 min active + 4 min waiting
- 11 min
Pre-warm pot or gaiwan.
- 21 min
Use 3 g jasmine green tea per 200 ml; pour 85 °C water.
Watch outHold the water at 85 degrees, not boiling — scalding water scorches jasmine green tea bitter and flat.
- 32 min
Steep 2 min for first infusion.
Watch outTwo minutes for the first steep — leave the leaves in longer and the astringency overtakes the jasmine perfume.
- 42 min
Serve in cups; can re-steep 3 times.
