Scented

Freshly plucked flower buds sit mingling their aromas with piles of tea leaves on a warm summer night. This is scented tea in the making.

Scented teas have delighted tea drinkers since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a time when flowers and fruits dominated both tea and tea cup. Jasmine, rose, osmanthus, lychee are some of the most well known and traditional types and may use white, green, oolong, or black teas as a base. Of these, Jasmine is of course the most popular and widely recognized.

Scented teas are often paired with bold tasting foods, as their fragrances are usually quite pronounced.

The best grades are scented with the blossoms from fields or orchards near the tea gardens and use high quality teas as their base.

Premium scented teas are created by laying batches of flower blossoms, fruit rind or other fragrant substances onto tea leaves. Flower blossoms may be mixed directly into piles of tea leaves, or fruit rinds may be placed in racks above the leaves so that their essential oils may drip onto them. They are removed and replaced with fresh batches, a process repeated over the course of several days.

A longer scenting process results in a stronger fragrance which lasts through more infusions.