Jasmine tea is made by blending tea leaves and jasmine flowers, scenting them, and making the tea leaves absorb the fragrance of the flowers. It is a scented tea. The tea base is green tea, and the finished product removes the jasmine flowers. It is also a kind of green tea with a history of more than 1,000 years. It was listed as a "tribute tea" in the Qing Dynasty for about 150 years. Since the fragrance of jasmine is very strong and unique, it has been known as "the crown of all flowers and the first fragrance in the world" since ancient times.
Jasmine tea is divided into four categories: special jasmine tea, craft jasmine tea, grade jasmine tea, and broken tea flakes jasmine tea.
Special jasmine tea: The tea, flowers, and raw materials used in this jasmine tea are carefully selected and basically made by manual screening, and then made by the completely manual "seven scents and one lifting" process. It belongs to the top jasmine tea. The representative products are: Jasmine Needle King, Jasmine Phoenix Eye, Jasmine Silver Needle, Jasmine Dragon Ball, Jasmine Fragrant Needle, etc. Following the appearance characteristics of tea leaves, the appearance of jasmine tea also has: pine needle shape, flat shape, bead round shape, needle shape, etc.
Craft jasmine tea: This jasmine tea belongs to a new type of flower tea. The production process is: through the means of artificial shaping, the dried flowers are tied in the middle of the tea leaves. When brewing, the tea leaves and fresh flowers slowly stretch and open, forming various beautiful shapes, which are extremely ornamental. The representative products are: Xiantao Jasmine Tea, Jasmine Fairy, etc.
Grade Jasmine Tea: This type of jasmine tea is made of roasted green tea as the tea base, and is combined with jasmine flowers for scenting. The appearance is usually strip-shaped, and the grade of the tea is mainly judged by the concentration of the overall aroma of the tea.
Broken Tea Piece Jasmine Tea: Most of this type of jasmine tea appears in the form of "tea bags". There are granular, flake, and foamy shapes, and the price is relatively low.
Many people who don't know jasmine tea often mistakenly think it is green tea, but it is not. Although jasmine tea is made of green tea as the tea base, and then mixed with jasmine flowers for scenting, tea leaves and jasmine flowers are not simply mixed, but are completed with a complete and sophisticated production process. The main process is divided into three major links: tea embryo processing, jasmine flower processing and scenting flower mixing. Each link is very important and closely linked. No mistakes can be made.
Among them, scenting flower mixing is the most important link, because it is directly related to the taste and aroma of jasmine tea, that is, the effect of jasmine flower exhaling fragrance and tea embryo absorbing fragrance. It is a great test of the technical level of tea-making technicians. It is necessary to master six key technologies such as flower quantity, flower opening degree, temperature, moisture, thickness, and time.
Therefore, jasmine tea has its own independent production process and is a unique flower tea, not green tea.
Tea quantity: Take the basic ratio of tea to water as a reference of 1:50, and choose according to the age of the tea leaves, personal preferences, strong and light taste, and other factors.
Brewing water temperature: usually brewed with boiling water at 90-100℃. The water temperature of high-end and delicate jasmine tea can be appropriately lower, and the water temperature of ordinary jasmine tea can be appropriately higher.
Drinking time: The drinking time is related to the number of brewing times. For high-end and delicate jasmine tea, the drinking time can be controlled at about 3 minutes. For ordinary jasmine tea, the drinking time can be controlled at about 5 minutes.
Brewing times: 1 to 3 times is appropriate. As the number of brewing times increases, the brewing time should be appropriately extended.
Root-leaving: When the first brewing is left with 1/3 of the tea soup, you can start to add water for the second brewing, and so on and so forth. The root-leaving brew plays a role of "connecting the past and the future".
Tasting jasmine tea
It can be divided into three processes: "eye tasting, nose tasting, and mouth tasting".
Eye tasting: When brewing, enjoy the wonderful process of jasmine tea dancing up and down in the water, slowly stretching and opening, restoring the original leaf shape, and the soup color gradually changing from light yellow to orange-yellow.
Nose tasting: After about 3 minutes, open the cup lid and smell the aroma of jasmine tea. Smell the height, length, intensity, fragrance and characteristics of the aroma.
Mouth tasting: Stir the tea soup with the tip of your tongue, let the tea soup flow back and forth on the tongue surface 1 to 2 times, and taste the taste and aroma of jasmine tea.
Preparation: White porcelain covered bowls, glass cups, and white porcelain tea cups with lids are suitable. For example: high-grade jasmine tea, special craft jasmine tea, in order to improve the artistic appreciation value, should be brewed in transparent glass cups.
Warm cup cleaning ware: Rinse the inside and outside of the tea set with boiling water to increase the cup temperature and disinfect and sterilize.
Pour tea: Use a teaspoon to gently put jasmine tea into the cup.
Moisten the tea: First pour a small amount of boiling water, not too much to cover the surface of the tea leaves, and after a while, start pouring water to brew.
Brewing: The first brew uses the "low pouring method" to pour water. You need to place the mouth of the kettle close to the teacup and pour water directly on the tea leaves to let the tea fragrance slowly drip out; the second brew uses the "medium pouring method" to pour water. Place the kettle slightly away from the teacup to pour water, so that the tea and water blend with each other; the third brew uses the "high pouring method" to pour water, place the kettle slightly away from the teacup and pour boiling water, let the tea leaves roll and rotate, let the tea soup stir, and let the floral fragrance float.
Cover to preserve the fragrance: Cover immediately after each brew to preserve the tea fragrance.
