jasmine tea

Jasmine tea (Chinese: 茉莉花茶; pinyin: mòlìhuā chá or Chinese: 香片; pinyin: xiāng piàn) is a scented tea produced by infusing a tea base — most commonly green tea, though white tea, oolong, and black tea are also used — with the natural fragrance of jasmine blossoms. The resulting flavour is subtly sweet and highly fragrant. It is the most famous scented tea in China and has been consumed across Asia for centuries.

An important distinction exists between naturally scented jasmine tea — in which fresh jasmine flowers transfer their fragrance directly into dry tea leaves through a layered absorption process — and artificially flavoured jasmine tea, in which leaves are coated or sprayed with synthetic jasmine essence. Naturally scented tea is considered superior in aroma complexity and overall quality. Today jasmine tea is produced across Asia, with significant traditions in China, Japan, and Vietnam; Vietnamese production is particularly noted for its preservation of traditional natural scenting methods.