Jasmine tea transports us to Asia for a moment of pause, where this tea is, in China, the most popular of all. Its floral notes make it a very subtle tea. The Chinese who appreciate unflavoured teas make an exception for jasmine tea. While it can be easily found ready-made in stores, it can also be made at home.
So how do you make your own jasmine tea at home? We explain everything you need to know to craft your own jasmine tea the right way.
The origins of jasmine tea...
Jasmine tea has been part of Asian culture for millennia. It was born in China, more precisely. The Song dynasty (10th and 11th centuries) is considered the cradle of jasmine tea, but it was greatly popularised in the 13th and 14th centuries to become a beloved drink in China, particularly in the northern regions. A symbol of love, the jasmine flower is invited into this ancestral brew, even as the country primarily favours unflavoured, raw teas. This tea is served during ceremonies as well as in daily life.
Jasmine tea is originally prepared with green tea and this is how it is generally offered in Asia. It can also be prepared with white tea, and even with black tea in the West, or a blend of the two in some large tea houses.
Which variety of jasmine for making homemade jasmine tea?
Traditionally, Jasminum sambac (also known as Arabian jasmine), which is not very hardy, is used for jasmine tea. Therefore, only gardens in southern regions or the Atlantic fringe with mild winters can cultivate this precious and rare flower. If you can grow Arabian jasmine, which has a hardiness limit close to 0°C, plant it in a sheltered spot away from winds, always in sunlight and in well-drained soil. It can be grown in a pot, provided it is brought indoors to a bright, frost-free location during the winter months.
It can be replaced by Jasminum officinale, which is much more widespread in most of our regions as it is hardy down to -15°C (it is a Himalayan jasmine), but you will not achieve the same olfactory or aromatic result that is characteristic of Jasminum sambac.
When and how to harvest your own jasmine?
Jasmine sambac blooms between May and October. The harvest generally takes place at the end of summer, when the bush is most floriferous, in August or September.
According to ancient Chinese knowledge, the flowers are picked in the mid-afternoon. Indeed, in the late afternoon, around dusk, the closed flowers open, releasing their powerful fragrances. They are harvested by hand, delicately, removing the white buds that are still closed. It takes about 2.5 kg of flowers for 1 kg of tea, which gives a proportion for small quantities of 50 g of tea, for example (that is 100 g of flowers). Much lower proportions are found in some commercial products, sometimes as low as 1% flowers! When harvesting your own jasmine, you will have the opportunity to lower this proportion, but you must respect the dry infusion times, in layers, which we will explain:
How to make your jasmine tea?
In China, as well as in Vietnam, jasmine tea is made from fresh tea leaves, onto which the freshly harvested flowers are delicately placed, in successive layers. This is known as enfleurage. It is this layering process, repeated, that will infuse the tea leaves with the marked fragrance of jasmine. This operation must be repeated at least 3 to 7 times each day to permanently infuse the tea, which will gradually absorb the fragrances of jasmine. The more often this operation is repeated, the more complete the aromatisation will be, resulting in high-quality jasmine tea. This is a specific, delicate technique that requires patience. A mixing is recommended before restarting the process. This operation is done at the end of the day, just after the harvest, when the closed flowers begin to open and release their intense fragrance. Once the tea is infused with the sweet scent of jasmine (for about ten hours each day), the flowers are removed one by one to avoid bitterness in the tea. Then, the tea is dried.
The tea leaves are harvested in spring, so they should be stored until summer to complete the making of jasmine tea.
An alternative with dried jasmine flowers
Few of us actually grow Camellia sinensis in large quantities for tea production (notably, in Brittany, some producers have found a suitable climate to produce tea in France!). As for jasmine flowers, the shrub remains quite rare due to its climatic requirements.
You can therefore opt for an alternative if you do not have access to fresh flowers, which consists of adding a few dried jasmine flowers (either home-dried or available in organic stores and specialised online shops) directly to a good quality loose green tea purchased from a shop. They will infuse together, but will not reveal the pronounced and delicate aroma of fresh flowers as per the ancestral method. To enhance the fragrance, extend the infusion time by a few minutes (10 minutes instead of about 3-4 minutes). To limit bitterness, which is stronger than with fresh flowers, use water heated to only 75°C.
Time for tasting...
The water temperature, the dosage, and the infusion time are, as with all tea preparations, important to respect:
- Boil water between 75°C and 80°C (hotter water would increase the bitterness of jasmine tea)
- Place the tea in the strainer of a cast iron teapot, using 2.5 g for 20 cl
- Pour the boiling water
- Let it infuse for 2 to 4 minutes (no longer).
If you simply wish to add dried flowers to a green (or black) tea, count one spoonful of dried jasmine flowers for 30 cl of boiling water, and infuse longer, in water heated to 75°C.
Jasmine tea can withstand several successive infusions, and it is indeed consumed this way in China.
Jasmine tea, refined, can be enjoyed either alone like any other tea throughout the day (avoiding the evening due to the caffeine it contains), or as an accompaniment to savoury Asian or Indian dishes. Its lightness and sweet notes pair particularly well with spicy dishes or seafood. Personally, I love to evoke a sense of escape by serving it in small ceramic or glazed stoneware cups, but glass or porcelain cups are also welcome!
Learn more
Jasmine tea is known for its antioxidant and relaxing properties. It is said to aid digestion due to the antioxidants it contains. It is also known to relieve menstrual pain.
Discover Camellia sinensis and Camellia sinensis 'Theojardin' in our online shop!
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