Jasmine Tea is made by blending tea leaves and jasmine flowers, scenting them, and allowing the tea leaves to absorb the fragrance of the flowers. It is also called jasmine tea , which is a scented tea . The tea base is green tea , and the jasmine flowers are removed from the finished product. It is also a type of green tea, with a history of more than 1,000 years.
Jasmine flowers are native to India. They were introduced to China from the land and sea Silk Roads during the Western Han Dynasty and settled in Fuzhou, where the technology of using jasmine flowers to scent green tea was developed. [15] The birthplace of jasmine tea in the world is Fuzhou , Fujian . The fragrance of tea and jasmine flowers blend together, and it has the reputation of “scenting jasmine with the best flavor, and being listed as the best fragrance in the world”. Jasmine tea is a major product of scented tea, with a vast production area, high yield and rich varieties. It was listed as a tribute in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 150 years. Fuzhou jasmine tea originated in the Han Dynasty. The innovation of traditional Chinese medicine promoted the birth of Fuzhou jasmine tea. The full understanding of the aroma and health benefits of tea by the Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Song Dynasty triggered a craze for scented tea, and dozens of scented teas were born. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China , Fuzhou jasmine tea has always been a national gift tea for foreign affairs.
The historical development of chinese green tea jasmine :
” Historical Books ” of the Han Dynasty, jasmine originated in the ancient Roman Empire . During the Han Dynasty, it reached ancient Persia and India through the Maritime Silk Road . After arriving in India, it became a sacred flower of Buddhism and was later introduced to Fuzhou along with Indian Buddhism .
the Tang Dynasty , jasmine was considered a symbol of beauty, indifference to fame and wealth, and the integrity of scholars. People believed that once jasmine bloomed, all other flowers would lose their fragrance. Since then, jasmine has become a “heavenly fragrance” and is considered a sacred object of Buddhism along with Bodhi.
the Song Dynasty , China started a trend of adding incense to tea, because in ancient times, incense was a health product and a medicine , and tea was a medicine that could cure all kinds of poisons. In the local dialect of Fuzhou , both tea and medicine are called “da”, which led to the combination of incense and tea. There were dozens of spice teas in the Song Dynasty. After the changes of the times, many flowers were eliminated, leaving only five or six kinds, of which jasmine accounted for 96%, and jasmine tea flourished.
Jasmine tea was originally a spiced tea enjoyed by scholars and officials . It began to be commercialized in the late Ming Dynasty and was commercialized in large quantities during the Qing Dynasty.
Empress Dowager Cixi had a special preference for jasmine flowers. She believed that her skin was as white as cream and as white as snow, so she stipulated that no one else could wear jasmine flowers in their hair. When foreign envoys and their wives came to China, Cixi often gave them jasmine tea as gifts. Therefore, during the decades when Cixi was in power, jasmine flowers were once considered the ” national flower .”
From 1856 to 1886, Fuzhou’s tea exports accounted for 35% to 44% of the country’s total tea exports, making it the world’s largest tea market.
On May 30, 1866, five British fast sailing ships including the Antelope and Tappin set out from Mawei, Fuzhou at the same time to start a tea transportation competition from Fuzhou to Britain, reaching the distance to Britain in 99 days.
The Tapin won the victory by arriving only 20 minutes earlier, shortening the distance from Fuzhou to Europe from 270 days to 100 days, making it possible to transport fresh and high-quality Chinese tea to Europe.
After 1866, Fuzhou jasmine tea began to be exported to Europe in large quantities.
In 1872, the Russians opened the Buchang Tea Factory in Fanchuanpu, Fuzhou, making Fuzhou the earliest region in Chinese history to start mechanical tea production.
After the Battle of Majiang in 1884 , Fuzhou Port increased tea tax by 50% to increase revenue for building new ships.
The Fuzhou tea that arrived in Britain between 1885 and 1886 was of poor quality and lacked advantages over the Indian black tea that the British were reluctant to drink before, so it was replaced by the Indian black tea.
In 1889, Fuzhou’s exports of black tea fell by 40%, leaving only special teas such as jasmine and oolong tea as the world’s most exported teas. India replaced Fuzhou’s position as the world’s largest tea port.
By the 1990s, a large number of other types of tea appeared in Fujian. In addition, due to the monopoly of local jasmine tea companies in Fuzhou and vicious competition in tea prices , the number of jasmine tea companies in Fuzhou was reduced from more than 500 at that time to thirty or forty.
The Natural Geography of chinese green tea jasmine :
The main production areas are Fuzhou in Fujian , Yibin in Sichuan , Qianwei in Sichuan , Hengxian in Guangxi, and Yuanjiang in Yunnan .
Jasmine likes light and hates shade, likes warmth and fears cold , likes moisture and fears waterlogging. It is suitable to grow in conditions with sufficient sunlight, suitable climate, average temperature between 20℃ and 40℃, and soil water holding capacity between 60% and 80%.
Since the production of jasmine tea requires that the jasmine flowers be picked on the same night, the production areas of jasmine tea need to have convenient transportation and be close to the jasmine production areas.
Fuzhou is a typical estuary basin. The mountains around the basin are mostly between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level. The sunshine is short, with much scattered light and surrounded by clouds and mist , which is very conducive to growing tea trees . The alluvial plain in the center of the basin is sandy loam with high fertility and sufficient water, making it easy for jasmine cuttings to survive. The large temperature difference between day and night makes the jasmine flowers of good quality, forming a planting pattern of “planting tea trees on hills and jasmine along rivers ” that rationally utilizes natural resources in Fuzhou .
Production process of chinese green tea jasmine :
Scenting principle :
scenting process of scented tea is mainly the process of fresh flowers exuding fragrance and tea leaves absorbing fragrance. The exudation of fragrance from fresh jasmine flowers is a biochemical change . Mature jasmine flowers decompose aromatic substances under the action of enzymes, temperature, water, oxygen, etc., and continuously exhale fragrance as the flowers open with physiological changes.
The tea leaves absorb aroma through physical adsorption . At the same time, they also absorb a lot of water. Due to the penetration of water, chemical adsorption occurs . Under the action of moisture and heat , complex chemical changes occur. The tea soup gradually turns from green to bright yellow, and the taste changes from light and astringent to strong, forming the unique aroma, color and taste of flower tea.
Tea processing :
The tea base for scented tea is made by refining green tea and blending it according to the standard samples of scented tea base grades .
1. Drying: The tea leaves used to make scented tea generally need to be dried. Purpose: The purpose of high-end tea leaves is to release the watery and stale smell; the purpose of medium and low-end tea leaves is to reduce the coarse and stale smell, reveal the normal green tea fragrance, and help improve the freshness and purity of scented tea.
The temperature of the drying machine should not be too high. The temperature of high-grade tea leaves is 100-110℃, and that of medium- and low-grade tea leaves can be 110-120℃. The traditional process requires that the moisture content of the tea leaves after drying should be 4-4.5%. High heat should not be used, as this will easily produce a burnt smell and affect the quality of the scented tea.
2. Cooling: After re-firing, the temperature of the tea leaves is generally high, at 60-80℃. It must be spread out and cooled. It can only be scented when the temperature of the tea leaves is slightly higher than the room temperature by 1-3℃. If the temperature is too high, it will affect the jasmine flower preparation and fragrance, and reduce the quality of the scented tea. The lower the temperature of the tea leaves, the better. In this way, after scenting and blending, the temperature of the pile will rise more slowly, and the pile temperature time of 32-37℃ can be relatively prolonged, which is conducive to the fragrance of fresh flowers and the fragrance absorption of tea leaves, thus improving the quality of scented tea.
3. Special tea leaves
It refers to the tea varieties that are made from the strong and tender buds and leaves of Fuding Da Bai tea and Fuding Da Hao tea (other tea tree varieties with fat buds can also be used) in the shapes of round, flat, curved, melon seed , needle, butterfly , earring, bundle (flower, ball, plum blossom, etc.).
The tea leaves of different varieties are required to be clean and uniform in appearance, without other inclusions , and have a moisture content of 8%, meeting the moisture content requirement for wet leaves even after scenting.
hygiene requirements for tea must at least meet all the indicators set by the state for pollution-free green tea products.
Products with higher requirements should be inspected according to the corresponding hygiene indicators before entering the factory based on customer needs.
After entering the factory, tea leaves must be sorted and stored according to their varieties and different hygiene index requirements. Products with peculiar smell, mold , red stems , and burnt edges must be handled separately.
Flower treatment :
Jasmine flowers have the habit of blooming and emitting fragrance at night. Fresh flowers are generally picked after 2 pm on the same day. The buds are large, the yield is high, and the quality is good. After harvesting, do not press them tightly when shipping. It is better to use ventilated baskets to pack the flowers. Do not use plastic bags, which are easy to squeeze and have no ventilation, which can easily cause ” burned flowers “.
1. Cooling: Fresh flowers should be inspected and weighed in time, and then piled and cooled according to grade (see the attached for grade standards). The purpose is: during the transportation process, the flowers are pressed and generate heat through respiration , which is not easy to dissipate, causing the flower temperature to rise, generally above 38°C, and as high as over 40°C. This is not conducive to the physiological activities of flowers, so they must be quickly cooled to dissipate heat and cool down, restore vitality, and promote opening and fragrance. The cooling site must be ventilated and clean, and the flower pile should be thin when cooling, generally less than 10 cm. When the temperature is high, a light fan can be used to blow air; for rain flowers, the flowers should be spread thinner and blow air to evaporate the water on the surface of the flowers . After the surface water is dry, they can be piled for maintenance.
2. Flower maintenance: The purpose is to control the temperature in the flower pile, so that the flowers are vigorous and promote the flowers to bloom and emit fragrance. The suitable temperature for flowers to bloom is 32-37℃. Therefore, when the temperature is below 30℃, the flower pile must be raised to promote temperature. The flowers release CO2 to generate heat during respiration, which raises the temperature of the flower pile. When the pile temperature reaches above 38℃, the flower pile must be opened and spread thinly to cool down and increase oxygen to promote the opening of flowers. When the temperature is high, the flowers must be spread thinly, turned, and ventilated to prevent the pile temperature from being too high and the flowers from deteriorating. The general pile height is 15-20cm.
In spring and autumn, due to the low temperature, the pile is generally 30-40cm high and is sometimes covered with cloth to maintain the pile temperature and promote the blooming of flowers.
3. Screening flowers : When the flower opening rate is about 60%, the flowers can be screened. The purpose of screening flowers is to sort the flowers by size and remove the green buds and pedicles. Through mechanical vibration , it can also promote the opening of flowers. After screening, the flowers should be weighed and stacked according to the predetermined batch of flowers . If the opening degree is not enough, they should continue to be maintained. Use of flowers: No. 1 flowers are used for jacquard, transfer scenting and high-end tea first scenting; No. 2 flowers are used for first scenting.
If flowers No. 1 and No. 2 are used in the same batch of tea, use No. 1 first and then No. 2. They must not be mixed and must be scented separately.
4. Magnolia base. The purpose is to use fresh magnolia to ” adjust the fragrance “, increase the concentration of jasmine tea fragrance, and “set off” the freshness of the flower fragrance. The right amount of base can improve the quality of scented tea.
Primer method: When scenting jasmine tea, first use fresh magnolia flowers (usually 1%, 1kg of magnolia flowers for 100kg of tea) and mix them with the tea leaves to “lay the primer” before mixing the tea and flowers; some people also add fresh magnolia flowers when scenting jasmine flowers, but the amount should not be too much, as too much may cause ” blue to show through “; some people use a small amount of fresh magnolia flowers and jasmine flowers together for jacquard weaving (0.3-0.5% usage).
Scented flowers and :
The scenting process is the key step in the whole process of making jasmine tea. The purpose is to mix the flowers and tea together so that the fragrance of the flowers can be directly absorbed by the tea leaves. The six factors to be considered in the scenting process are: the amount of flowers, the degree of flower opening, the temperature, the moisture, the thickness and the time.
Hand-made scenting :
First, spread 1/3-1/5 of the total amount of tea leaves on a clean flower scenting ground with a thickness of 10-15cm. Then, according to the ratio of tea to flowers, 1/3-1/5 of fresh flowers are evenly spread on the tea leaves. In this way, a layer of tea and a layer of flowers are alternated for 3-5 layers. Then, use an iron rake to split and mix them from top to bottom on the cross section . While mixing the tea leaves and fresh flowers, “scent the flowers” according to the box scenting , tun scenting, and block scenting methods.
After tea and flowers are mixed, they are placed in a wooden box (the size of the wooden box is 46×43×43cm, which is the No. 2 standard tea box). The scenting of flowers is called box scenting. It is suitable for scenting small amounts of flowers or special scented tea. Each box has a scenting capacity of about 5kg and a thickness of 20-30cm. The boxes are arranged flat or stacked crosswise to facilitate air circulation. A circle is formed by using a 40-60cm high bamboo curtain to pile the mixed tea flowers in the circle. The scenting of flowers is called hoarding scenting , which is suitable for medium-volume production. The hoard diameter is 150-200cm, and the scenting capacity of each hoard is 200-300kg.
Pile tea and flowers together and directly pile them on the ground to form blocks for scenting flowers. This is called block scenting or pile scenting . It is suitable for mass production . The piles are rectangular, 1-1.2 meters wide and 600-1000 kilograms long, depending on the site and the amount of scenting. Pile scenting is labor-saving, quick and convenient. Scenting flower tea is usually done by pile scenting.
In addition, a thin layer of tea leaves from this batch should be spread on the surface of the scented tea, with a thickness of about 1 cm, so that the fresh flowers are not exposed and the loss of floral fragrance is reduced. This operation is called “covering the surface”.
Under natural conditions and normal temperature (32-37°C), the fragrance of jasmine flowers can generally last up to 24 hours.
When fresh flowers and tea leaves are blended and scented, the flowers are compressed in the tea, and their normal respiration is hindered to a certain extent, shortening the vitality of the fresh flowers. The duration of the fragrance is generally about 12 hours. From observation and testing, it can be seen that the 5 hours after the jasmine flowers begin to emit fragrance is the peak period of fragrance. At this time, the respiration intensity is high, the dry matter loss is also high, and the volatilization of aromatic oils is also fierce. Therefore, when the fragrance is strong, the flowers and tea must be blended and scented in time to avoid a large amount of fragrance loss. Therefore, mastering the degree of jasmine flower opening, blending and scenting quickly, and allowing the tea leaves to fully absorb the flower fragrance are the keys to the entire scenting process .
Santonghua fever :
the flowers is: first, to dissipate heat and cool down; second, to ventilate and provide oxygen to promote the recovery of flowers and continue to emit fragrance; third, to dissipate carbon dioxide and other gases in the pile.
The time of the first scenting is 5-6 hours, which can be shortened by half an hour each time. The time of collecting the pile depends on the temperature drop of the pile to meet the requirements. The heat dissipation of the tea pile is to spread the tea pile open and cool it down. From a pile height of 30-40cm, spread it thinly and pile it about 10cm high. Stir it every 15 minutes to let the tea pile dissipate enough heat. When the pile temperature reaches the requirements in about 1 hour, collect the pile and scent it again. The pile height is about 30cm. After another 5-6 hours, the temperature of the tea pile rises to about 40℃. The flowers have become wilted and the color changes from white to slightly yellow . The fragrance can no longer be smelled, and the tea can be bloomed.
Flowering process :
After 10-12 hours of scenting, the flowers will lose their vitality. When the tea leaves have absorbed water and aroma to a certain level, they must be removed from the tea leaves immediately. Using a remover to separate the tea leaves and flowers is called removing the flowers.
The order of picking up the flowers is “picking up the tea with more scenting times first, picking up the tea with less scenting times later, and picking up the high-quality tea first and then the low-quality tea with the same scenting times”. If the flowers cannot be picked up in time, the flower residue will turn yellow and ripen under the action of water and heat, and have a dull yellow and alcoholic taste, which will affect the quality of the flower tea.
If there are a large number of flowers being scented on the same day and they cannot bloom in a short period of time, the flowers must be spread apart to dissipate heat.
1. According to the pile temperature of the scented product, grasp the time to start the flower. The first scenting temperature is 41℃, the second scenting temperature is 40℃, and it decreases gradually. The flower is 38℃. If the pile temperature exceeds this, if the time is not up, it is necessary to turn the flower or turn the pile for the second time to dissipate heat.
According to the moisture content of the scented product, grasp the right time to bloom:
The first scent is 17-18%, the second scent is 13-14%, the third scent is 11-12%, and the jacquard scent is 8.5%.
Flower picking operation: The operation should be quick. After picking, there should be no flower stalks or leaves in the tea leaves ; there should be no tea leaves in the flower residue. After stopping the machine, the screen must be cleaned. The wet tea after picking should be spread thinly to dissipate heat and prevent water stewing.
2. Baking
The purpose of baking is to remove excess water and maintain an appropriate moisture content to adapt to the next process of scenting, weaving or packing. The baking of scented tea requires speed and maximum prevention of the loss of floral fragrance. To solve this contradiction, it is mainly necessary to correctly control the temperature of the drying hot air and the moisture content of the tea leaves after baking. To control the moisture content of the tea leaves and adjust the baking temperature as follows:
After drying, the tea leaves must be fully cooled. Some use long-term transportation, and some use a cooling machine. However, strong wind is prohibited to cause unnecessary loss of aroma. The lower the temperature of the tea leaves after cooling, the better, and the maximum should not exceed 40℃.
3. Embossing
Embossing is the process of using the flower residue to scent low-grade tea again. The purpose is to make full use of the remaining fragrance of the flower residue to suppress the rough and old taste of low-grade tea and increase the floral fragrance.
(1) The flowers should be embroidered promptly and quickly, and the flowers should be embroidered and pressed at the same time.
(2) The flower residues are still white, have a pure aroma and strong ability to exude fragrance, and can be used to press mid-range tea. The rest of the normal flower residues can be used to press low-grade tea. However, the flower residues that have become decomposed, yellow, or smelly cannot be used for pressing.
(3) Amount of flower residue used: 40-50 kg of flower residue is generally used for 100 kg of tea leaves, and one press can be equivalent to 5 kg of fresh flowers.
(4) The time for pressing the flowers should be controlled within 4-5 hours. If it is too long, it will cause stale smell, fermentation smell and other odors. The flower residue should be removed in time and the tea must be roasted in time.
4. Jacquard
The purpose of jacquard is to improve the freshness of scented tea. The operation is the same as scenting. For jacquard, use large, white, fragrant No. 1 flowers. Rainwater flowers cannot be used. After mixing, pile scenting. Since the amount of flowers used is small (usually 6-10kg of flowers are used for 100kg of tea), the scenting time is short (6-8 hours), and the pile temperature is not high, ventilation is not required.
Uniform stacking :
The stacking and packing is the last step in the jasmine tea scenting process. Before the stacking and packing, small samples are prepared first. After the moisture, powder and other tests and quality appraisals are carried out and the products meet the product specifications , the stacking and packing can be carried out according to the proportion.
At the same time, a large number of finished product samples are taken for physical and chemical inspection and quality identification. Before packing, the empty boxes must be inspected one by one to ensure that there is no dust, debris, or odor in the box and it is completely clean and sanitary.
Sichuan Jasmine Tea for chinese green tea jasmine :
Varieties: Bitan Piaoxue , Chaohua Piaoxue, Linhu Piaoxue, Jinzhenlanxue, Eding Piaoxue, Xiya Piaoxue, Jasmine Xiangxue , Longdu Xiangming , etc.
Sichuan Jasmine Tea uses Sichuan Jasmine tea produced in Sichuan Emei Mountain , Mengshan Mountain , Yibin , Shifang, etc. as tea base, with a unique scenting process. Representative varieties include Bitan Piaoxue, Chaohua Piaoxue, Linhu Piaoxue, and Xiya Piaoxue, which are unique in style. Sichuan scented tea is scented with Sichuan local natural fresh flowers, with Sichuan Mingqian tea as tea base, and multiple scenting processes. When you drink this tea, the flower fragrance does not cover the tea fragrance, and the tea fragrance is mixed with the flower fragrance. The taste is fresh and refreshing, with rich layers .
The value function of chinese green tea jasmine :
Jasmine tea is one of the top ten famous teas in China . It is a tea made from jasmine flowers and tea leaves in full bloom in spring. It has the fragrance of spring flowers and the freshness of tea leaves. It is a sweet and popular tea. Drinking jasmine tea regularly can not only beautify and whiten the skin, but also resist aging. It can also dredge the intestines and stomach, remove stool , relieve gas and clear the brain, lower blood pressure and blood lipids, and has a great effect and effect of resisting bacteria and viruses and treating cancer . The caffeine in tea can stimulate the central nervous system , play a role in driving away drowsiness, eliminating fatigue, increasing vitality, and concentrating thinking ; tea polyphenols , tea pigments and other ingredients can not only be antibacterial and antiviral, but also have anti-cancer and anti-mutation effects.
1. Promotes the flow of qi and relieves depression. The volatile oil substances contained in jasmine have the effects of promoting qi and relieving pain, relieving depression and dispersing stagnation. It can relieve symptoms such as chest and abdominal distension and pain, diarrhea , tenesmus , etc. It is an excellent food therapy for pain relief.
2. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Jasmine has an inhibitory effect on many bacteria . It can be taken orally or applied externally to treat inflammatory diseases such as red eyes , sores , and skin ulcers .
3. Soothe the liver and improve eyesight. Jasmine tea moisturizes the skin and nourishes the face, and has the effect of detoxification and beauty . Jasmine tea has the health benefits of refreshing, clearing heat, digesting food, and diuresis.
Jasmine has the effects of pungent, sweet, cool, clearing away heat and detoxifying , removing dampness, calming the nerves and sedation, and can treat diarrhea , abdominal pain , red and swollen eyes , sores and swelling, etc. Jasmine tea not only maintains the bitter, sweet and cool effects of tea, but also becomes a warm tea due to the baking process, and has a variety of medical and health effects, can remove stomach discomfort, and integrate the health effects of tea and flower fragrance into one, “removing cold evil and helping depression”.
jasmine tea
Carefully selected high-quality tea leaves and fresh jasmine flowers, repeatedly aged. The tea soup is clear, with fragrant flowers and a refreshing taste. Let you enjoy a moment of peaceful tea fragrance in your busy life.
Weight: 2 oz
