What is Jasmine green tea?
Jasmine tea is an extremely aromatic variety of tea originating from China. It is made from leaves taken from the same plant as other tea varieties (Camellia Sinensis), but flavored using jasmine flowers. A base of oolong tea is sometimes used, but more often jasmine tea is made from a green tea base.
Jasmine flowers are mixed together with other tea leaves in temperature and humidity controlling machines, for a minimum of about four hours. Higher grades of tea will often have this process repeated up to seven times! The idea is to infuse the tea leaves with the flavors and fragrance of the jasmine. The tea then has to be re-fired, since the leaves will have absorbed moisture from the jasmine. Large fans are used in order to blow petals away from the tea leaves, but sometimes the flowers are left in – it doesn't really affect the finished product, because the petals are completely dried out by this stage, containing no lasting aroma or taste. Sometimes they're allowed to remain in the tea simply for visual effect – the presence of blossoms or petals in the tea leaves is no indication of the grade or quality of the tea itself. They can look quite pretty as they unfurl in the water – their presence is purely ornamental!
In addition to the pleasant floral scent added by the jasmine flowers, there's also a subtle change to the flavor of the green tea. It becomes slightly richer and sweeter, but caution should be taken when brewing, as it's just as possible to oversteep jasmine tea as it is to oversteep regular green tea! The effect of this is a bitter-tasting cup, with a strong astrigency that overpowers the delicate floral flavors of the tea.
The best jasmine tea to buy (or for you to try) is looseleaf tea, as it consists of whole leaves with no stems or offcuttings. Steep them briefly. Ideally, do this in a teapot, where the leaves will be loose and have room to breathe as they brew. For the best scent and flavor, use water that is below the boiling point (as with all green teas).
There is some debate as to whether jasmine tea has any additional benefits over regular green tea, in terms of health. It is most commonly agreed that it does not offer anything extra, because the jasmine flowers are added purely to add to the aroma of the tea, and to enhance its taste. However, there is some scientific research into the subject which suggests that the inclusion of jasmine backs up theories that green tea might be beneficial in helping the body to protect against cancer. This is still tentative, however. But other properties of jasmine are more widely known and readily accepted, such as its effectiveness in altering moods. The aroma is often captured in oil form to be used as a stimulant increasing work efficiency and nerve activity – so added to the mental clarity and memory boost that green tea is reputed to offer, the addition of jasmine seems like a very useful thing!
Useful Links:
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/typesoftea/tp/greentea.htmhttp://www.stashtea.com/w-050871.htm
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