Jasmine Pearl Green Tea

Jasmine pearls are young green tea leaves rolled by hand into tight balls and scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. As they unfurl in the cup they give a smooth, perfumed brew of jasmine over a gently nutty, grassy green-tea base. Brewed in a glass teapot at 80°C.

Origin & Story

Each pearl is a small piece of work. Young green tea leaves are shaped by hand into tight little balls and scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. The scenting can be repeated several times, with the tea layered with fresh flowers each time, until the leaves have taken on the perfume.

Jasmine tea is one of China's oldest scented teas. The jasmine plant is said to have reached China during the Han dynasty, and the habit of scenting tea with it goes back to around the fifth century, though jasmine tea did not become widespread until the Qing dynasty. Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian, is the most important city in producing it.

In the cup the pearls swell and slowly unfurl into whole leaves, releasing a delicate jasmine aroma over a smooth green-tea base: jasmine, a gentle sweetness and a touch of nuttiness. Watching it happen is half the point, so a glass pot or cup is a good idea.

Brew with water at about 80°C, about 3 g of pearls for 240 ml, and steep for two to three minutes. Water that is too hot can make the base tea taste bitter and flatten the perfume, so stay near 80°C. The pearls can be infused again two or three times.

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