Reprocessed Tea · FFET10395
Jasmine tea
Fresh jasmine scents the tea through repeated rounds of scenting in the Fuzhou craft.
Teas made by working tea of the basic classes further, such as scented and compressed tea.
Jasmine tea is a flower-scented tea made with green tea and fresh jasmine blossoms. The Fuzhou craft uses a baked green tea base that absorbs floral fragrance through repeated scenting. The Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting craft appears in the fifth batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list; the listing recognizes the production craft.
What
Jasmine tea is green tea scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. The leaves absorb the floral fragrance and remain the base of the finished tea.1,2
When
Annual production in the Fuzhou craft begins in July, with scenting done overnight and repeated every three days. The craft's origin is placed in the Song dynasty, but that is a later account with no dated original record.2
Where
Fuzhou, Fujian, is a jasmine tea producing area, and its nationally listed scenting craft was submitted from Cangshan District. Hengxian in Guangxi also produces jasmine tea, while Suzhou in Jiangsu has a history of making it.1,3
How
The Fuzhou craft combines a baked green tea base with fresh jasmine blossoms. Its seven traditional operations are tang, ta, bo, xun (scenting), tong, qi and hong, with scenting repeated over successive rounds.2,3
Why
The absorption of floral fragrance into the leaves is central to scenting. The highest grade is described as needing at least nine scentings, known as jiu xun.1,2
Impact and influence
The Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting craft appears in the fifth batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list, recognizing the techniques used to make flower-scented tea.3