Reprocessed Tea · FFET10453
Osmanthus scented tea
Tea scented with fresh osmanthus blossoms, which are sifted out after the tea absorbs their fragrance.
Teas made by working tea of the basic classes further, such as scented and compressed tea.
Osmanthus scented tea is made by scenting green, black, or oolong tea with fresh osmanthus blossoms. After the tea absorbs their fragrance, the flowers are sifted out, leaving the scented tea leaves.
What
Osmanthus scented tea is tea that has absorbed the fragrance of fresh osmanthus blossoms. Its base may be green, black, or oolong tea.2,3
When
A historical account describes scenting tea with fragrant flowers, but it does not name osmanthus or give an edition date, so it cannot establish when osmanthus tea began. An industry standard explicitly named for osmanthus tea was published on December 30, 2015; this dates the standard.1,3
Where
A 2024 feature calls Xianning in Hubei the hometown of osmanthus, but it does not discuss tea production, so no place of origin for osmanthus tea can be named.4
How
Fresh osmanthus blossoms scent the tea leaves, and the flowers are sifted out after the tea absorbs their fragrance. A historical flower-scenting method places tea above flowers in a covered basket, replacing the flowers after a night and repeating this for several days. That account does not specify osmanthus.1,2,3
Why
Its defining feature is the osmanthus fragrance absorbed by the leaves, combining floral aroma with a green, black, or oolong tea base.2,3
Impact and influence
Osmanthus tea had a dedicated industry standard that took effect on June 1, 2016, and was superseded on March 1, 2023. The standard was neither a geographical indication nor an intangible cultural heritage designation.3