Floral Teas

Nov 14, 2014

Bring the aroma of Spring and Summer into your house this winter with some of our floral teas. Are you new to floral teas and how they are made? Here’s a little introduction.

Our floral tea blends are a combination of either teas that are just blended with herbs or teas that are blended with herbs and flavorings.

Jasmine Teas

All of our Jasmine teas are produced by infusing the tea leaves with fresh picked Jasmine blossoms.

The process of producing Jasmine tea started in China sometime during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) using tea blended with Jasmine blossoms. Jasmine teas are created using different types of tea: white, oolong and green predominantly. The base teas used are picked, depending on the type of tea, from March to June, but the Jasmine blossoms do not bloom until the summer. So the teas are picked, processed and stored until the fresh blossoms can be added. The blossoms are picked in the morning when the dew has dried off the closed buds. The buds are then kept cool during the day and then in the evening, when the buds begin to open, they are mixed into the tea. After at least 4 hours, when the tea has absorbed the jasmine scent, the blossoms are removed and fresh buds are added. For standard grade jasmine teas, the blossoms are added 2 or 3 times. For premium grade jasmine teas, this process may be repeated up to 8 times. Once the blenders are satisfied that the tea has the appropriate amount of aroma, the tea is re-fired to remove the moisture that was introduced to the tea by the fresh jasmine blossoms. Jasmine tea destined to remain in China usually has the spent blossoms removed from the finished product, but with teas that are exported, jasmine blossoms are sometimes left in the finished tea for their appearance.

Historically the aroma of Jasmine blossoms was recommended for stress relief, depression and relaxation. For us, the aroma of Jasmine infused teas does have a profound ability to calm and relax!

Jasmine teas are a delicious accompaniment to curries and spicy foods, poultry, meat, fish, fresh fruit, custards, and more.

Use Jasmine in your favorite recipes, both sweet and savory. It offers a whole new dimension to dishes when used (brewed) instead of water to cook rice and grains. Soak Jasmine tea in alcohol, such as vodka, to make delicate floral concoctions.   Grind the tea and use directly in scones, cakes, ice cream and more.

Rose Teas

As with Jasmine teas, Rose teas are made using different types of tea, although black and green teas are used most frequently. Rose petals are added to the base tea and blended to produce tea blends with the heady aroma of the petals. Roses have long been heralded as symbols of romance, respect, hope and beauty.

Try pairing Rose teas with poultry dishes, fruits (especially raspberry and lemon), soft cheeses (like brie), sweets (such as shortbread, cakes, cookies, scones) and chocolate.

Enhance your dessert recipes by adding in some rose teas. You can grind it small and add to your recipe or make a rose tea butter for extra flavor.

Other floral tea blends that we carry are combinations of Jasmine and Rose teas as well as flavored floral teas. Our most popular flavored floral teas are violet and lilac.

Lilac, Violet and other flavored floral teas

Flavored teas are created using any style of tea (black, green, white, oolong or herbal). We flavor our teas with a defined amount of liquid flavoring that is added to the leaf and then blended with other flowers, herbs, spices or fruits.

Our flavored floral teas are delicately scented with the fragrance and taste of lilacs, violets, etc. We then add different flower petals to create a beautiful looking and aromatic brew.

We handcraft these floral blends in small batches so we ensure the freshest possible flavor. As with Jasmine and rose teas, these flavored floral blends can be used in cooking and baking to create a whole new taste profile to your favorite dishes.

Have we peaked your interest in floral teas?

We offer a variety of different Jasmine teas, Rose Congou (black and green) as well as Lilac teas (black and white), Violet black, Violet Rose, Kashmir Rose, Floral Nectar, Citrus Dragon and Rose kissed Jasmine.  We also carry floral herbals such as Chamomile, Rose Petals and Lavender.

We hope you enjoy the intoxicating floral aromas and tastes of these teas and herbs!

 


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