What happens when you combine green tea and edible flowers? You get a bespoke aroma that transcends any tea you have ever sampled before. Flowering tea is exactly this – it is a combination of the best-handpicked tea leaves and dried edible flowers from China. Flowering teas are not just popular for their taste; the unique brewing experience makes them truly aesthetically remarkable.
You can now find blooming teas in stores across the USA and in online stores as well. Several stores create their blooming tea designs, but the best ones still come from Yunnan or Fujian China. It takes years to master the art of crafting these blooming tea buds.
Why is flowering tea such a craze all across the world?
Craftsmen from the orient usually choose dried green tea leaves and silver tea leaves for the outer whorl of the flower. They also choose edible flowers, generally sweet for the inner petals or buds. They air dry these flowers completely before the sewing process starts. These flowers are usually lilies, fuchsias, jasmines or roses. The choice depends upon the desired blend and the resulting health benefits of the tea.
The artisans sew these leaves and flowers into a ball. They add flattened strips of tea leaves to the outside to create the real flower effect. Finally, they sew the entire thing together into a neat little ball and bake it for about 20 to 30 minutes on low heat. Even with the advancement in technology, this process usually takes a whole day even for the most expert group of workers. A professional worker can make about 4.5 pounds of flowering tea per day.
In most cases, the design of flowering teas ensures more than one serving. Therefore, using them for a single serve can cause the tea to taste bitter. Always enjoy the tea in a multi-serving, clear teapot to be able to appreciate the aesthetic beauty and the flavor of the tea. You can use the tea balls for multiple servings too, but it will lack the aesthetic beauty of the first serve.
How to prepare flowering tea for the best effects?
Since almost all popular flowering tea brands use green tea or white tea, you must remember not to use scalding hot water while brewing. Boiling water can easily blister the flowering balls and leave the brew tasting bitter. You should check the water with a cooking thermometer in case you are not sure. About 176 degrees Fahrenheit is right for watching the buds bloom beautifully. It takes about 3 minutes to 5 minutes for the flower to bloom completely. Once it has fully bloomed in the teapot, pour the warm tea into teacups and enjoy.
Added tip
Several connoisseurs do not throw the flower tea ball away after finishing the pot. They simply immerse it in cold water and keep it in a transparent jar to preserve its delicate beauty for a long time.
Author Bio: Kate Simmons is a trained tea expert with her popular blog. Her posts on flowering tea elicit the exact reasons why you need to try one today!
I’m amazed at how long it takes to make a small amount of flowering tea. There is a tea shop near me, and they have samples, and it is so pretty to see the teas in the teapots.