Scented green teas are the most commonly drunk teas in China. With a history stretching back over 700 years, jasmine scented green tea is probably the most popular scented tea. In China it is described as being like drinking the flavour of Spring. TeaVivre's premium quality Silver Jasmine is made from Fuding Da Bai tea trees and Da Hao tea trees combined during processing with jasmine flowers. When dry, this tea appears like all high quality green teas, with small curled tea leaves covered in fine white hairs.
Brief Health Info
As Jasmine green tea is simply premium green tea that is scented with jasmine during processing , it provides all the same great health benefits of Green teas. However it is also widely believed that the jasmine flowers themselves add some additional benefits, helping reduce depression and also helping with natural detoxification of the body.
For more information on the health benefits of Green teas, take a look at our article on Tea Health benefit.
How to Make Tea
Silver Jasmine tea should be brewed just like all green teas, in water that is around 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes. TeaVivre's Jasmine tea can be infused 4 or 5 times. To further enjoy this tea, we recommend brewing it directly in a glass, as is commonly done in China. This lets you not just enjoy the wonderful flavour and fragrance, but also lets you watch the tea leaves slowly expand and change as they brew.
For more information on some of the skills and arts of brewing tea, check out our article on How To Make Tea.
Introduction of the tea farmer
Lin Jian, who is born in Fuding, Fujian, has been living under the environment of teas. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather are all tea farmers. When he was in elementary school, he helped to pick the tea after school at the tea picking time when there’s not enough people to pick the tea. The dream of engaging in tea business was came up at that time. He said: “My original idea is to make a good life for my family by tea business. But from 1993 when my tea business was gradually developed, I changed my mind. Fuding is the best place of planning white tea. So I want to create a long-term Organic Tea business.” Through our contact with Mr Lin, we felt that he is a man of frankness, speaking quickly, walking quickly and working quickly.
Not exaggeratedly speaking, now Lin Jian is the first founder of Chinese white tea. He owns near 2800 acre high quality tea gardens in Fuding including 500 acre organic tea garden which is the only organic tea garden in Fujian that has passed the USA, Europe and Japan organic certification. He also owns 200 acre Jasmine tea garden in Guangxi. Meanwhile his heshan organic tea base was regards as the national agricultural standard base.
In 2004, his Taimu Jasmine green tea won the gold medal at the annual Chinese Taimu tea competition in Fujian.
Where is this Silver Jasmine Green Tea produced
Like most of our premium teas, TeaVivre's Silver Jasmine Green Tea is produced in the Mt. Taimu area.
This tropical mountainous coastal area is perfect for growing teas. The area has an abundant rainfall, with many misty days in spring, and temperatures that are neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. The mountains around the farms are more than 80% forested, ensuring the soil has a high natural fertility and organic content, removing the need to use fertilizers. The jasmine used in this tea is grown on a 200 acre plantation in Guangxi province.
History of Jasmine Green Tea
Scented green teas have a history that stretches back over a thousand years. The innovation of adding spices and flowers to green teas started during the Chinese Song Dynasty, around 960AD.
During the Ming Dynasty, in the 1500's, the modern production method of Jasmine scented tea, with the flowers being added to the tea during processing, prior to drying, was introduced and perfected. In this time though, jasmine tea was still rare, due to the increased complexities the processing required.
However later in the mid 1800's during the Qing Dynasty, production techniques were perfected and the number of tea farms rapidly increased, leading to greater production volumes and cheaper prices, culminating in it becoming hugely popular in China, a popularity that has remained to this day.
