Blossom Brews
Raghu Yadav
| 19-12-2023
· Food Team
Flower tea, a delightful fusion of tea leaves and scented flowers, undergoes careful cellaring to allow the tea leaves to absorb the aromatic essence of the flowers.
Termed "tea billet," it encompasses various types like green tea, black tea, and oolong tea.
Among them, green tea, a prominent unfermented variant, holds a distinguished status among the six major tea categories. Its production involves methods like frying, steaming, baking, and sun drying.
Calendula tea, rich in phosphorus and vitamin C, boasts benefits such as promoting sweating, diuresis, and detoxification. Jasmine tea not only enhances brain function and eases pain but also proves effective for menstrual discomfort and the prevention of prostatitis.
Additionally, jasmine tea-infused rice not only provides a delightful flavor but also offers health benefits, including reducing blood fat and cholesterol.
Black tea, a post-fermented variant, crafted from coarse, aged raw materials, undergoes essential processes like killing, kneading, curing, and drying. Chrysanthemum tea, often made with Pu-erh tea, delights with its reddish-brown color, mellow flavor, and refreshing blend of tea and chrysanthemum essence.
Flower tea, broadly encompassing herbal tea and flower and fruit tea, artfully combines the absorbing nature of tea with the aromatic characteristics of flowers. Herbal teas, featuring leaves like lotus and stevia, and flower and fruit teas, incorporating elements like fig, lemon, hawthorn, and monk fruit, offer both fragrance and health benefits.
Typically, green, black, or oolong tea forms the base, combined with various scented flowers such as jasmine, magnolia, osmanthus, or orchid. Jasmine tea emerges as a front-runner in production, embodying the harmonious marriage of fragrant flowers and quality tea.
Calendula tea, rich in minerals like phosphorus and vitamin C, offers multifaceted benefits. Beyond promoting sweating and diuresis, it has detoxifying properties. The petals of calendula are not only used for tea but can also enhance salads or contribute to cooking, providing both color and flavor.
Jasmine tea stands out not only for its ability to enhance cognitive function and alleviate pain but also for its effectiveness in addressing menstrual discomfort. The presence of jasmone in jasmine tea contributes to its preventive qualities against prostatitis and enlarged prostate.
A unique culinary blend involves cooking rice with jasmine tea water, resulting in a fragrant and delicious dish that offers not only a sensory delight but also health benefits, including the softening of blood vessels and the prevention of strokes and aging.
Black tea, belonging to the post-fermented category, undergoes a meticulous production process involving coarse, aged raw materials. Key steps include killing, kneading, curing, and drying, with curing standing out as the pivotal stage in determining the quality of black tea.
Chrysanthemum tea, often crafted with Pu-erh tea, presents a visually appealing reddish-brown hue, a mellow flavor, and a refreshing fusion of tea and chrysanthemum essence. Particularly popular in locations like Hong Kong, Chrysanthemum Pu-erh has gained favor for its unique taste profile.