Theme - Jasmine Tea

„Timing is everything when gathering the flowers. They must be fully open and for this reason they are harvested at midnight, or early in the morning. Then the open flowers are placed with the tea so that the scent of the flower can be absorbed into the tea over the next four hours. After this the flowers are removed. This process is repeated from two to seven times over a month. Then the tea is ready for sale. The grade of the tea is determined by how many scentings the tea has gotten over a month. High grade jasmine tea has had up to seven scentings over the month. Low grade has had two to three scentings.“

„Jasmine tea (Chinese: 茉莉花茶; pinyin: mòlìhuā chá) is a type of scented tea which absorbs aroma from jasmine blossoms. Scented tea was known during the time of the Song Dynasty (960–1279); however it was reserved for the Imperial Court. Typically, jasmine tea employs green tea as the tea base; however, white tea and even black tea are also now used. The resulting flavor of jasmine tea is subtly sweet and highly fragrant. It is the most famous scented tea in China.“

„Most green teas with jasmine contain a significant amount of polyphenols, plant-based substances that have proven to have anticancer, antiviral, and antioxidant properties. This helps prevent certain cancers and slows aging by eliminating free radicals. Jasmine is good for diabetes prevention and reducing high blood pressure. It is believed to prevent strokes, heart attacks, thrombosis, and arterial sclerosis.“