The tradition of jasmine tea dates back to the Song Dynasty in China, where it was first produced for the imperial family. Today, jasmine tea is widely popular and consumed either hot or cold. In this blog post, we will explore how to make this wonderful tea in the comfort of your own home.
How to Make a Jasmine Green Tea?
The most classic Chinese jasmine tea is made from green tea leaves scented with jasmine flowers. Below we'll describe how to perfectly steep a cup of homemade jasmine tea.
Ingredients:
- 3 grams of jasmine tea leaves (any kind of jasmine tea is ok, but one made from whole leaves or buds is going to taste much better, especially when you drink it pure.)
- 500ml of water (17oz)
Instructions:
- Brew the jasmine tea in 500ml of hot water at 80ºC (175ºF). If you're steeping loose leaf tea, make sure to use a teapot or mug with a strainer.
- Wait for 40 seconds, and strain the tea leaves.
- Let the tea cool down for another 2 minutes and serve.
Below you can see how easy it is to brew jasmine tea in a tea mug infuser:
FAQ:
What about white tea?
For white tea you may use the same instructions as for jasmine green tea.
How to Make Jasmine Pearl tea?
For jasmine tea rolled in pearls, you may increase the steeping time to 1 minute. This is because the tightly rolled pearls need time to unfurl and release flavour.
How to Make Jasmine Tea the Traditonal Way?
If you want to prepare jasmine tea based on the traditional 'gongfu' method, you may increase the amount of tea to 5 grams and decrease the amount of water to 100ml (3.4 oz). Due to the high tea-to-water ratio, the tea leaves can be steeped for up to 12 times. See below our demonstration video in which we steep our Snow Jasmine green tea in a gaiwan:
How to Make Iced Jasmine Tea?
For a refreshing cup of iced jasmine tea, you may prepare the same ingredients as for a hot cup of jasmine tea.
Instructions:
- Brew the jasmine tea in 500ml of hot water at 80ºC (175ºF).
- Steep for 1.5 minute, and strain the tea leaves.
- Optional: add your preferred sweetener such as honey or syrup.
- Let the tea cool down for another 2 minutes.
- Add ice and serve.
Beside the above recipe, you may also 'cold brew' your jasmine tea. For more information please read our Cold Brew Jasmine tea guide or watch the video below.
How to Make Jasmine Milk Tea
To make jasmine tea with milk, you may prepare the same amount of jasmine tea (3 grams) and follow these steps:
- Brew the jasmine tea in 300ml of hot water at 80ºC (175ºF).
- Steep for 2 minutes, and strain the tea leaves.
- Optional: add your preferred sweetener such as honey or syrup.
- Add 200ml of milk and serve.
Note: if you may also consider adding condensed milk instead of normal milk. In this case, use 450ml of water instead of 300ml, and add 2 table spoons of condensed milk once the tea is ready.
How to Make Jasmine Boba/Bubble Tea
Boba tea is a sweet and refreshing drink that is popular in Asian countries and now around the world. Instead of a traditional boba tea made from black tea, this recipe combines the floral flavour of jasmine tea with the chewy texture of tapioca pearls. Honey and milk add richness and sweetness to the drink, while the ice cubes make it refreshing.
The only additional ingredient you need is are tapioca pearls.
- Cook the tapioca pearls according to the instructions on the package. Usually, they need to be boiled for 5-20 minutes or until they become soft and chewy. Drain the tapioca pearls and rinse them with cold water.
- Add the tapioca pearls and jasmine milk tea (see recipe above) in a glass and serve.
How to Make Jasmine Tea from Plant
If you're interested to make jasmine tea yourself, then you'll need the following:
- Camellia Sinenses tea plant
- Jasmine flowers
Follow the below steps to make your own jasmine tea from the leaves of the Camellia Sinenses tea plant
- Pick tea leaves from the tea plant (We recommend a 1 bud 2 leaves picking standard).
- Shade dry the leaves for 1 hour
- Fry the leaves in a pan on low fire. Continuously stir the leaves in the pan, and regularly press the leaves on the pan to let the aroma come to the surface of the leaves.
- Let the leaves cool down and air dry for 30 minutes.
- Store the tea in sealed bag or airtight jar.
From its soothing aroma to its sweet and floral taste, Chinese jasmine tea is truly a treat for the senses. Whether you prefer it hot or cold, with milk or without, or even as a bubble tea, the possibilities with jasmine tea are endless. By following the simple steps outlined in this article, you can easily brew a perfect cup of jasmine tea to enjoy yourself or your friends and family.
