As “the flavour of spring in China” which takes the world by storm, Fuzhou jasmine tea has jasmine fragrance but without flowers. This stems from the wisdom of Fujian people--the Scenting Techniques. “Scenting” or “Scenting flowers”, means the process of blending tea leaves and flowers, allowing the leaves to absorb the aromatic scent of the jasmine blossoms, and then removing the flowers. The process is repeated many times to form the rich aroma of jasmine tea. 

Tea increases the fragrance of flowers, while flowers enhance the taste of tea. Jasmine tea has baked green tea as its base. Specifically, flowers and tea leaves are blended layer by layer, fully stirred and oxygenated, so that the jasmine blossoms will keep fresh and tea leaves can fully absorb fresh fragrance of the flowers. The scenting processes may be repeated three times, six times or nine times. The more times the tea is scented, the more difficult the scenting process is. Therefore, the jasmine tea will be more precious and of higher qualify. The most sophisticated scenting process can even last for a month, and one mistake will make all the efforts come to nought. It will take more than 60 days and 201 procedures, and there are strict requirements on the amount of flowers, the time of scenting, as well as the time and heat of baking. 

At the end of 2022, the item “Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China” was formally added to the intangible cultural heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) . This item includes six national intangible cultural heritage projects in Fujian Province, such as Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting techniques. 

Flowers and tea meet in this riverside and costal city, creating the scenting techniques of jasmine tea, which produces tea with fragrance of jasmine but without the flowers. 

Source: FZNEWS.COM.CN

Translation: 21CMCC