Jasmine tea is one of my favorites. Here are some photos of Jasmine Dragon Pearls from my cupboard. The tea is infused with the scent of jasmine flowers.
It’s fascinating to understand how this beautiful tea is made. Each pearl is comprised of two delicate leaves and an unopened bud. The tea leaves are harvested in the spring season. The buds are then withered in direct sun or over low heat to make them more supple and easier to roll. The top bud and stem are rolled by hand, by twisting the top bud gently between the index finger and thumb to create the ‘pearl’.
One pound of tea consists of 2000 pearls.
It takes a worker a full day to roll one pound of dragon pearls.
Afterward, the prepared tea is stored until it can be infused with its signature jasmine scent. Night-blooming jasmine flowers are harvested at the peak of the summer season and stored until nightfall when they are cured with the finished teas. As the jasmine flowers dry out, they infuse the tea with their flavor. Each morning, the spent flowers are changed for fresh blossoms. This process is repeated as many as twelve times until the tea is deeply scented with their fragrance.
Afterward, the tea leaves are fixed by being fired to remove the moisture of the jasmine.
Here’s a great video from JING Tea that really makes it come to life.
This video from QTrade Teas shows just the rolling process.
