What Is Jasmine Tea? How China's Favorite Scented Tea Is Made

Jasmine tea is a scented tea, a finished tea (almost always green tea) that has been layered with fresh jasmine blossoms so it absorbs their aroma. The jasmine flowers are usually removed before sale, which surprises people. The fragrance you smell in the cup is scent the leaves have taken on, not petals floating in the water. It is China's most famous scented tea and, for many people worldwide, their first Chinese tea.

Traditional jasmine tea is made in late summer when jasmine blooms. Tea leaves are spread in alternating layers with flowers picked that evening, because jasmine only releases its scent at night. Over several nights the flowers are refreshed and the process repeated. The finest grades are scented seven times or more. This slow, labor-intensive craft is why real jasmine tea tastes of living flowers rather than perfume. Cheaper versions use jasmine flavoring or a single quick scenting.

Good jasmine tea is fragrant and softly sweet, with the fresh green, slightly grassy or chestnut base of the underlying tea balancing the floral top note. High grades like Jasmine Dragon Pearl, hand-rolled into little pearls that unfurl as they steep, are delicate and layered, while leafier styles like Jasmine Yin Hao are rounder and fuller. It should never taste soapy or artificial. If it does, the scenting was rushed or synthetic.

Yes. Because the base is real tea (Camellia sinensis), jasmine tea contains caffeine, usually in the low-to-moderate range typical of green tea. It is not a caffeine-free herbal tisane. If you are watching caffeine, brew it cooler and shorter, and see our caffeine guide for how brewing changes the amount in your cup.

Because most jasmine tea is green-tea based, treat it gently. Use water around 80-85C, not boiling, and a short steep of 2-3 minutes. Boiling water scorches the delicate leaf and turns the floral sweetness bitter. Pearls and high-grade leaf reward multiple short infusions, revealing more jasmine in the first steeps and more of the tea base later. Use a glass or porcelain gaiwan so you can watch the leaves open.

Look for loose-leaf jasmine tea that lists a real tea base and multiple scentings, not "jasmine flavor." Avoid dusty tea bags, which are usually low-grade and heavily perfumed. Whole rolled pearls and intact leaves are signs of quality. Stored airtight and away from light and kitchen smells, jasmine tea keeps its fragrance best when drunk within a year. It is prized fresh, unlike aged teas.

Jasmine tea is an easy, welcoming introduction to Chinese tea for anyone who finds plain green tea too austere. It pairs beautifully with light meals and is refreshing iced. If you enjoy it, explore other scented teas and the unscented green teas that form its base, like Longjing.

What is jasmine tea made of?

Jasmine tea is a finished tea, almost always green tea, that has been layered with fresh jasmine blossoms so it absorbs their scent. The flowers are usually removed before sale, so the fragrance comes from the leaves, not petals in the water.

Does jasmine tea have caffeine?

Yes. Because the base is real tea (Camellia sinensis), jasmine tea contains caffeine, usually in the low-to-moderate range typical of green tea. It is not a caffeine-free herbal tisane.

What does jasmine tea taste like?

Good jasmine tea is fragrant and softly sweet, with a fresh green or chestnut tea base balancing the floral note. It should taste of living flowers, never soapy or artificial. If it tastes like perfume, the scenting was rushed or synthetic.

How do you brew jasmine tea without bitterness?

Because most jasmine tea is green-tea based, use water around 80-85C, not boiling, and steep for 2-3 minutes. Boiling water scorches the leaf and turns the floral sweetness bitter. High-grade pearls reward several short infusions.