It takes much effort and expense to purchase top quality green tea, top quality jasmine flowers. Not only that, but there is great expense and effort to infuse the jasmine aroma and flavor into the green tea leaves.
Some unscrupulous tea suppliers have found a sneaky, cheap way out. They add a chemical to imitate the flavor of good jasmine tea. Yes, you can see some flowers in the tea, but the process of infusing the jasmine to the green tea has been totally avoided. This means it is cheaper - and some of the health benefits of jasmine tea are compromised.
How do you discover if chemicals have been added to simulate jasmine aroma and flavor?
The smell and taste are pleasant - but not quite right.
If you use water to make tea, after about three water applications, the jasmine flavor has all washed away and you are left with a slightly bitter taste.
Half of the jasmine teas we have tested have utilized the chemical approach.
Get the best. We only recommend teas if they have passed complete and thorough testing - of OURS.
We don't accept "tea taste" winners from mysterious tasting organizations where the amount of "donation" decides winners and loser. We do the testing ourselves - and will sell any product. Independence is a must.
Questions to ask about jasmine tea
Traditional jasmine scenting uses fresh flowers to impart fragrance to prepared tea leaves. For a tea sold on that basis, ask the supplier to explain the scenting method and identify the base tea. Clear production information is more useful than relying on the number of visible petals in the packet.
A tasting comparison can reveal which tea you enjoy, but aroma fading after a particular number of infusions is not a laboratory test for added flavouring. Keep the water, leaf weight and steeping times consistent when comparing samples, and record the fragrance of each infusion. Ask for an ingredient declaration if added flavouring matters to you. Avoid turning a personal tasting impression into a claim about a producer’s honesty without supporting evidence.