Jasmine Buds

Delicate notes of cherry peek out from fragrant jasmine. Clean fruity floral finish.

HEALTH PROPERTIES:  

CAFFEINE LEVELS:  Caffeine Free

TEA SOURCING:  China, Fujian Province.

INGREDIENTS: Jasmine Buds

ETHICS:  Ethical Tea Partnership and GMO free

THE STORY OF JASMINE

Jasmine grows wild throughout many parts of the Himalayas, India and China. From very early times, the people living in these areas have always considered the flower to be sacred and associated it with love and devotion. In fact, in India, jasmine flowers are considered the sacred flower of the god of love, Kama. (You may have heard of the Kama-Sutra? There's a reason the ancients considered the flower an aphrodisiac!) Now, unfortunately, love always has its downside and jasmine is no different.

For example, have you ever wondered why jasmine only blooms at night? An Indian legend holds that a princess fell in love with Surya-Deva, the god of the sun. Every day, she would go out to the royal garden and tend to all the flowers and plants so Surya-Deva would have somewhere beautiful to send his rays. One day, he descended from heaven to visit the girl. She was ecstatic, but the god rejected the girl's love and ascended back into the sky. The princess was heartbroken. Her family, try as they might, couldn't console the poor girl - even her garden gave her no more pleasure. Finally, she took her own life. Her family was distraught. As is Indian custom, the girl's body was cremated shortly afterward. Her parents, wanting to keep their daughter's spirit close,  scattered the ashes in the royal garden. Over the next few weeks, they witnessed a miracle. From the ashes, a beautiful new flowering plant began to grow. But because the sun god was responsible for the girl's death, the tree would only blossom at night. As a consolation for their daughter's demise, the king and queen woke up each morning to the hauntingly sweet smell of the delicate blooms. Over the ensuing centuries, the pretty white flowers spread throughout the Eastern world.

The story is tragic, but waking up to the scent of freshly bloomed jasmine wafting in through a window is like waking up to fresh cinnamon buns - in a more exotic sort of way. The scent is truly incredible and the sweet fragrance makes breathing a delight. It's also the reason Jasmine has been used to scent and flavor teas for hundreds of years. Now you can create your own delectable jasmine creations. Try adding these wonderful jasmine buds to green, black, even oolong or white teas or on their own as a caffeine free herbal delight. (Just mind your customers don't fall in love with you.)

We often serve customers asking for "Jasmine Tea."  This may refer to an infusion of jasmine buds, but it can also refer to high-quality green tea, infused with Jasmine scent.  Our Jasmine with Flowers is a fine example of this lovely green tea.  Our Dragon Pearls also has Jasmine infused into the tea. 

BREWING INSTRUCTIONS

BREWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOT TEA: Infuse one slightly heaping teaspoon for each 8 ounce cup with water brought to a boil for 3-15 minutes.

NUMBER OF CUPS: 15-20 cups from each 50 grams of tea, with a single use of the leaves.  Loose leaf tea is traditionally infused 3 times, with a different flavor profile following each infusion.  Accordingly, each 50 gram bag can make up to 60 cups of tea.