Teas of Summer: Spotlight on Jasmine Blends

Summer is the season of sensual delights—long days, warm breezes, and that brilliant energy of foliage in full bloom. Jasmine tea blends fit right in with that relaxing and invigorating pace of life and are an excellent choice to quench your thirst or compliment summer’s many delightful and fresh meals. A versatile tea, jasmine blends are excellent served hot and absolutely refreshing iced. If you’re feeling daring, try them iced with a fruit puree like peach or strawberry, and sweetened with a touch of your favorite honey.

Jasmine tea is made from green, oolong, black, and even white tea blends infused with the exotic and aromatic jasmine flower. The jasmine flower blooms only at night—quite a romantic personality trait! In modern tea-making practices, tea leaves and jasmine flowers are “mated” in machines that control temperature and humidity in order to create the optimal absorption process and the perfect tea blend. Other sources reveal a more traditional mating process where jasmine flowers are added to large stores of tea leaves during the night and infuse as the precious flower opens. This process can be repeated up to 12 nights for some of the higher grade teas. Depending on the tradition of the tea harvesters, loose jasmine tea may or may not contain flower petals and other material from the jasmine flowers.

Jasmine flowers have been popular in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and the aromatic plant has been used to increase immune function, reduce fevers, and act as an aphrodisiac. Chemically, the jasmine plant contains salicylic acid, linalool, and other alkaloids; this gives it real versatility in terms of homeopathic health remedies—it’s known as an analgesic, fever reducer, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, etc. The aromatic effects of the flower have also been known to create both calming and invigorating moods. And, when jasmine tea is made from a green tea blend, the tea retains the same benefits of fighting cancer and heart disease as well as lowering LDL cholesterol levels.

One of the biggest delights of drinking jasmine teas is the wonderful harmony of its taste and aroma. The smell of the jasmine flower comes to a full and lively scent during brewing and adds a subtle sweet flavor to the tea base. Most blends are brewed for 3-5 five minutes, and since it’s so aromatic you’ll get the benefit of enjoying the aroma as you wait for your cup. Remember that teas can be seasonal and temperamental, so make sure you check the package or ask your tea merchant the optimal brewing practice for your particular jasmine blend.