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Jasmine tea is usually a green tea base scented with jasmine blossom, so it brews like green tea with one extra concern: protecting the aroma. The jasmine guide covers the types; here is the brew.
Treat it as green tea
Most jasmine tea is green tea based, so water around 75 to 80C, not boiling. Boiling water does two bad things at once: it makes the green base bitter and it drives off the delicate jasmine perfume that is the whole point.
Short steep
One to two minutes. Jasmine gives its aroma quickly; a long steep adds astringency without adding fragrance. If it is weak, add leaf, not time.
Jasmine pearls vs loose jasmine
Rolled jasmine pearls unfurl slowly and re-steep beautifully, often three or more infusions, watch them open in a glass. Loose jasmine green is quicker and simpler. Pearls reward the patience; loose is the everyday choice.
Water and glass
Soft, fresh water flatters jasmine; very hard water mutes the florals. Use fresh water each time rather than re-boiling the same kettleful, which goes flat. A glass or pale cup is not vanity here, half the pleasure of jasmine is the scent as you lift it.
No milk
Never. Jasmine is a fragrant, clean tea. Milk destroys the aroma entirely.
How good jasmine is scented
Good jasmine is scented by repeatedly layering fresh jasmine blossom with the tea over several nights, not by spraying on oil or flavouring, which is why a quality jasmine smells deep and natural rather than soapy, and why it survives gentle brewing so well. A cheap sprayed one shows its thinness exactly when you brew it correctly, so buying a properly scented leaf is part of brewing it well.
Storing jasmine tea
Even perfect technique cannot rescue stale leaf, and jasmine fades faster than most because its scent is volatile. Air, light, heat, moisture and strong smells degrade it, so keep it airtight, opaque, cool and dry, away from coffee and spices, and buy amounts you will finish within a few months. A fresh, well-stored cheap jasmine routinely beats an expensive one that has sat open since last year.
Common mistakes
Boiling water (bitter and scentless), over-steeping, treating pearls like a one-and-done bag. Brew it cool, short and fresh and jasmine is one of the most pleasurable cups there is.
Brewing jasmine tea, at a glance
| Dial | Rule |
|---|---|
| Treat as | Green tea: ~75-80C, never boiling |
| Time | Short: 1-2 min; longer turns it bitter and dulls the florals |
| Form | Pearls unfurl over 3+ steeps; loose is quicker and simpler |
| Water | Soft, fresh; hard water mutes the jasmine |
| Milk | No; it would smother the scent entirely |
Reference noted
Tea reading
More from the tea wiki
- Green tea
- Black tea
- Oolong tea
- White tea
- Herbal tea
- Caffeine in tea
- How to make tea properly
- Loose leaf vs teabag
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