Twinings Jasmine Green Tea: How It Differs From Plain Green

Twinings Jasmine Green Tea: The Easier Way Into Green Tea

Jasmine is the reason many people who gave up on plain green tea come back to it. The flower fills the space where the grassy, sharp edge would be, and what remains is a light, floral cup that most drinkers take to straight away.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Twinings Jasmine Green Tea: The Easier Way Into Green Tea, in summary: Green tea with jasmine, so the cup is soft and floral where a plain green can taste grassy. Brew at about 80 degrees for two minutes with a saucer on top, and leave out the milk.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Jasmine is the reason many people who gave up on plain green tea come back to it. The flower fills the space where the grassy, sharp edge would be, and what remains is a light, floral cup that most drinkers take to straight away.

What the jasmine changes

Jasmine owns the aroma: soft, sweet and floral, never soapy or overpowering. The green base below is light and clean, with a faint vegetal sweetness, and it works as a backdrop rather than a second flavour, so flower and leaf arrive in the mouth together. Astringency stays low when the water is right, the finish is short and tidy, and the flower hangs about in the nose for a while after each sip.

That is the trade. The flower replaces the grassy, mineral character a plain green would have, and most people count that as the attraction, while a few count it as the drawback. If you want your green tea to taste plainly of green tea, this is the wrong box. It is still green tea leaf, so there is caffeine, though green tea usually carries less than a black tea brewed from an equal weight of leaf.

Brewing for the flower

Aim for water at about 80 degrees, not straight off the boil. Either boil the kettle and leave it with the lid open for two minutes, or add a little cold water to the mug first. Fully boiling water scorches the leaf and brings out a dry bitterness almost at once. Steep for two minutes, three at most, and take the bag out rather than leaving it in while you drink.

Cover the cup with a saucer for the first minute. The jasmine aroma is highly volatile and leaves the leaf the moment hot water arrives, which is why an uncovered mug scents the kitchen beautifully and then tastes plainer than it smelled. Keep milk out of it too: both the flower and the light base disappear underneath. If you want anything in it at all, try a sliver of lemon.

At the table, and in the cupboard

Jasmine stands up to bold flavours at the table far better than a delicate plain green, so it holds up beside a takeaway or a dish with chilli in it. The eighty-bag box changes how the tea gets used, too: bought twenty at a time it tends to be rationed for weekends, while a household box lets it become the everyday four o'clock cup, when something light is most welcome.

Since the jasmine is what fades first once air reaches the bags, a scented tea is the box most worth keeping properly closed. Keep the carton shut between cups, or tip the bags into a tin with a tight lid, and keep it away from the spice rack. The ingredient declaration on the current carton is the place to check exactly how the jasmine is added.

The packs we stock

Twinings Jasmine Green Tea, 80 Tea Bags (barcode 070177074869)

What to eat with it

Walker's Shortbread Fingers, 10 Pack 160g: Plain shortbread fingers give the floral cup something rich to lean against without competing.
Bisca Danish Butter Cookies, 454g: Danish butter cookies suit an afternoon pot of jasmine shared with guests.
Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: A little lemon brightness picks up the fresh side of the green base.

Elsewhere in the Twinings range

The full range is on the Twinings brand page.

FAQ

What does jasmine add to a green tea? The jasmine softens the grassy, sharp edge of the green base, giving a floral cup that many people find easier to drink.

Why does my jasmine green tea taste bitter? Usually the water was too hot or the bag stayed in too long. Pour at about 80 degrees and lift the bag at two minutes.

Should I cover the cup while it brews? Yes, for the first minute. The jasmine aroma escapes with the steam, and a saucer keeps more of it in the cup.

Does it go with spicy food? Better than most green teas. The jasmine holds its own beside chilli or a takeaway, where a plain green gets lost.

Does the box use jasmine flowers or flavouring? Check the ingredient declaration on the current carton, which states how the jasmine is added.

Curator's note: On a takeaway night this is the green we would put on the table, and once the big box is in the cupboard it tends to become the four o'clock cup as well. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.