Basic Introduction to Fuzhou Jasmine Tea
Jasmine tea, also known as jasmine-scented tea, is renowned for the saying, “In China's scented teas, one can smell the scent of spring.” Scented tea falls under the category of processed teas, and jasmine tea is a notable variety among them. Jasmine tea is made by blending tea leaves with jasmine flowers, allowing the tea to absorb the floral fragrance. The tea base used in jasmine tea is typically green tea, though a small number are made from black or oolong tea.
Nutritional Value
The “Comprehensive Chinese Pharmacopoeia” records that jasmine has the effects of regulating qi and relieving depression, dispelling foul odors, and harmonizing the middle. It is also effective in treating dysentery, abdominal pain, conjunctivitis, and skin infections. Regular consumption of jasmine tea can have various benefits, including clearing the liver and improving vision, quenching thirst, eliminating phlegm, treating diarrhea, promoting urination, dispelling wind, alleviating colds, healing fistulas, strengthening teeth, enhancing vitality, lowering blood pressure, strengthening the heart, preventing dental caries, protecting against radiation damage, fighting cancer, and delaying aging. These effects promote longevity and well-being.
According to traditional Chinese medicine and modern pharmacological research on the health benefits of tea: Tea is bitter and sweet in taste, cool in nature, and enters the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney meridians. Bitterness helps in purgation, dispelling dampness, and reducing fire; sweetness nourishes and soothes; coolness clears heat, reduces fire, and treats exterior symptoms. Tea contains a large amount of compounds beneficial to human health, such as catechins, vitamins C and A, caffeine, flavonols, and tea polyphenols. Jasmine tea also contains a large amount of aromatic oils, geraniol, methyl eugenol, benzyl acetate, and more than 20 other compounds. Based on the unique adsorption properties of tea and the scent-emitting characteristics of jasmine flowers, jasmine tea is produced through a series of processes. This results in a tea that retains the natural flavor of green tea while being rich in the fresh and fragrant aroma of jasmine, making it the best natural health drink in the world today.
Product Characteristics
Jasmine tea is made by blending processed and dried tea leaves with unopened jasmine flowers. Its color, aroma, taste, and shape are closely related to the type and quality of the tea base and the freshness of the flowers. Most jasmine tea uses roasted green tea as its primary ingredient, commonly referred to as jasmine roasted green. Common features include: tight and evenly shaped tea strands, dark brown and lustrous color, fresh and lasting fragrance, full-bodied and refreshing taste, bright yellow-green broth, and tender and soft leaves at the bottom.
History and Folklore
Fuzhou is the birthplace of jasmine tea, with a history dating back nearly a thousand years. Jasmine is one of the four sacred flowers of Buddhism, and the saying goes, “Jasmine is a beautiful flower that came from the Buddhist lands to China.” Jasmine was also written as “Mali,” and its homeland is India. Lu Jia's “Records of Nan Yue” from the early Western Han Dynasty mentions jasmine, indicating that it had been introduced to Fuzhou, a southeastern Buddhist city, from India along with Buddhism 2,200 years ago. Fuzhou gradually became the capital of jasmine. Due to the widespread use of aromatherapy in the Song Dynasty, traditional Chinese medicine recognized the health benefits of tea and jasmine, leading to the creation of Fuzhou jasmine tea. Many historical documents from the Song Dynasty record the process of picking, processing, and tasting Fuzhou jasmine tea. During the Qing Dynasty's Xianfeng period, Fuzhou jasmine tea began to be produced on a large scale as a tribute tea for the imperial court. Fuzhou has the ideal natural conditions for growing jasmine outdoors, providing the perfect environment for the growth of jasmine in terms of light, temperature, water, and heat. In the “Chinese Famous Tea Chronicle,” Fuzhou jasmine tea is the only historically famous tea in the jasmine tea category. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Fuzhou jasmine tea has always been the official gift tea. Before the reform and opening up, all jasmine tea exported from China was produced in Fuzhou. Bing Xin wrote, “China is the country that discovered and utilized tea first, and it is the homeland of tea. My hometown, Fujian, is both a tea-producing region and the birthplace of jasmine tea. Before liberation, although Sichuan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Taiwan also produced jasmine tea, their varieties and processing techniques were all derived from Fujian.”
Differentiating Genuine Fuzhou Jasmine Tea
When purchasing jasmine tea, start by examining its appearance. High-quality specialty jasmine tea is made from tender raw materials, often consisting of one bud and one leaf, two leaves, or mostly young buds, with visible downy tips. Special grade and first-grade teas use relatively tender raw materials, with fine, tight strands and slightly visible downy tips. Second and third-grade teas use less tender raw materials, with almost no downy tips. Fourth and fifth-grade teas are low-grade teas, using less tender raw materials, with loose and large strands, often containing stems and stalks.
If possible, try brewing the tea to fully showcase its quality. The brewing method uses cup brewing, generally done in two infusions. Take 3 grams of tea and pour about 150 milliliters of boiling water over it. After steeping for 3 minutes, filter out the tea liquor, smell the aroma, observe the broth color, and taste the flavor. For the second infusion, pour boiling water and steep for 5 minutes before filtering out the tea liquor. Repeat the steps of smelling the aroma, observing the broth color, and tasting the flavor.
Awards and Honors
In January 2008, the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued the “National Geographical Indication Certification Trademark” for Fuzhou jasmine tea.
In September 2009, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine approved the implementation of “National Geographical Indication Product Protection” for Fuzhou jasmine tea.
In November 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture approved the implementation of “National Agricultural Product Geographical Indication Protection” for Fuzhou jasmine tea.
In March 2010, the Fujian provincial standard “Geographical Indication Product Fuzhou Jasmine Tea” was officially released and implemented. In 2010, the Fuzhou Jasmine Tea Industry Alliance became a national agricultural product processing demonstration base.
In 2010, Cangshan District of Fuzhou City, known for its jasmine tea, ranked 18th among China's top 100 tea counties. In 2011, Chunlun became a national agricultural product (tea) processing and research sub-center.
In 2011, Minrong became a national agricultural product processing demonstration enterprise.
In April 2011, Fuzhou jasmine tea ranked among the top ten in the 2011 China Tea Regional Public Brand Value Assessment, with a brand value of 1.827 billion yuan.
In October 2011, Fuzhou was awarded the title of “World Origin of Jasmine Tea” by the International Tea Committee. In 2011, Minrong and Chunlun became China's well-known trademarks.
In 2012, Chunlun and Mantangxiang became national key leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization.
In 2012, Chunlun and Minrong established academician workstations.
In 2012, Chunlun, Minrong, Mantangxiang, Fumin, Jiufeng, and Lanhuhu became China's top 100 tea enterprises.
In June 2012, at the 2012 China Agricultural Brand Development Promotion Conference, Fuzhou jasmine tea won the title of “Most Influential Chinese Agricultural Product Regional Public Brand” in 2011, ranking 11th nationwide and 4th among tea products.
In October 2012, Fuzhou jasmine tea was awarded the title of “World Famous Tea” by the International Tea Committee.
In 2012, the Fuzhou jasmine planting and tea culture system entered the list of candidate projects for important agricultural cultural heritage in China.