By June, with the arrival of the long rainy season, Fuzhou officially enters its fragrant summer. For old Fuzhou residents, jasmine tea is addictive. The scent is there without the flowers, the taste sweet and mellow, leaving a lingering aftertaste that's like a sweet breeze on a summer evening, making it irresistible.
Fuzhou Jasmine Tea
Poetic Delicacy
In summer, boil a pot of hot water on the stove in a large aluminum kettle, set out several teacups on the table, and use an old-fashioned large porcelain teapot filled with a pinch of new Fuzhou jasmine tea. Wait for the water to boil, and the entire room fills with a clear and elegant floral fragrance.
As the aroma greets your nose, take a sip; it's refreshingly pure and sweet as rock sugar. It's like a breeze bringing the scent of flowers, so refreshing it captivates the soul. The ordinary summer days are unexpectedly made comfortable and soft by Fuzhou jasmine tea.
Growing up with this unique fragrance, it's an addiction for life. If you pair it with a few seasonal tea snacks, it becomes the most pleasant time of the day – only those who have experienced it understand the joy it brings.
Fuzhou Jasmine Tea
Poetic Scenting
The core process of Fuzhou jasmine tea is “scenting” – based on the characteristics of the tea absorbing fragrance and the flowers releasing fragrance, layers of tea and flowers are stacked together, allowing the tea to fully absorb the floral fragrance. High-quality jasmine tea requires multiple rounds of scenting.
The scenting process includes tea preparation, flower picking, flower care, mixing tea and flowers (scenting), resting, ventilation, piling and rescenting, separation of tea and flowers, and reblossoming or scent enhancement.
A premium Fuzhou jasmine tea must be made from jasmine flowers picked between 12 PM and 6 PM during the dog days of summer. This is because the sunlight is abundant and the climate stable during this period, resulting in fresh and vivid floral fragrance. The tea made this way has a sweet aftertaste, like rock sugar.
Fuzhou jasmine flowers are known for their ephemeral nature, only releasing their fragrance at night, with each bloom opening just once. As such, the production of jasmine tea can only occur at night, so to get the freshest fragrance, one must seize the moment, even working through the night. Additionally, traditional jasmine tea production is extremely complex, with each step relying on the experience of the tea maker and cannot be replaced by machines.
Throughout the summer, Fuzhou tea makers dare not slack off for a moment. Each night's work involves carefully controlling the temperature and moisture. For Fuzhou jasmine tea makers, the entire summer consists of sleepless nights.
Scenting occurs repeatedly. Each round makes the tea aroma more vibrant and consumes a new batch of flowers. As the number of scenting rounds increases, uncontrollable factors also rise, requiring even more meticulous control. Thus, each rescenting carries higher risks, where a misstep could lead to irreversible failure or downgrading. The accolade of “the supreme flavor of scented jasmine, ranked as the finest fragrance on earth” is hard-won.
Fuzhou Jasmine Tea
Poetic Enjoyment
Fuzhou jasmine flowers are treasures in their entirety, with the flowers, leaves, and roots all being medicinal. According to “Compendium of Materia Medica,” “Jasmine flowers are warm and sweet in nature, harmonize the middle, descend qi, dispel foul odors, and treat diarrhea and abdominal pain.” They are generally believed to regulate qi, dispel depression, harmonize the middle, and eliminate foul odors, using their fragrance to disperse stale air and treat diarrhea and abdominal pain.
The scenting process of Fuzhou jasmine tea is not simply about “flowers releasing fragrance and tea absorbing fragrance.” During repeated scenting, the nature of the tea gradually changes: during scenting, polyphenols in the tea slowly oxidize, reducing the bitterness of the tea and turning the infusion yellow, making the taste more fresh and mellow, and the nature of the tea tends to become milder. After absorbing jasmine fragrance and other water-soluble chemical components, it combines the benefits of green tea and jasmine, able to dispel coldness accumulated in the body and promote the generation of yang energy. Therefore, good Fuzhou jasmine tea can be stored at room temperature without relying on refrigeration.
How does one enjoy a cup of delicious Fuzhou jasmine tea on a hot summer day?
Both glass cups and white porcelain covered bowls can be used.
For brewing in a glass cup: a water temperature of 90°C is ideal. Warm the cup, add 5 grams of jasmine tea, then pour in 200 milliliters of water, and let it steep until it is ready to drink.
For brewing in a covered bowl: fill the bowl about 80% full with water, cover it after pouring, to preserve the tea fragrance. Brewing Fuzhou jasmine tea this way allows the floral fragrance to float and the taste to be fresh and brisk. The tea-to-water ratio and water temperature are the same as when brewing in a glass cup.
Cold brewing can also be tried:
① Cold water brewing: Take 3 grams of Fuzhou jasmine tea and place it in 500 ml of mineral water. Gently shake it up and down, and after about half an hour, it is ready to drink.
② Ice water brewing: Place 3 grams of Fuzhou jasmine tea into 500 ml of mineral water and refrigerate it for 2 to 8 hours before drinking.
③ Ice immersion: Add an appropriate amount of ice to a large bowl, place 3 grams of Fuzhou jasmine tea inside, and leave it at room temperature until the ice completely melts. Pour it into a teacup and drink.
Fuzhou Jasmine Tea — A Refreshing Poem of Summer
The word “jasmine” sounds like “don't leave,” and Fuzhou jasmine tea gives summer a poetic hue.
When cicadas chirp, seek coolness. Enjoy a cup of Fuzhou jasmine tea, quench your thirst, and feel refreshed and at ease.
