Flowering Tea (Or Blooming Tea) - What Is it and Who Invented It? - By: Jedda Kelly

Several claims to the making of this 'artistic tea' although hard proof appear to be thin on the ground. This leaves many to the imagination and assumptions! It is certain though that artisans created flowering tea buds or balls, and that this craft originated in China; some people say the Anhui Province, others say the Fujian Province. For a lot of us, it really does not matter where it came from; suffice to say that it has become a strong export for China to the rest of the world and as a result, we have a wonderful selection of flowering tea products.

Artisans, skillful workers who create items by hand, make the flowering tea buds. Loose green tea, together with loose white and black teas are combined with flowers tea and petals in unique ways to create flowering tea. As soon as the combination of teas is selected, the buds are hand sewn, covered with material, put in a kiln to dry out, boxed up individually and then sent out. As the method is labour intensive, the price of these buds is therefore relatively expensive.

Observing the first flowering tea is an astonishingly enjoyable experience. As the bloom surfaces from a tight ball, to turn into something entirely different and quite indistinguishable from that grey lump of tea, there is a sense of wonder that something like this can be formed.

With immersion of more or less three minutes, the tea bud will be transformed into a blossom. Some buds will be more spectacular than others, varying from a lump of long green leaves, to incredible blossoms with wafting tentacles such as "Touching Dragons". The names alone are enough to build much anticipation - "Jasmine Silvery Strawberry Ball", "Double Lion Pearl", "Seven Sons Congratulating".

When the first visual impact, it looks like somewhat of an anti-climax to drink the tea. But that is precisely what the flowering tea is aimed for. Again, there are different levels of quality of tea. Various blossoms are made from quality white tea, but the majority are made from loose green tea. It is generally true that you get what you pay for. A cheap product is likely to be made of inferior products and may not have the needed pleasant taste - or any taste at all. Not all teas are borne equal!

A pleasing blooming tea is definitely a trial and error procedure, and even more so when the quality of tea is taken into account. But it is not hard to get fabulous flowering teas these days. Most tea stockists offer pictures so you can be assured of seeing a beautiful unfolding of handmade tea buds.

About the Author

About Jedda Kelly - Having been brought up in a tea drinking family has given me no credentials whatsoever for writing about tea. Reason? We just drank the same stuff, day in and day out. I'm now on a journey of discovering tea and its variety and purposes. To learn more about flowering tea or blooming tea, Visit her site at http://www.bloomingteasite.com

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jedda-Kelly/99110

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