Basic Introduction to Hengxian Jasmine Tea
Hengxian County produces over 70% of China's jasmine flowers and more than 50% of the world's total production, making it the largest jasmine Flower base, tea processing base, and wholesale trading center in the country. Hengxian jasmine flowers are renowned worldwide, and the Jasmine tea combines the flavor of tea leaves with the fragrance of fresh flowers, offering a delightful experience akin to savoring a work of art.
Nutritional Value
1. Calming and Uplifting
The volatile oils in jasmine flowers have the effect of relieving pain, lifting the mood, and dispersing stagnation, alleviating symptoms such as chest and abdominal distension and pain, as well as diarrhea. It is an excellent food therapy for pain relief.
2. Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory
Jasmine flowers can inhibit various bacteria, both internally and externally, and can be used to treat eye inflammation, sores, and skin ulcers.
3. Energizing
Jasmine tea can help uplift the spirit, calm the mind, and relieve depression.
Product Features
(1) Large Buds: The weight of one hundred flower buds is about 23 grams in spring, 30 to 35 grams during the hot summer months, and about 26 grams in autumn.
(2) Intense Fragrance: The depth of its aroma is high.
History and Folklore
Hengxian County has a long history of growing jasmine flowers, which is said to date back six or seven hundred years. There are beautiful legends about the jasmine fairy passed down through generations among the people of Hengxian, but the first written records appear from the Ming Dynasty.
In his book “The Daily Inquiry Mirror of the Gentleman's Hall,” Wang Ji, the state judge of Hengzhou during the Ming Dynasty, wrote, “In Hengxian, jasmine flowers are very widespread, some are even used to make hedges, blooming all year round.” Similar accounts can also be found in the Ming edition of “Hengzhou Gazetteer – Products.” During the Ming Dynasty, poet Chen Kui wrote a poem praising jasmine flowers: “An exotic seedling worth boasting about, loved not only for its fragrance but also for its beauty; a few blossoms in a quiet study room exude a subtle fragrance, transforming poetic inspiration into floral elegance.”
Production Method of Hengxian Jasmine Tea
1. Freshly picked “Hengxian jasmine” flowers must be processed within 5 to 10 hours.
2. Production Process: Tea preparation → Flower maintenance → Mixing tea and flowers → Piling and scenting → Ventilation and continued scenting → Separating flowers → Drying → Scenting again → Sieving → Blending and packaging.
3. Production Requirements:
(1) Tea Preparation: Before scenting, the tea needs to be dried at a temperature between 100 to 110°C, ensuring that the moisture content is below 5%. After drying, the tea should be cooled promptly.
(2) Flower Maintenance: Freshly picked Hengxian jasmine flowers should be stored in ventilated baskets or mesh bags and maintained on the same day they are harvested. Use a sifter to remove green buds, stems, and immature flowers. If the temperature is below 30°C, pile the flowers to increase the temperature (around 20 to 30 cm high). When the pile reaches a temperature of 38 to 43°C (not exceeding 45°C), spread out the flowers to cool down, allowing them to release heat and absorb fresh air. Once the flowers have opened to a rate of over 80%, they can be used for scenting.
(3) Mixing Tea and Flowers: Spread the green tea evenly on the scenting ground. Mix the tea and flowers according to the corresponding ratio: 35 to 80 kg of flowers per 100 kg of tea, pile temperature: 38 to 48°C, pile thickness: 35 to 55 cm, time ≤ 1.5 hours.
(4) Piling and Scenting: The height of the pile depends on the weather, temperature, venue, and quantity of flowers added, with a thickness of 35 to 55 cm. When the pile temperature reaches 45 to 48°C (first scenting), ventilation is required, and the scenting process takes 9 to 14 hours before separating the flowers. Depending on the quality requirements of the finished tea, the process can range from one scenting to up to nine scentings followed by one final scenting.
(5) Ventilation and Continued Scenting: When the pile temperature reaches 38 to 48°C (depending on the scenting cycle and the quantity of flowers added), after 5 to 6 hours, perform ventilation. When the pile temperature returns to room temperature, collect the pile for continued scenting, with a height of 25 to 35 cm, and scent for another 5 to 6 hours until the pile temperature reaches around 36°C.
(6) Separating Flowers: After 9 to 14 hours of scenting, immediately separate the flowers using a sieve to remove the spent flowers and separate the tea from the flowers.
(7) Drying: Dry the tea at a temperature between 100 to 130°C, controlling the moisture content based on the requirements for subsequent scenting, final scenting, or packaging. To maintain the freshness and intensity of the fragrance of Hengxian jasmine tea, the tea should be cooled after drying, ensuring the highest temperature of the tea pile does not exceed 40°C.
(8) Final Scenting: Follow the same process as piling and scenting, using large, full, fully matured Hengxian jasmine flowers with a clear and elegant fragrance. The ratio of flowers to tea is 8 to 12%, and the duration is 6 to 8 hours.
(9) Sieving: After final scenting, Hengxian jasmine tea is typically sieved using a 5 to 7 mesh sieve to separate the tea from the dried flowers, discarding the flowers to avoid affecting the taste of the tea.
(10) Blending and Packaging: After separating the flowers, samples should be taken for testing. If the tea meets the quality standards, blend and package it promptly.
Differentiating Authenticity
When purchasing jasmine tea, start by examining its appearance. Special jasmine teas generally use high-quality raw materials, often consisting of one bud and one leaf, two leaves, or many young buds with visible downy hairs. Superior and first-grade teas use good-quality raw materials, with fine, tight strands and slightly visible downy hairs. Second and third-grade teas use slightly inferior raw materials, with virtually no downy hairs. Fourth and fifth-grade teas are low-end products, with coarse strands and often containing stems and stalks.
Awards and Honors
In 1983, at the first jasmine tea competition held in Guangxi, the Hengxian Tea Factory won the top prize with its fragrant and delicious jasmine tea. Following this victory, numerous tea merchants came from afar to process jasmine tea in Hengxian.