Tea is one of the most widely enjoyed beverages around the world. In the United States, it can be found in almost 80 percent of households, and in 2017, Americans consumed over 84 billion servings of tea, or 3.8 billion gallons.1 Green tea is one of the most popular types, known for its health benefits and flavor. If your taste buds are looking for a new way to enjoy this beneficial beverage, then jasmine tea may be the answer for you.
What Is Jasmine Tea?
Jasmine tea is green tea scented with jasmine flowers, though the base tea can also use black, white or oolong tea leaves, though this is less common. High-quality jasmine tea is usually scented using fresh jasmine flowers, while affordable options are flavored with jasmine oils or jasmine extract. The end result produces a clean and fragrant smell, with a sweet flavor.2
Aside from using different teas to create varying flavors of jasmine tea, manufacturers use different grades of the same tea plant. For example, some jasmine teas are made with a large ratio of flower buds to tea leaves, while some are made with larger leaves and fewer buds.3 Jasmine tea is traditionally made by storing green tea until jasmine flowers are ready to harvest, and then scented over several days. Two methods are generally employed to create the final product:4
• Fresh jasmine flowers are placed on a tray below a woven tray of tea leaves in a warm room. Over the course of several days, the flowers are replaced to give the tea an ethereal, light aroma and flavor. This method is more laborious and more expensive.
• Leftover, wilted jasmine flowers are used to scent green tea leaves, resulting in a cheaper price when packaged and sold.
Potential Benefits of Jasmine Tea You Should Know
Jasmine tea is a modified form of green tea that is scented with jasmine flowers, meaning you will still get the same benefits of regular green tea, only with a different flavor. Green tea happens to be one of the healthiest beverages you can drink, with studies suggesting that it may help:
• Improve brain function — The caffeine found in green tea may help boost reaction time, memory, mood, as well as lower anxiety.5
• Promote healthy weight — Drinking green tea may help you lose weight, as it has been shown to boost metabolism6,7 as well as fat-burning.8
• Reduce risk of cancer — Green tea contains powerful antioxidants that may help reduce your chances of developing cancer. In one study, researchers noted that women who drank the most green tea had a 20 to 30 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer.9
In another study, men who drank green tea had a 48 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, the most common type of cancer among this gender group.10
• Promote brain health — Aside from helping improve brain performance, green tea may help keep your brain healthy as you age. Multiple studies indicate that catechins in green tea have neuroprotective properties that may help reduce the risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.11,12,13
• Eliminate microbes — Several studies indicate that catechins have innate antimicrobial effects that may help kill various bacteria and viruses responsible for various diseases.14,15,16,17
Drinking green tea may also help promote oral health by reducing inflammation and limiting the growth of bacteria associated with periodontal diseases.18
• Manage diabetes — Data compiled from a meta-analysis of 17 studies suggest that green tea consumption may significantly help reduce fasting glucose and hemoglobin concentrations.19
How to Make and Store Your Own Jasmine Tea
Making your own jasmine tea starts with homegrown plants, specifically the Camellia sinensis plant and the jasmine flower. Follow this procedure to create high-quality jasmine:20
1. Start propagating jasmine seeds by soaking them for 24 hours before planting.
2. Fill six-pack cells with potting soil, then soak it completely as well.
3. Allow the water to drain before planting, then plant one seed in each cell.
4. Cover each cell with plastic and place them under direct sunlight.21
5. While growing throughout the spring and summer, the plant will need full sunlight. During winter, sunlight is still required, but exposure doesn't have to be direct.
For the tea plant, make sure that you have well-draining and sandy soil with a bit of acidity, and then follow these steps:
1. Germinate seeds by soaking them for 24 to 48 hours, then place them in a warm, sunny place to dry.22
2. Water regularly but the roots should not become soaked.23
3. Allow the soil to drain and let the top few inches dry before watering again.24
Tea plants take around three years to reach full maturity, so growing them will require lots of patience.25 But all that hard work will pay off as you'll be able to grow your own homemade jasmine tea free from pesticides and other dangerous chemicals.
How to Make Homemade Jasmine Tea
Once your tea plant matures, follow this procedure to specifically create jasmine tea:26
Procedure:
1. Pluck the youngest leaves and leaf buds.
2. Blot the leaves dry, and then place them in the shade for a few hours.
3. Steam the leaves on your stove for one minute.
4. Spread the leaves on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
5. Store the dried leaves in an airtight container.
6. For a different flavor, you can roast the leaves in a skillet for two minutes instead of steaming them.
Once you have your own jasmine and tea plants, follow this procedure to make your own jasmine tea:27
Jasmine Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
• Green tea leaves
• Fresh jasmine flowers
Procedure:
1. Place a layer of tea leaves in the bottom of a jar with a large opening. Then, place a layer of fresh jasmine flowers over them. Repeat as your jasmine blossoms, if desired.
2. Place a can or a small weight on top of the jasmine and tea leaves, then cover the jar tightly.
3. Allow the flowers to scent the tea for at least 24 hours or up to several weeks.
4. To prepare the tea, pour a heaping teaspoon into 8 to 10 ounces of hot filtered water that had just been removed from the heat.
5. Steep for five to seven minutes, then strain and serve.
Possible Side Effects of Jasmine Tea
Jasmine tea is generally safe to drink, but drinking too much of it can increase anxiety, as well as cause restlessness, sleeping problems and increased urination. This is due to the effects of having too much caffeine in your body.28 As such, jasmine tea should be consumed in moderation. In addition, too much green tea can cause stomach irritation. Since jasmine tea is a variation of green tea, the same effect may happen if you don't monitor your consumption.29
As an alternative, you may consider purchasing high-quality decaffeinated tea. According to SFGate, decaffeination through the use of carbon dioxide helps preserve more beneficial compounds compared to other decaffeination methods.30 No matter what option you choose, I still strongly recommend consulting a doctor before drinking jasmine tea, particularly if you're taking medication for a specific health problem, as the caffeine may interfere with the drug's effects and negatively impact your health.
Pregnant women should strictly avoid jasmine tea because the caffeine can negatively affect your baby's health. In light of this, you should also avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks if you are pregnant. Consider adjusting your diet to address the root of your fatigue instead of relying on caffeine during this delicate period.
Explore New Flavors and Give Jasmine Tea a Try
If you feel like drinking green tea is getting mundane, but you still would like to gain its health benefits, then jasmine tea may be a viable alternative for you. Not only are you still getting the catechins and other antioxidants found in green tea, you'll be able to experience some brand new flavors. Plus, growing your own tea leaves and jasmine flowers ensures that your stock is always fresh and devoid of toxins.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jasmine Tea
Q: What is jasmine tea good for?
A: As indicated by the numerous studies mentioned above, drinking jasmine tea may provide a wealth of health benefits such as weight management, reduced risk of cancer, improved brain function and antimicrobial properties.
Q: Where does jasmine tea come from?
A: Jasmine tea is originally produced in the Fujian Province in China, as well as in Taiwan.31
Note: When buying tea of any kind, make sure that it's organic and grown in a pristine environment. The Camellia sinensis plant in particular is very efficient in absorbing lead, fluoride and other heavy metals and pesticides from the soil, which can then be taken up into the leaves. To avoid ingesting these dangerous toxins, a clean growing environment is essential, so that you can be sure you're ingesting only pure, high-quality tea.