Is jasmine tea green tea? Originating in Fujian, China, the earliest jasmine tea was indeed made with a green tea base. The goal was to reduce the bitterness of green tea by scenting it with jasmine flowers. However, with ongoing development, black tea, white tea, and oolong tea have also become options for the tea base.
Is jasmine tea green tea?
The defining characteristic of jasmine tea is that it uses a tea base, which is then processed through a flower-scenting technique to absorb the fragrance of jasmine flowers, making it a re-processed tea. Today, the tea base can be green tea, white tea, oolong tea, or even black tea, depending on different production requirements.
Among these, green tea as the base is the earliest and currently most common type of jasmine tea. Because green tea is prone to bitterness and astringency, combining it with jasmine flowers through multiple scenting cycles allows the leaves to absorb the floral aroma while reducing bitterness and retaining green tea’s fresh flavor profile, making jasmine green tea the most popular variety of jasmine tea.
However, as tea making has evolved, oolong tea, white tea, and even black tea have also become options for the tea base. For instance, as early as 1881, Taiwan was already producing and exporting jasmine tea made with a Pouchong tea base, which became a popular export item. (The image below shows heavily oxidized tea leaves used as a base)
Conclusion
Jasmine tea is not entirely synonymous with green tea, but since the majority of jasmine tea uses green tea as its base, paired with the refreshing taste of jasmine flowers, many people mistakenly believe that jasmine tea is simply a type of green tea.