Jasmine Dragon Pearls – Chinese green loose leaf tea | MDTEA

This intensely floral green tea is made from early-harvest leaves, grown in the Fujian province of China. These leaves are hand-rolled into beautiful pearls that are naturally scented with fresh jasmine petals. During brewing, the pearls unravel to reveal long, juicy buds that give a light and fragrant aroma. What Is Jasmine Dragon Pearl Tea? Jasmine Dragon Pearl Tea hails from the tea mountains of Northern Fujian, where the da bai (big white) tea cultivar thrives. These cultivars yield delicate, downy buds, plucked during early spring to craft green tea, which are then meticulously hand-rolled into exquisite "pearls." The tea undergoes cold storage until July when the jasmine flowers bloom. Fresh blossoms, harvested at night when they are most fragrant and in full bloom, are laid over the tea and left to intermingle for 12 hours, infusing the pearls with their enchanting fragrance. This infusion process is repeated, utilizing freshly picked blossoms, up to ten times. Origins Jasmine, originally from Iran, made its way to China along the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty, over 1700 years ago. The practice of infusing tea with jasmine is believed to have begun during the South-Song Dynasty (around 1240). By the Ming Dynasty (circa 1368), the art of scenting tea had been documented in books, indicating its growing popularity.