Jasmine's scent carries this cup: the leaf is green tea layered with real jasmine petals rather than just flavoured, which is what gives it that floral lift with grassy, vegetal undertones underneath. The flavour comes from timing more than anything else. Workers pick jasmine buds in the early afternoon, once the sun has burned off the dew, and only choose buds that are set to open that same evening. Those buds sit in storage at the factory until nightfall, when they bloom and release their scent — only then are they layered over the green tea, and after several hours together the two components merge into one blend.
Camellia sinensis and Jasminum are the two plants at work here; jasmine itself turns up in soaps, lotions and perfumes too, but in this case it is left to scent a tea instead. The tea carries a moderate amount of caffeine, roughly 30mg per 8-ounce cup, more than white tea but less than black, so it works as a gentler lift rather than a jolt. Some traditional use also credits green tea with supporting digestion and immune function, though that's worth taking as folk wisdom rather than established fact.
To brew it, use water cooled to about 90°C and steep for two to three minutes — push past that and the liquor turns bitter. It's best drunk plain, with nothing added, so the floral and grassy notes stay clear.
