Drop this one into a glass pot and you get a show along with your cup. A tightly bound bundle of tea leaves, scented with jasmine, sits at the bottom until hot water reaches it, then slowly opens to reveal a reddish flower at its center. It's a handmade flowering tea, tied by hand so it holds its shape until the water sets it loose. The flavour that comes off it is floral and gentle, jasmine leading with a soft, creamy note underneath, and a caffeine content that stays modest, around 30mg per 8-oz cup.
Flowering tea, also called blooming tea, traces back to Fujian Province in China, where the craft is still largely done by hand: a single skilled worker can tie up to 400 of these bundles in a day, folding the leaves around the flower so it stays hidden until steeping. Tea & Coffee packs its batch fresh to order from its factory in Kent, which keeps the bundles intact rather than crushed in transit, so the bloom happens properly in the cup.
To brew it, boil the kettle and let the water cool to about 80°C before pouring it into a glass teapot, since the clear sides are half the point and watching the bundle unfurl is part of the experience. Drop the flower in and give it several minutes, up to six or so, to fully open and release its flavour. It's best drunk on its own, without milk or sweetener, so the floral and creamy notes stay clear.
Like other green teas, scented or not, it carries the antioxidant compounds and L-theanine green tea is known for, and some drinkers reach for a cup expecting the calmer, steadier feeling those compounds are traditionally credited with, rather than anything more.
