Watch this one in a glass pot, not a mug. The tightly bound bundle of tea leaf loosens as it steeps, opening layer by layer to release a string of yellow chrysanthemum blossoms tucked inside — a handmade flowering tea (sometimes called treasure tea or blooming tea) made in China's Fujian province, where skilled workers can turn out up to 400 of these bundles in a day.
The base is white tea, the least processed of all tea types, even less than green. Its character doesn't come from a pale liquor, as people often assume, but from the silvery down (pekoe) covering the unopened buds used to make it. Minimal processing and a short oxidation give it a delicate, fresh cup. Better-known white teas made the same way include Silver Needle, White Peony, and Shou Mei.
Chrysanthemum is the other half of the story. China grows seventeen species of it, though Chrysanthemum indicum and Chrysanthemum morifolium, the two most commonly used, come mainly from Anhui, Gansu, Henan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi and Zhejiang. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, chrysanthemum has long been used for cold and flu symptoms, and is said to disperse wind and heat, clear what practitioners call "liver fire," support vision and ease dizziness and skin sores. It is also tied to a longevity legend: Empress Dowager Cixi, who outlived the eight emperors before her, was known for drinking it.
In the cup, expect pale green liquor with yellow highlights and a light body. Tasting notes run floral and peony-like, with chrysanthemum, a touch of dust, something faintly metallic, and a medicinal edge underneath. Brew at around 90 degrees and watch the flower unfold; it holds up to more than one infusion, and is best taken plain rather than mixed with milk or sweetener.
