Jasmine Tea

We serve a delicious green tea called Jasmine Pearls - so named because the leaves are rolled into tight little pearl-shaped balls. This preparation allows for several steepings of the same leaves because it takes so long for the pearls to open up and release all of their flavor. One need only use a few pearls, as opposed to a heaping spoonful, to make a delicious cup of tea.

Here is some information from wiseGeek.com about the making of Jasmine tea:

Depending on the varietal, jasmine tea may be made with green tea or oolong tea. Oolong jasmine is very common, with a rich, mild flavor which also tends to settle the stomach. Many restaurants offer oolong jasmine tea for this very reason.

To make jasmine tea, jasmine flowers are harvested at the peak of their blooming and then they are cured with finished teas in conditions with carefully controlled humidity and temperature. As the jasmine flowers dry out, they infuse the tea with their flavor; sometimes multiple passes of curing are used to make an extremely strong jasmine tea. After the curing process is over, the tea is fired again to remove the moisture exuded by the jasmine, and then it can be packaged for sale.

In some cases, jasmine flowers are left in the tea. This function is purely ornamental, as the flowers are essentially odorless and flavorless after the curing process is over.

The best jasmine tea is looseleaf, since it includes whole leaves, and no offcuttings or stems. Ideally it should be brewed loose in a teapot and strained for service, although many people prefer to use tea balls for their brewing since they are more convenient. Both oolong and green teas should be only briefly steeped, as they can turn bitter with long steeping, and the water should be just below the boiling point for the best flavor and scent.