Broken down to the most simplistic definition, scented tea- at least where it pertains to the traditional definition- is tea that has been scented with flower petals. This is translated from the Chinese phrase 花茶 or huacha and is also commonly known as 香片xiangpian which literally means fragrance leaves.
These are especially popular in northern China where the diet is typically more spicy and stronger than the southern diet and a stronger flavor is needed as a foil. Native Beijing people especially, are quite fond of huacha especially jasmine tea.
3 Types of ‘huacha’
The next is 工艺茶 ‘gongyicha’ which has been translated as artisan tea, blooming tea or flowering tea. These are crafted teas where the tea leaves are carefully rolled together with petals or other shrubs which when infused unfurl to rather gorgeous works of art. Incidentally, gongyi literally means craft or skill.
The final type of huacha would technically not qualify as tea since these are花草茶 huacaocha or herbal infusions. It could be osmanthus, rose buds, chrysanthemum or other types of flowers. This would be the literal ‘flower tea’ if we use tea to define all infusions as some quarters do.
Scented Tea
Scented tea though refers to 窨制花茶 xunzhi huacha or ‘scent processed tea’. These are teas that use processed leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant and are scented with flower petals such as jasmine- which is the most commonly used flower- and ride on the absorbent nature of tea leaves to take on the fragrance of the flowers.
This gives the tea an added element and fragrance that might appeal to tea drinkers who otherwise would find the unadulterated tea too subtle for their liking.
The base that is used for scented teas is typically green tea, though oolong tea (and increasingly white tea) can also be used. Black tea which is the favorite for artificial additives though may not be as suited for natural scenting as the more distinct fragrances may clash as well, although black tea may work well with rose petals.
Another interesting point to note about scented tea is that they work best with baked greens as the nutty taste of roasted greens and the grassiness of steamed greens since the pure taste of baked greens allows more of the fragrance to shine through.
Scenting not Blending
The components of scented tea are the base and the flowers. The base leaves are being piled and compressed with the freshly picked flowers. With the absorbent nature of the tea leaves and the fragrance emitting nature of flowers, the tea leaves take on the aroma of the flowers. This step can be repeated up to 6 times to enhance the absorption as well as allowing a fuller fragrance.
A well-made scented tea is evidenced from the fragrance standing up to multiple infusions. While artificially scented teas tend to be more fragrant in the first infusion by the second the floral aroma is all but a memory.
More details about the production in a separate post since it’s a complicated affair requiring much skill and experience which makes blending seem simplistic in comparison.
The result is a tea with the aroma of the flowers that they are scented with but completely made from the Camellia sinensis plant eliminating much of the storage and infusion inconsistencies that might set in when using different ingredients.
For drinkers who enjoy the lighter refreshing taste of green tea but prefer a stronger aroma, scented tea might provide an ideal alternative.
