Gardenia vs magnolia bud

Two intensely perfumed Chinese flowers used in small quantities in blends, and both far more bitter than their scent suggests.

botanical

What is being compared

Aspect	Gardenia	Magnolia bud
What it is	A heavily scented white flower; its orange fruit is the more traded part.	The furred unopened winter bud of the yulan magnolia.
Aroma	Enormously perfumed, creamy, with a savoury note as the cup cools.	Perfumed with a distinct cooling camphor edge.
Flavour	Quite bitter, which surprises people expecting the smell.	Also bitter, and more so than lavender at the same quantity.
Harvest	Picked at full opening and dried immediately; it browns within hours.	Cut in late winter while still closed and covered in grey down.
The other product	The fruit, a yellow food dye across Japan, Korea and China.	Magnolia bark, from a different species, is a separate trade item.
Where it is used	Southern Chinese flower teas, in very small quantities.	Anhui and Zhejiang, layered with green tea like jasmine.
Quantity	A very light hand; it overwhelms easily.	The same. Both are pinch-scale materials.

Both are blending flowers rather than solo drinks. Magnolia is the cooler and gardenia the heavier, and both punish a normal dose.

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