Honeysuckle vs jasmine
Two white flowers with enormous nectar-sweet aroma, and both catch out anyone expecting the smell to arrive as taste. Honeysuckle is the one China drinks alone and by the bottle.
botanical
What is being compared
Why these get confused
Both are described as sweet white flowers, and only one of them delivers sweetness in the mouth.
Point by point
| Aspect | Honeysuckle | Jasmine |
|---|---|---|
| Scale of use | One of the highest-volume flower materials in the Chinese trade, and largely unknown in Europe. | Grown mostly to scent tea, and drunk alone only in parts of Southeast Asia. |
| Flavour | Nectar-sweet on the nose, distinctly bitter in the cup unless brewed cool or cold. | Faintly sweet and slightly green, with far less bitterness. |
| Harvest | Picked as closed buds in the very early morning; an opened bud is downgraded. | Picked as tight buds in the afternoon, opening after dark when the scent releases. |
| Where it is drunk | Across southern China as a summer drink, and sold ready-made in bottles. | As scented tea in northern China, and as a flower blend in Vietnam and Thailand. |
| Cold brewing | Loses most of the bitterness cold-brewed, which is how much of it is drunk. | Cold brewing preserves the aroma but does not change the drink much. |
The short answer
Honeysuckle is worth knowing for anyone whose flower repertoire stops at chamomile and jasmine. Brew it cool, or cold, and the bitterness that puts people off largely disappears.
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