Jasmine tea vs green tea
Jasmine tea is green tea with an extra process, and the process is more involved than most people assume. Good scenting takes days of layering with fresh blossom, and the flowers are removed afterwards.
tea
What is being compared
Why these get confused
Visible dried flowers usually indicate decoration compensating for weak scenting — with the deliberate Sichuan style as the exception.
Point by point
| Aspect | Jasmine green tea | Longjing |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Green tea scented by layering with fresh jasmine blossom over several nights. | Green tea, unscented. |
| How many rounds | Four to nine for good grades, with fresh flowers and re-drying each time. | Not applicable. |
| What you taste | Jasmine over a base tea that is usually deliberately plain. | The tea itself — toasted chestnut and sweet grass. |
| Quality signal | Number of scenting rounds, and the absence of visible petals. | Cultivar, harvest date and shaping. |
The short answer
Jasmine tea is not flavoured green tea. If the aroma is soapy rather than floral, that is added flavouring rather than scenting.
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