Lotus vs jasmine
Two flowers used to scent tea by the same layering principle, one of them at a cost that makes it one of the most expensive teas in the world.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Lotus | Jasmine |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A sacred Asian water plant of which the stamens, leaf and seed are all used. | A climbing shrub whose blossoms are layered with green tea. |
| What is scented | Green tea, packed inside a living flower overnight or layered with the stamens. | Green tea, layered with fresh blossoms over several nights. |
| Cost | A kilogram of finished trà sen can take over a thousand flowers. | Industrial in scale; jasmine green tea is an everyday drink in northern China. |
| Brewed alone | The stamens give a clean cool perfume; the leaf is greener and more astringent. | Faintly sweet and slightly green, and surprisingly unlike the scented tea. |
| Where it belongs | Hanoi, where trà sen is a Nguyen-dynasty court product still made in small quantities. | Fuzhou in Fujian, which built the scenting industry. |
| The quality signal | Genuine trà sen is a luxury product in Vietnam itself; most export 'lotus tea' is essence-flavoured. | Visible flowers in the packet usually mean spraying rather than layering. |
| Other parts used | Leaf as a summer infusion in China and Korea; seeds in confectionery. | None; the flower is the whole story. |
The short answer
Jasmine is the one you can buy well at an ordinary price. Lotus is worth understanding as the extreme case of what scenting costs when it is done properly.
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