Blooming Tea

What is blooming tea?

Have you seen the blooming flowers inside your cup of tea? Perhaps you may think it’s a kind of a joke or a miracle? But it’s not. Of course, you can see the flowers are blooming when you drink your tea. That’s not in the garden but in your tea. Blooming tea is a kind of special tea that is made from a bundle of dried green tea leaves wrapped around an edible dried flower in order to get a floral bulb. This bulb expands and unfurls when it is steeped into the boiled water. Then you can drink it after several minutes.

They are handcraft teas that are made by artisans and their incredible artwork makes a breathtaking inspiration among tea lovers. The brew of blooming tea has the most delicious flavor with an enchanting scent same as you are having a real flower inside your cup. Drinking blooming tea can heal your mind as well as brighten your mind and you will be attracted to the scene when the dried bulb starts to unwind reminding you of the blooming of floral bud.

Origin of blooming tea

Blooming teas are typically originated from the Yunnan province in China. It is unclear whether blooming tea is a modern artwork or an older invention from China. But it has become hugely popular since its introduction to the West in the latter half of the 20th century.

The tea leaves used in blooming teas are mostly green teas and so the harvesting and cultivation methods are the same as with green teas. Needle-type tea cultivars are the best to make a bundle easily. The process of making blooming teas is fully handmade. There are well-trained designers in the factories to create this artwork. The followings are the steps of designing blooming teas. 

1. Tea leaves are plucked in early spring in the morning before the buds are open. 
2. Then the leaves are sewn with cotton thread and tied to a flower-like Jasmine, lily, lavender, or chrysanthemum. 
3. Then the leaves are shaped into balls, cones, mushrooms, or any other shapes. Then the shaped teas undergo the withering oxidizing and firing steps.
4. After forming the ball, the flowering tea is sealed to secure the freshness. 
5. This product is placed on boiling water, and you will see that the ball will unfurl gradually and open all the floral petals which look like a blooming flower. 

Dried Flowers used in blooming tea

Dried flowers such as Jasmine, Marigold, chrysanthemum, lily, and lavender are used in the middle of a bundle of green tea leaves to prepare blooming tea. This bundle gets loose and unfurl like a flower when you dip in the boiling water and the flowers inside emerge as the centerpiece.

Characteristics of blooming tea

• Blooming teas are widely used because of their attractive visuals, making the beautiful display on your tea table.
• The number of blossoms and the variety of colors and shapes can be changed according to the craftsman because the bundles are formed by hand. Therefore each bulb is unique.
• The shapes are formed in order to increase the beauty of the brewed tea. This is very common in an elegant bundle of leaves with an attractive colored flower on the very tip. 
• Jasmine is a widely used flavored used in blooming teas as it gives your tea a complex flavor while ensuring that these teas are much more than a showpiece.  

How to Display Flowering Tea? 

It’s recommended to use a clear glass teapot or large glass mug at least 3-4 inches deep to enjoy the visual beauty of flowering teas. Usually, there are specially designed teapots for blooming tea. Their size and shape are very important as you need to look at the beauty of the unfurling from every angle. However, all these things are added up to a complete, exquisite sensory experience.

How to prepare blooming tea?

Followings are the steps to prepare blooming tea at your home.

1. Boil the water to fill your glass teapot or tall glass mug. 
2. Drop the tea ball to the tea pot and let it unfold. Usually, it takes about 5 minutes for the bottom of the tea ball to drop out and for the special design to show itself.
3. Pour into your cup, sip, and enjoy.

Drinking Your Tea

After brewing, green tea turns to a beautiful light yellow-green color, which is delightful to look at. The smell depends on the type of flavor that we use. However, the flavor is mild due to the long and lovely green tea leaves, and most drinkers found personally that it settled in the stomach. It even seemed to freshen up the breath while cooling the throat.

Things to Remember

Never place the tea ball into the pot first. It’s not the correct way. The pot should really be filled with hot water first and then add the tea ball. The tea ball will bounce around ungracefully before it’s revealed when you place the tea ball before adding the water. 

Reusing Blooming tea

Blooming tea can be re-brewed more than twice within 24 hours. Therefore no need to throw it away after single brewing. It will not affect the taste. The second and third brewing taste much more delicate, and they are still worthy of enjoying.

Nutrition Information

Most flowering teas are made of green tea. Therefore blooming tea contains no calories unless you add milk, cream, honey, or sugar. Usually, one cup of green tea contains:

• Calories: 0
• Protein: 0 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams

Green tea contains some of these nutrients in trace amounts. Specially,

• Iron
• Zinc
• Potassium
• Vitamin C

Green tea is highly enriched with caffeine. An eight-ounce cup of green tea contains 28 milligrams. 

How to Pick the Best blooming tea: Buying Guide and Tips

It’s a common question for confused customers to ask, “how to identify the best blooming tea?” Because manufacturers differ and there are various important factors to take into account. The followings are some tips to buy a good quality product. 

Build Quality and Craftsmanship

Be sure to find out about the quality of the tea and the craftsmanship. Because blooming tea is a kind of artwork and its visual outlook, color, flavor, the smell mainly depends on the experience of the craftsman. Although you are looking for an affordable tea, you don’t want to buy a low-quality product.

Ease of Use

Think about the scope of the product and always choose the products that boast a well-thought-out design and feel good in your preferred setting.

Value-for-Money

Think about the price of your product. Is it worth the price? Because you need not waste your money on low-quality products to watch the visuals.

Benefits of Blooming Tea

In ancient china blooming tea was used for multiple medicinal purposes as it is made from green tea which has high medicinal value. Actually drinking blooming tea is very beneficial for people. Followings are some benefits.

Boost Metabolism & Weight Loss

The caffeine content in blooming tea can boost the metabolism in the body and it may also translate to weight loss also. Drinking blooming is a popular choice among people who need to control their body weight.

Rich in Antioxidants

An antioxidant like catechin and flavonoids found in green tea has the ability to seek out free radicals in the body and neutralize them before they form cancers, oxidative stress, inflammation, and other chronic diseases. Therefore they can boost the immune system easily.

Skin Care

Polyphenolic compounds found in tea are really good for skin health. They can stimulate the regrowth of new cells and also can prevent the aging of collagen and other skin cells. Therefore it can avoid forming wrinkles and other age spots on the body. On the other hand, blooming tea can protect your skin from UV radiation and may reduce the signs of aging and sun damage.

Might have Anticancer Potential

Green tea has a high potential to reduce anti-mutagenic effects in the body and no one can’t deny the antioxidant capacity of green tea. According to the studies conducted by several Cancer Centers, It was revealed that green tea intake has positive impacts on stomach cancers. 

May Relieve Stress

Blooming tea is highly effective in balancing stress hormones and relaxing the mind. The catechins and polyphenols in green tea help to re-balance hormone levels. On the other hand, watching the blooming tea flower unfold is a form of meditation in itself.

May Improve Respiratory Health

The antimicrobial and antibacterial properties of green tea help to attack the pathogens like mucus and eliminate inflammation in the respiratory system. Therefore If you are suffering from a cough, cold, or congestion drinking blooming tea helps to ease the symptom.

Might Improve Digestion

Drinking blooming tea helps to improve digestion. Especially, If you are using a marigold variety of blooming tea, you may benefit from the digestive boost that flowers can provide. It is known to relieve the pain and tightness in the stomach, as well as for improving the nutrient uptake and soothing symptoms of constipation, cramping, flatulence, and bloating. 

Might Lower Pain & Inflammation

The anti-inflammatory nature of green tea is well known to cure chronic pain, arthritis, gout, headaches, hemorrhoids, and joint disorders, As well as it also can provide relief the recovering from injury, surgery, or extended illness. 

Heart Health

Green tea is one of the best treatments for heart health, as it may lower LDL cholesterol levels, which is the unhealthy form of cholesterol that is deposited in the arteries and blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. 

Vision

Some varieties of blooming tea such as globe amaranth can aid vision, as it’s rich with vitamin A and other active ingredients. Vitamin A prevents macular degeneration and slows the onset of cataracts by eliminating oxidative stress-causing free radicals. 

Side Effects of Blooming Tea

Most of the side effects are depending on the type of flower which is used in the bundle of green leaves. Also, green tea is rich in caffeine and can cause certain side effects.

The most common side effects of blooming tea include Headaches, Nervousness, Anxiety, Stomach upset, Diarrhea, Irritability, and Irregular heartbeats. Therefore you need to make sure this tea is consumed in moderation.

Here are some common side effects of flowers used in blooming tea. 

• Jasmine – Those people who are allergic to Jasmine may experience stomach upset, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.

• Lily – The pollen of this flower is a very common allergen for people and could result in respiratory distress, sneezing, itching, and irritation of the skin, mouth, or eyes.
• Osmanthus – It is warned against by several health organizations and international regulators for pregnant and breastfeeding women. 
• Globe Amaranth – This flower is high causes infections to people who are allergic to tumbleweed, ragweed, and other fairly common allergens.
• Marigold – Marigold may cause itchiness, swelling, skin irritation, trouble breathing, or dizziness when consumed in very high concentrations.