Camellia sinesis is a plant with its origins in southern Asia. While the name may not ring a bell it is the plant in which all teas are made. Whether black, white, green, or ooling the tea plant produces them all through specific processing. Tea is the most drunk man-made drink on the planet and makes a great tea gifts for friends. This beverage has traveled from Asia all over the world and across many cultures who have adopted it as an important part of society.
Tea leaves themselves contain over 700 chemical components from amino acids, to vitamins, to caffeine. One of the health effects of tea drinking is its role in normalizing blood pressure. While there is no scientific consensus on the health benefits of tea drinking, its use in a medical way is throughout cultures.
Elegant and simple, tea has been a staple of the poor and rich, with those in higher society creating rituals out of the beverage. Britain is known for its devotion to tea and drinking it every day as ritual. The world of teas is brimming with flavors and methods of consumption including loose tea, bagged tea, cold brew ice tea bags, and blooming tea.
Steeping a blooming tea results in the beautiful facsimile of a blooming flower, all while imparting a rich and fragrant flavor. Produced in the Yunnan province of China, blooming teas are made with green, black and white teas.
Made by hand, these blooms are sewn with thread while damp and combined generally, with flower buds to make a more appealing presentation when blooming. These buds are what adds to the overall stronger flavor of blooming teas and are usually made with lily, hibiscus, chrysanthemum, and most often jasmine flowers.
Made by hand, the resulting shape be it a sphere, cone, or even mushroom dictates the time it takes to create, usually 1 to 10 minutes. Once a shape has been created, the drying and oxidation process is the same as with any other tea.
Drinking blooming tea should involve a glass tea pot, acting as a window onto the show. The tea bundle begins to unfurl when boiling water is added. The effect is that of a suspended flower bloom. These tea creations can be re-used up to three times and due to their strong and exotic flavors should not be steeped very long.
The grace and beauty of this tea makes it a unique gift for the tea lover in your life. Another idea for blooming teas would be at wedding receptions. Have a large bowl of hot water and allow your guests to drop in the small bundles to create a beautiful and fragrant centerpiece!
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