What is osmanthus?

Camellia sinensis tea leaves and flowers go extremely well together. Just take a sip of a perfectly blended rose or jasmine tea, and you’ll see what a harmonious match they are. With highly aromatic, floral and fruity notes, osmanthus flowers take this bond to another level. Never heard of osmanthus flowers? You are not alone. They are common in Asia, but much less common in western countries.

Osmanthus flowers are edible flowers from Osmanthus fragrans tree originating in Asia. These small, beautiful yellow flowers are extremely fragrant and flavourful, and unlike any other flower in the world. Because of their unique sweet peach/apricot flavour, they are often used for scenting pure teas and even for making desserts. Osmanthus teas are not as common as jasmine teas, but they are equally aromatic. While jasmine teas usually have a green tea base, osmanthus flowers can be added to other types of tea too – white, oolong, green, black and dark.

Base of Osmanthus Baozhong tea from Tea Repertoire is a Taiwanese Baozhong oolong tea from a biological tea farm in Nangang.

What is baozhong tea?

Baozhong tea is a unique green oolong tea from Taiwan. Taiwan is famous for its high mountain oolong teas, which makes Baozhong really stand out. It has bigger twisted leaves, and is light, floral and green, with no bitterness. This tea makes for a delicious cuppa on its own, without the need for any condiments. It’s lighter than many common green teas, with a unique flavour profile that’s perhaps the best described as a link between Taiwanese green teas and high mountain teas.

How to brew Osmanthus Baozhong tea?

The best way to enjoy any great tea is to preheat your tea ware first. In a preheated teapot, Osmanthus Baozhong is a genuine delight with sweet, deep, intense floral and apricot notes.

Use about 2.5 grams of tea leaves per cup of water, and steep for 4-5 minutes at 85 degrees Celsius. You can steep oolong teas at higher temperatures than green tea, but lower than black.

Brewed tea has a bright yellow-green colour with light, fresh, sweet apricot and milky, beautifully balanced flavour. You can re-steep the same tea leaves a couple of time. If you want to use a re-steeping method, you can use more tea leaves, less water and shorter steeping time. The second infusion will offer lighter and fresher notes of Baozhong tea, with osmanthus slowly fading with each subsequent infusion.

If you are looking for a gentle, but extremely flavourful fruity and floral gentle tea with no added flavourings, Osmanthus Baozhong is a perfect tea. Natural floral notes and incredible lightness make this tea a great daily tea. But perhaps, the best way to enjoy it is when you need some time out and want to pamper yourself with delightful flavours and scents.

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