If you’ve been exploring your local tea shop and are in the process of investigating the types of tea you might like to add to your collection, you’ve no doubt come across jasmine pearl tea, also called jasmine dragon pearls. This sweet, heady tea is a joy to brew due to the floral scent that gets released as the leaves unfurl. But what exactly is jasmine pearl tea?
Jasmine pearl tea is green tea made from young tea leaves rolled into “pearls” that open up when brewed. Depending on the manufacturer, the pearls contain jasmine flowers or are infused with the scent of jasmine.
As with most teas, there are plenty of variations when it comes to jasmine pearl tea, depending on the manufacturer and the region it comes from. We’ll get into some of the variations below, as well as the flavor profile of this unique tea and the health benefits tea drinkers can enjoy.
What is Jasmine Pearl Tea?
As mentioned above, Jasmine pearl tea is essentially a green tea that has been made from young tea leaves rolled into “pearls” featuring jasmine blossoms or the flower’s scent. It’s considered a type of flavored tea for this reason.
One of the main reasons that people drink tea is because it tastes good, of course. But many tea drinkers also enjoy getting to know more about the tea they’re drinking and what goes into it. With that said, the remainder of this guide aims to answer every question you have about jasmine pearl tea.
What Does Jasmine Pearl Tea Taste Like?
Every experienced tea drinker knows how difficult it can be to describe the taste of your favorite cup of tea accurately. Every tea has a blend of unique flavor profiles that can vary from batch to batch or from one maker and region to another.
The way you steep your tea, as well as the number of times you steep it, can also have a tremendous impact on a tea’s flavor.
But to give you an idea, jasmine pearl tea is sweet and delicate. The heady aroma of the jasmine balances out the light, fresh base of the green tea to make a perfectly balanced tea.
This tea is subtle and refreshing.
Depending on the brand and the batch, some people find the jasmine flavor fairly bold, so you might want to make a slightly weaker brew your first time around, so you don’t get overwhelmed by the floral taste.
How Is Jasmine Pearl Tea Made?
Most jasmine pearl tea comes from the Fujian Province in China, although it can be found in other regions as well. This tea usually has a green tea base, although you can occasionally find black or white tea variations.
Typically, new green tea leaves are harvested in the spring for jasmine pearl tea, when the harvesters pick only the bud and top two leaves of each stem. These two leaves and one bud are then oxidized slightly using heat or the sun; then they’re rolled into the pearl shapes and dried.
Then when brewed, the rolled pearls unfurl and release their delicious flavor and aroma.
There are two ways the jasmine is generally added:
Whole Flowers
Some tea manufacturers roll jasmine petals or flowers into the pearls when they roll the tea leaves, so the final product contains actual jasmine.
This process can take place in the spring when the tea is harvested, but some manufacturers prefer to dry the tea that’s harvested in the spring and wait until summer to add the jasmine and roll the pearls since summer jasmine has a richer fragrance.
There are also some manufacturers who try to strike a balance between early spring and summer, hoping to find a time of year when both the tea and jasmine are at their peak.
Scent Only
Some manufacturers don’t include jasmine in the final product. Instead, they:
- Harvest the tea.
- Roll the tea pearls (still one bud and two leaves for each pearl).
- Add jasmine flowers into trays of tea.
- Infuse the tea with the jasmine scent using heat.
- Remove the jasmine flowers.
- Repeat five or six times.
Like the other method, this one can be done entirely in the spring; started in the spring, and finished in the summer, or a compromise might be made when both the tea plants and jasmine are in a condition to complement each other when combined (Source: Tao of Tea).
This is only one example of how many variations there are in tea processing; each manufacturer has its own method, often influenced by the region they’re in.
Does Jasmine Pearl Tea Have Caffeine?
Yes, the caffeine in jasmine green tea is about 25mg per cup, but jasmine pearl tea caffeine is lower than that of typical black tea because it’s made with green tea leaves. The 25mg of caffeine is significantly lower than the 50mg in black tea, and nearly 95mg in a cup of coffee.
Jasmine Pearl Tea Benefits
It’s hard to read about tea, or in fact, any natural food or beverage, without hearing about how good it is for you. Well, jasmine pearl tea is no different; full of antioxidants and other goodies, this tea is a potent remedy for many health issues.
Keep in mind that since jasmine pearl tea can be made from black, green, or white tea, the specific makeup of each will vary a bit. But black, white, and green tea all come from the same plant, so these teas share many common benefits, in addition to some that are unique to each.
We’ll focus mostly on jasmine pearl made with a green tea base since it’s by far the most common variety.
Weight Loss
Tea is a powerful, natural weight loss tool, and jasmine pearl tea is no exception. Jasmine green tea can help you lose weight in a few different ways:
- Reduce appetite
- Increase your metabolism
- Promote fat loss
Also, drinking tea gives you something to do other than snacking and keeps your stomach full of liquid, which can be helpful for boredom snackers.
Increased Energy
Although jasmine pearl tea has less caffeine than black tea and nowhere near as much caffeine as coffee, this tea does contain a moderate amount of it. The lower levels of caffeine in tea can increase energy and help you stay alert throughout the day, rather than the highs and lows or endless jitters caused by more caffeinated beverages.
High in Antioxidants
Jasmine pearl tea is incredibly high in antioxidants, which are nature’s miracle workers. These antioxidants can help the body in several different ways:
- Lower chances of heart disease
- Prevent cancer
While the jury is still out as far as conclusive studies, the possibility that the antioxidants in green tea may be able to improve heart health and lower the risk of cancer is very promising.
Fight Inflammation
There are components in green tea leaves that fight inflammation, making this tea an excellent choice for people with chronic inflammatory issues.
Reducing inflammation generally leads to decreased pain. If you can decrease pain by using a natural remedy like jasmine tea instead of potent painkillers, that’s always a good thing.
Reduce Stress
There’s not much more relaxing than sitting down with a nice hot cup of tea, maybe paired with your favorite book or a cat on your lap. The act of drinking tea can in itself be very soothing, but jasmine is also known to be a stress reducer.
In fact, jasmine is a popular aromatherapy scent due to its many benefits:
- Reducing depression
- Sedating effect
- Aphrodisiac
- Antispasmodic
As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to drinking jasmine pearl tea in addition to its light and refreshing taste.
The Takeaway
Drinking a perfectly made cup of jasmine pearl tea is an experience like no other. Watching the tea leaves unfurl is mesmerizing, the scent is captivating, and the taste is too good to describe accurately. The added health benefits are nothing but a bonus since the experience of drinking it is a reward in itself.
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