What is Vanilla Jasmine Tea?
 Jon M. Stout

Jasmine tea is the most popular flavored tea in the world.
Chinese tea gardeners have been producing this delicacy for at
least 700 years. Though jasmine tea is already considered a
blend, it is often used as the base for additional blends because
of the popularity of the jasmine tea base. Jasmine tea is mild
and slightly sweet, making it perfect for combining with other
flavors, like vanilla.

Jasmine tea is created by plucking the jasmine blossoms just as
they are beginning to bloom and adding them to the tea leaves at
night to ensure the best infusion of the aroma and fragrance. In
most cases, green tea is used as the base for jasmine tea. To
make vanilla jasmine tea, the tea is infused with vanilla bean or
vanilla flavoring after the infusion of the jasmine blossoms.
While vanilla jasmine tea is most often made using green tea, it
can be found in black, white and oolong tea varieties, too. The
type of jasmine tea used for the base will affect the flavor,
caffeine content and health benefits of the vanilla jasmine tea.

While China is still the largest producer of jasmine tea, in part
because the Chinese are such large consumers of all varieties of
jasmine tea, you can find vanilla jasmine and other jasmine teas
produced in nearly every tea producing country in the world.
There are Formosa vanilla jasmine teas from Taiwan, Darjeeling
and Assam vanilla jasmine teas from India and Ceylon vanilla
jasmine teas from Sri Lanka.

Black Vanilla Jasmine Tea - Vanilla jasmine tea made from a black
tea base will have a bold flavor and produce a rich liquor.
You'll find this tea to be complex in flavor, with many
variances, depending upon the variety of black tea used as the
tea base. This is a sweet blend of tea, perfect for serving with
dessert. Black vanilla jasmine tea will have the most caffeine of
any vanilla jasmine blend.

Green Vanilla Jasmine Tea - Vanilla jasmine tea made from green
tea will produce a much lighter liquor, often pale amber or green
in color. This tea will be milder in flavor with a very natural
taste. Because of the lightness of the tea, the vanilla and
jasmine flavors will be much more prominent. The region of the
world in which the green tea is grown will affect the flavor of
the tea. Green vanilla jasmine tea will have less caffeine than
black vanilla jasmine tea and will offer many health benefits.

Green tea is a very powerful source of anti-oxidants, which are
important to our health because they combat free radicals in our
bodies. Free radicals are created as a by-product of our
digestive processes. While they are naturally occurring, they are
oxygen containing molecules that have the power to damage our
cells and DNA. However, a diet rich in anti-oxidants, like those
found in green and white tea, help rid our bodies of these free
radicals before they can damage our bodies. For many years, Asian
cultures, where green tea is a staple beverage, have shown far
lower incidences of serious illnesses like heart disease and many
forms of cancer. This led to research on green tea's health
benefits. Since then, much research has shown a strong connection
with lifelong green tea consumption and a longer and healthier
life.

White Vanilla Jasmine Tea- This is the sweetest variety of
vanilla jasmine tea you'll find and likely the most refreshing.
White tea, because it is plucked before the tea buds have even
opened, and because it is left unfermented, is the mildest and
sweetest of all tea varieties. When it is paired with fragrant
jasmine and sweet vanilla, it creates a delicious tea that has
very little caffeine and could probably serve as all the dessert
you need after a fine meal. This tea is equally delicious whether
enjoyed iced or hot. In addition, it contains all the health
benefits of green tea.

Oolong Vanilla Jasmine Tea - Oolong teas are semi-fermented,
meaning that they do go through a fermentation process, but one
that is much shorter than that of black tea. A vanilla jasmine
oolong tea will be complex in flavor, with fruity notes and a
sweet finish. You'll find it bolder than a green or white blend,
but never bitter or strong. The flavor will be significantly
affected by how long the oolong tea leaves are fermented and by
the country in which the tea was grown. Oolong vanilla jasmine
tea will also be a larger leaf tea than the other varieties.

There are nearly endless possibilities in the varieties and
flavors you can find in vanilla jasmine tea. Each variety of tea
will have its own unique flavors based on where it is grown, how
it is processed and the quality of the tea. In addition, the
quality and type of the jasmine blossoms and vanilla used to
flavor the tea will impact its flavor. Vanilla is grown in
several areas of the world, with each area producing a slightly
different flavor. Jasmine is also grown in many parts of the
world, and the jasmine blossoms are slightly affected by the soil
of the growing region.

So, you see, vanilla jasmine tea can have many subtleties and
nuances. However, it is easily one of the most fragrant and
pleasing teas, in any form. The combination of familiar and
comforting vanilla paired with fragrant jasmine can make any
variety of tea pleasing to nearly any palate.




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Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea,
green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea)
and black tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea)
go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com