*NEW RECIPE*

Jasmine Flowers and Chrysanthemum come together in this stunning luxury flowering tea golden orange infusion. Boasting a delicate floral aroma and subtly sweet flavour, our Oriental Beauty specialty Chinese tea has been recognised by the Great Taste Awards for its exceptional quality.

Produced in Fujian, this unique tea is meticulously handcrafted by artisans who make it by skillfully stitching together edible flowers with premium green tea leaves from the region's spring harvest. When you drop a bulb into the water, it gradually unfurls, with our Oriental Beauty tea appearing to 'bloom' in the glass, as if by magic.

A great special-occasion tea, Oriental Beauty is the ideal gift for a loved one or for bringing a wow factor to your high tea or dinner party. However you serve it, this refreshing, artistic infusion is bound to bring a smile to anyone's face.

How are flowering teas made?

Also known as blooming teas, flowering teas are made in a few regions of China – mainly Fujian, Yunnan and Anhui. While China has a centuries-old history of hand-tying teas for dramatic effect, the elaborate floral creations popular today first came onto the market in – perhaps unsurprisingly – the flashy days of the 1980s.

To make each bulb, premium green or white tea leaves are wrapped around one or two central flowers – commonly chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily, hibiscus, marigold, rosebuds or osmanthus. Artisans then carefully sew and bind the petals and leaves together with food-safe thread, tucking everything into a neat ball shape, before the teas are dried and finished, ready to be packed up and delivered as a delicately aromatic, flavourful tea.

What are the health benefits of flowering teas?

Our Flowering Tea Bulbs Collection is based on a luxury loose-leaf green tea that has a range of potential health benefits. These are largely due to green tea's high level of flavonoids called catechins, which studies have shown may be linked to good cardiovascular function, weight management and even cancer prevention. Because of their minimal processing, green teas are also higher in other antioxidants such as carotenoids and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) than other teas.

Alternatives to Oriental Beauty tea

If you love the heady scent of jasmine but want to keep things simple, try a caddy of our other speciality teas from Fujian: Jasmine Silver Needle, for a beautifully fragrant example of a classic white tea; or Jasmine Dragon Pearls, made from nothing but delicately rolled, early-harvest green tea leaves – and another premium tea that unfurls while being steeped. Alternatively, for a soothing, caffeine-free option, try our Whole Chamomile Blossoms,  or our beautifully romantic Whole Rose Buds, made from carefully selected Iranian flowers.

Watching a flowering tea bloom is key to the joy of these aromatic infusions. Browse our Glassware section for a range of stunning individual infusers and teapots, made from borosilicate glass. To find out more about the magic of Chinese flowering tea, see our Tea Journal.