Flowering Tea, blooming right it is....

Flowering tea, blooming tea or even display tea are all names for tea that is tied together that unfurls into a visually attractive display.  They are usually steeped in a glass pot, so you can see it unfurl.  Tend to be white or green tea from the Yunnan area with mild flavoring flowers (chrysanthemum, jasmine, carnation, marigold, calendula, and osmanthus) inside the bundle.  They try to be visually gorgeous with colorful names like True Love Flower Tea, Royal Lily Flower Tea, Two Dragons and a Pearl Flower Tea, and Spring Marigold Flower Tea (the flowering teas I have at my place).  

I just recently learned that some people think that flowering tea is a recent invention from the 1980s.  Before hearing that I was told that it is of more ancient origins.  That tea was hand tied in intricate patterns to unfurl for emperors, special family occasions and other important events in China.  It was for display only and the tea was not typically drunk.  The tea tended to be from cheaper or inferior tea, the reason for not drinking the tea.  Only recently has the quality of the tea gotten better.

When I went to one of my tea classes to become a certified tea specialist we tried a flowering tea and was surprised on the quality of the tea.  The teacher of the class mentioned how the flowering teas typically were of lower quality, but she was also surprised that this flowering tea was pretty good. She assumed that since people were actually drinking the teas now that better quality tea would be used by some companies.  It made sense to me.

Brrrrrrr, Fall officially starts today & I need some hot tea.

It is getting colder and the days are getting shorter, one of my go to choices for Fall days is the Jade Oolong from Rishi tea and yes I do buy tea from Rishi for my tea house.  No matter what, I would seek out a oolong tea that is closer to a green tea that is my favorite tea type.  Jasmine and green teas are also some of my favorite teas, so the Jade Oolong is a natural choice for me.  Jade Oolong tea has a nice floral taste to it, which I love.  Though out of Rishi Teas I like the name of another tea the best.  How can you hate the name Iron Goddess of Mercy?  It just sounds cool and isn't bad either, but not my first choice.  Jade Oolong is.  Ok, many teas have cool names Monkey Picked Oolong, Longevity Eyebrow, etc....  Still just love the name Iron Goddess of Mercy.