Flower CraftThese display teas are handmade from spring-picked green tea leaves. After making the green tea, the leaves are sorted and tied together with a colorful flower like Chrysanthemum, Jasmine or Carnation. Treated as an art form in China, these display teas are traditionally made in many different shapes. Prepare in a wineglass and marvel at the show as it opens and reveals the blossoms. Keep adding hot water and drink with your whole meal.
We now offer a variety of Jasmine scented display teas as well. Choose between our popular unscented or the new scented variety below. Each 1/4 lb package contains 14-18 pcs, as sizes vary.
Display Teas
It's time to move tea out of the teapot and into the glass! Display teas are made to be enjoyed for the show presented while steeping. Young tea leaves are bunched and hand-tied or rolled to create distinct shapes. These shapes are eye-catching when first seen and truly wondrous to watch while steeping. In water the leaves unfurl to create a completely different shape. These teas are best enjoyed in a wineglass, so that the aromas are concentrated to the nose and the show is raised to eye level. They make a wonderful substitute for wine during a meal, if you want to avoid alcohol.
Often these teas are made with specific varietals of tea that will not get bitter. This is important as most often the leaves are left in a glass while you drink the tea. Because they are tied together, the leaves will not flow into your mouth as you drink the tea. So the two considerations that are important in purchasing these teas is that they are made with good quality leaf and that they are well constructed to retain their intended shapes. When drinking this tea, allow sufficient steeping time. The teas are generally mild and take a few minutes to begin to impart their flavor to the glass.
Green Tea Anemone: This is one of our most popular teas. Its Chinese name is Green Peony (Lu Mudan). The peony form is one of very common for various display teas. When you first see this tea, it is a flattened rosette. This tea is made from quality spring-picked leaves that are hand-tied into beautiful rosettes. Ours was found in southern Anhui Province on a mountain where virtually every family grows tea. Once the leaves are steeped they swell to create something that looks like a peony bloom. It also looks like a sea anemone, which is how we gave our version its name. Add Flowers to the Brocade (Jing Shang Tian Hua): This extremely rare display tea takes Green Tea Anemone to a whole new level. Secretly tied into the quality spring-picked leaves is a set of chrysanthemum flowers. These explode into your glass as the tea anemone expands. Very limited quantities are crafted each year since it takes 45 minutes to make each rosette. Our tea was featured in Gourmet Magazine last November. We also sell a version of this tea called Flower Craft Tea.
One final note: While traveling in China, we always see people sipping tea out of glass with the leaves floating at the bottom -- whether or not its a display tea. The Chinese use their teeth as a strainer! Americans are not at that point, but display teas are definitely changing the rules.
One-Minute Tea Tip
