What kind of tea does jasmine tea belong to?
In the classification of tea, jasmine tea still belongs to green tea. Jasmine tea is processed on the basis of green tea, especially for high-grade jasmine flowers. During the processing, its internal quality undergoes certain physical and chemical reactions, such as the decomposition of polyphenols and tea tannins in tea leaves under water and humidity conditions, and the degradation of insoluble proteins into amino acids, which can reduce the astringency of drinking green tea and change its function. Its taste is fresh, rich, mellow, and easier to drink, which is also one of the reasons why jasmine tea is popular in the north. The health essence of various types of tea is similar, each with its own characteristics. Jasmine tea not only has certain properties of green tea, but also has many health benefits that green tea does not have. Jasmine tea has the effect of dispelling cold and evil, making it a premium tea for spring drinking.
The principle of jasmine tea fermentation
Principle: The process of floral tea fermentation mainly involves the process of fresh flowers emitting fragrance and tea buds absorbing fragrance. The fragrance of jasmine flowers is a biochemical change. Mature jasmine flowers decompose into aromatic substances under the action of enzymes, temperature, water, oxygen, etc. With physiological changes, the flowers bloom and continuously emit fragrance. Tea embryo aroma absorption is achieved through physical adsorption, where a large amount of water is absorbed along with the aroma absorption. Due to the permeation of water, chemical adsorption occurs, and complex chemical changes occur under humid and hot conditions. The tea soup gradually turns from green to bright yellow, and the taste changes from light astringency to strong alcohol, forming the unique aroma, color, and taste of floral tea.
Jasmine tea fermentation process
1.Jasmine prefers light and shade, prefers temperature and cold, prefers moisture and is afraid of waterlogging. It is suitable for growth under conditions of sufficient light, suitable climate, average temperature of 20 ℃~40 ℃, and soil moisture content of 60%~80%. In southern China, especially in the Heng County area of Guangxi, large-scale planting is carried out.
2.Jasmine picking is very particular because it has the habit of blooming and emitting fragrance in the evening. Fresh flowers are usually picked after 2 pm on the same day, with large buds, high yield, and good quality. After harvesting, do not press tightly during transportation. It is better to use ventilated baskets to pack flowers. Avoid excessive compression or lack of ventilation, as it may cause “burnt flowers”.
3.Fresh flowers should be inspected and weighed in a timely manner upon arrival, stacked in stages, and spread out for cooling. The cooling area must be well ventilated and clean. When the cooling is thick, the flower pile should be thin, generally below 10cm. When the blooming rate of fresh flowers is around 60%, they can be screened. The purpose of screening flowers is to distinguish flower size and remove the green buds and flower stems; If the openness is not enough, attract to continue spreading cool flowers for maintenance.
4.Fresh tea leaves are usually roasted according to the process of frying green tea leaves, which can be used for flower tea fermentation. The tea embryo is poured onto the surface of the tea body, so that each layer of tea is layered with flowers. After 12 hours of fermentation, the color of the flowers turns slightly yellow and the fragrance cannot be smelled. Separating the tea from the flowers is called flowering.
5.Then baking is carried out, with the purpose of removing excess moisture, maintaining an appropriate moisture content, and adapting to the next process of transferring to the next stage, jacquard or boxing. Jacquard patterns are mixed with large white flowers with a strong aroma and then stacked and processed. To achieve a fragrant and fresh texture, 6 to 8 layers of processing are required.
How to store jasmine tea?
1.The factors that affect the quality changes of jasmine tea during storage are mainly temperature, moisture content, oxygen, and light. In general, the moisture content of tea leaves has the greatest impact. Next are temperature and oxygen, while light is relatively easy to control. Generally, the moisture content of finished tea products should be kept below 5% when they leave the factory, as this will result in slower quality changes. The moisture content of finished jasmine tea leaves the factory is often close to 8%. Therefore, it is more sensitive to humidity, and the relative humidity of the surrounding environment directly affects the moisture absorption rate of tea leaves. So it is best to store bulk jasmine tea in a low-temperature dry warehouse. The ideal conditions are a temperature below 5 degrees and a relative temperature of around 50%. However, in specific implementation, it is necessary to consider the economic benefits and adopt a slightly higher temperature.
2. Oxygen can promote the deterioration of flower tea. Therefore, regardless of the size of the packaging, it should be tightly packed to minimize the gaps in the container and reduce the contact between tea leaves and oxygen. In order to better protect the quality of finished products, if conditions permit, it is recommended to consider using vacuum sealed packaging with nitrogen filling.
3. When storing bulk tea, attention should also be paid to timely handling of leftover tea that is not packed in a box. Due to the large gaps and high oxygen content inside the tea box at the end of the heap, it greatly affects the color and taste of the tea soup. And it can easily cause lipid peroxidation in tea leaves, leading to aging or even deterioration. The storage of jasmine tea in retail stores must be given better attention due to the packaging sometimes being opened. Generally, do not open the box casually. If necessary, it should also be opened and sealed at the same time to prevent aroma loss and tea moisture regain.