Ray Love – Blooming Tea

Brew & Taste

Ray Love blooming tea tastes mellow, slightly astringent. Its base is exceptional Chinese green tea, which is matched by the flavor, aroma and color of the infusion. It is light yellow to greenish yellow in color. The pot marigold flowers do not affect the flavor.

Origins

It is said that the first blooming teas were made primarily for entertainment purposes. They were intended to amuse the emperors of the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960-1279. Though it fulfilled this task, the tea it produced was rarely ever consumed. Blooming or flowering tea has survived for centuries and now we can enjoy it even in Europe despite being brought to us only in the mid-20th century.

Not much is known about the history of blooming tea. Same goes for its production, which is shrouded in mystery. What is known, however, is that they have been around for several hundred years, and only the most skilled and talented Chinese workers can tie them.

Chinese tea trees are harvested by hand, carefully separating the top tips from the whole leaves. The harvest is taken to processing farms where the tea is gently shaken and then dried at 110˚C. Artists – there is just no other way of addressing people who make blooming teas – tie the pre-dried leaves and tips with a string with extreme care. Just like the tea, they also weigh the flowers of various herbs down to the gram. These are then shaped into the bundles with wooden needles so that they can beautifully unfurl when covered with water. Finally, they take a piece of cloth in which they stuff each bundle, fix it and give it its shape. The balls and beads thus prepared go into a drying oven heated to 90˚C.

Most of the production of blooming teas comes from the Chinese province of Yunnan. Green tea leaves there are accompanied by lily, hibiscus, chrysanthemum, jasmine, osmanthus or the pot marigold flowers. According to tradition, blooming tea is a symbol of long life, which is why it is a popular gift among family and friends.

In a 100g package of blooming tea, there are usually 12-15 balls, depending on their size. The tea takes a few seconds to minutes to fully bloom.

Tea packaging preview

We pack our teas in a strong, zip-lock aluminum packet which allows you to easily re-seal its contents. This container protects the quality of the tea against humidity, light or foreign odors, all of which could noticeably affect the quality of the brew.