Blossoming Teas - A Lifestyle Concept

Tea to sip, biscuits to nibble on, and the best of friends to chat with - the exemplary combination to unleash oneself!

But are tea parties still restricted to the contemporary crackers and tea? Would you like to try something different?

Time for blossoming teas!

For the health conscious and hardcore tea lovers, blossoming tea could be a great option to try out. Blossoming teas are literally teas which blossom in your teapot. So you have a huge tea ball which blossoms right in the middle of your tea table. Sounds great? Yes. It is something to be tried out indeed.

What are flowering teas?

Flowering or blossoming teas are made of flowers and green tea leaves which blossom when brewed in boiling hot water. They come in various flavors and fragrances to make you feel special! There are also options to go completely herbal with just the flower and boiling water without tea leaves. The actual flavor and fragrance of the flower seeps right into your teapot.

Types of flowers used in tea:

Flowering tea is made of brewing a blossoming tea ball. It contains dried edible flowers which are tightly packed in tea leaves. The flowers used here are necessarily edible flowers. Few common flowers which are used are:

• Sunflower
• Basil flower
• Wild daisy
• Hibiscus
• Lily
• Rosebud
• Lotus
• Apple blossom
• Cherry blossom
• Tulip
• Jasmine
• Chrysanthemum
• Lavender
• Dandelion flower.

To add the "awe" flavors when preparing these teas at home, you could also try playing with ingredients like ginger, cilantro, basil, and cinnamon. Time to treat your taste buds!

Here are a few tips for preparing blossoming teas.

• You could buy the blossoming tea balls or even make them at home.
• Clean flowers thoroughly and ensure that there is no dust or soil in them.
• If you are using a small flower, you can use more than one flower. You will need to stitch the flowers together with a thread. Make sure that the thread is also neat and clean.
• Get some fresh tea leaves. Wash them and dry them using a towel. Let it dry on a flat surface for about 30 minutes.
• After this is done, cut the leaves into quarters ensuring that they are still connected.
• Gather the leaves and place the flowers inside. The leaves should gather around it firmly. Press it tightly into a ball.
• Sew the ends together including any leftover strands. Make sure it is a circle.
• Slowly heat these balls for around 5 to 10 minutes. Do not cook them to retain its flavor and fragrance.

Preparing the blossoming tea:

• Now that you have finished preparing the blossoming tea balls at home, it is time to prepare tea.
• Place the tea ball in the middle of a glass teapot.
• Let it blossom and brew based on the intensity of taste you would prefer.
• Transfer the contents to a glass and enjoy your drink.

Health benefits of blossoming tea:

As the flower is packed with green tea leaves, this tea provides us with the dual benefit of the flower and green tea leaves.

The health benefits of this tea depend on the type of flower used in it. They may include providing relief from asthma, clearing heat of the heart, and soothing nerves. Amaranth helps in cleaning the liver, relieving from cough, eliminating phlegm, relaxing from tension, and improving vision. Flowers like jasmine relax the mind and induce better quality of sleep. It also has anti-bacterial properties which help in fighting oral problems like tooth decay and bad breath.