Jasmine tea (Chinese: 茉莉花茶; pinyin: mòlìhuā chá or Chinese: 香片; pinyin: xiāng piàn) is tea scented with the aroma of jasmine blossoms. Typically, jasmine tea has green tea as the tea base; however, white tea and black tea are also used. The resulting flavour of jasmine
tea is subtly sweet and highly fragrant. It is the most famous scented tea
in China.
The jasmine plant is believed to have
been introduced into China from eastern South Asia via India during
the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD),and was being used to scent tea around the fifth
century.However, jasmine tea did not become widespread until the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912 AD), when tea started to be
exported in large quantities to the West. Nowadays, it's still a common drink
served in tea shops around the world.