Love Tea - Twinings Flowering Teas

19 January 2012

Love Tea, a flowering tea, from the Fujian province, China.

Love Tea - Brewed

“The ‘Love Tea’ is an extension of the Treasure Teas of China, also referred to as the Blooming teas, these teas are almost 100% handmade ”Rishi Deb – Twinings Senior Tea Buyer & Blender from China

Take a look at this year's Twinings Valentine's Tea Gifts

WHERE IS LOVE TEA FROM?

Love Tea is a fascinating tea that comes from the Fujian province of China. It's a hugely famous tea growing region, the largest in China and is the producer of a fifth of all teas in China. As well as being China's largest tea producing region, Fujian is home to an amazing range of white, black and green teas.

The 'Love Tea' is an extension of the Treasure Teas of China, also referred to as the Blooming teas. These teas are almost 100% handmade, using a very bespoke production process which involves a huge amount of manual dexterity. Because it is so time intensive to produce, it is done so in very nominal quantities, making it a real work of art.

The tea is made using only the finest quality teas picked in springtime and it takes 2 to 3 days to make just a couple of cubes of this beautiful tea. The speciality of this production of this tea is amazing and in a year, we'll be lucky if more than 20-30kgs of this tea is produced.

GO TO: WATCH THE TEA EXPERT | THE LEGEND BEHIND THE TEA | HOW TO BREW | WATCH THE TEA BLOOM | BUY LOVE TEA HEARTS ONLINE - Available Wednesday February 1st

MAP Fujian Province, China

WHAT MAKES LOVE TEA SO SPECIAL AND HOW IS IT MADE?

'Love tea' can be made from both white and green tea buds. The one we are seeing today is made from the White buds of the tea plant, and there are around 50-60 buds in every single heart. White Tea lends itself well to this brew as it a fairly neutral liquor which is light in colour and taste. The tea itself is simply a very young bud off the tea plant which is sun dried - there is very minimal mechanical process involved at all. The teas are hand strewn together and in the middle are strewn 3 flowers; a Jasmine flower, Globe Amaranth(Gomphrena globosa)and Lily. This truly is a very special tea, particularly as most blooming teas rarely have up to 3 flowers inside them.

Love Tea Buds Love Tea - Heart Shaped White Flowering Teas

Flowering Tea

THE TEA EXPERT VIEW: Watch Georgina talking about Lapsang Souchong Tea

THE LEGEND BEHIND LOVE TEA

When negotiating the purchase of this tea with our Supplier, he told me the legend that sits behind it. The story goes that around 150 years ago, a small tea farmer's daughter fell in love with a young boy. She wanted to give him something very special as a present, but couldn't think of what to give. One day, when hand strewing tea with her parents, she thought about making a heart shaped tea - the 'Love Tea' that we are talking about today. After several failed attempts, she got the perfect heart shape.

The boy loved the tea and they were soon married and lived happily ever after. The legend lives on in the form of the Love Tea. Today, the tea is very popular with young people in China, particularly around Valentine's Day.

HOW TO BREW LOVE TEA (FLOWERING TEAS)

The most amazing thing about this tea is as you brew it, you have the joy of watching the tea leaves and flowers unfurl and bloom into such a beautiful sight.

Put just 1 of the 'Love Tea' hearts into a tall glass; something clear, so you can enjoy the sight of tea leaves absorb water, allowing the flowers room to bloom. Poor boiling water over the heart, an watch it unfurl. Brewing times vary, but most people brew it for 3-5 minutes. We recommend you don't worry about it too much and just enjoy the experience of watching the tea leaves unfurl and the flowers come into bloom. It is just so captivating to watch and the joy is however long you brew this tea for, it won't become bitter.

As you watch the tea brew and the leaves unfurl, you will first see the white Jasmine flower start to appear. As this blooms, you will quickly see the larger Lily appear from this beautiful heart, and the pink Globe Amaranth in the centre. Simply mesmerising.

The liquor itself is light in colour and very clear, allowing you to take in the visual sight of the bloomed flowers - it is a spectacular sight.

The aroma and taste of 'Love Tea'

The first aroma you get from this tea is slightly herbaceous followed by a slightly toasty note - a really soothing smell; really light and soft.

On first taste, again you will get that herbaceous not but as you let it linger on the palette, it has a slight honey note to it; some people even like to enhance this sweetness with the addition of a little honey or sugar.

This is one of the few teas that doesn't become bitter. Even after 4 or more minutes of brewing, it becomes almost sweeter in flavour as the flavanoids from the flowers such as the Jasmine start to come out.

The beauty of this tea is that you can use the flower 3-4 times, continuing to brew more of this decadent tea.

It is absolutely perfect with something sweet to compliment it; perhaps a couple of chocolates - ideal on Valentine's Day. It is also such an beautiful sight to watch this tea brew that it is a great experience to share with your loved one