Jin Zhan Mo Li
This month on Tea Tasters we are looking at the most beautiful Jin Zhan Mo Li. Read on to find out more about this stunning tea.
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What Is It?
Hello and welcome to this month’s edition of Tea Tasters. This time round we are looking at the most beautiful Jin Zhan Mo Li. This tea is one of our most visually appealing and is loved by many. Jin Zhan Mo Li is a Chinese tea and the name literally translates to Marigold Jasmine. This is classed as a flowering tea which means it will completely transform in your cup.
Jin Zhan Mo Li
Beautiful hand-sewn globes of green tea. Country of origin: China - Fujian Province
Where Is It From?
Jin Zhan Mo Li comes to us from the Fujian Province which is situated in the South East of China. This area of China is world renowned for its floral teas due to the perfect climate. This region has extremely mild winters, very warm summers and plenty of rainfall. But what makes this the perfect place to grow these floral teas is the mountainous landscape. Any tea that is grown within this mountainous region is given the best nutrients and soil which produces outstanding tea.
How Is Jin Zhan Mo Li Made?
As we have just mentioned Jin Zhan Mo LI is a flowering tea and once wet it transforms into the most beautiful creation. However, to make this transformation happen a lot of work goes into the process.
Jin Zhan Mo LI is made into a circular form, this represents the shape of a Chinese plum. Tea leaves surround the outside and then fine white string tie the whole tea together, this is the key ingredient that enables the flowering tea to work.
As always the best place to start is at the beginning. The Chinese tea pickers pluck the freshest leaves and heat them almost straight away to stop the oxidation process to create the green tea. Once the green tea is formed they then choose their flowers. Depending on what flowering tea you have will depend on what flower is used. In this case the Jin Zhan Mo Li is made with one golden marigold flower and three jasmine flowers.
Once the florets have been chosen, the tea makers wrap the green tea around all four flowers to create the iconic shape of a Chinese plum. To secure this shape, the tea is hand-sewn so it keeps its circular shape when dry. Where the leaves are sewn is crucial because they need to let the tea blossom when wet. Whilst the four flowers sit next to each other, the green leaves are loosely attached for flowering. In China this skill is extremely respected and is seen as an art.
Choosing Your Teaware
This tea needs to be seen, it’s an absolute masterpiece therefore, when you are choosing your teaware you need to bear this in mind. If you have a look at our Tea Taster video you will see we have chosen a lovely clear glass teapot. Something like this is absolutely perfect because you will be able to see the small Chinese plum transform into a stunning flower.
Top Tip: if you don’t have a clear teapot use a jug or a vase!
For the tea cups, choose light china so you can see the wonderful colour this tea produces.
Brewing, Serving And Tasting Your Tea
Each bulb is for one person so if you’re sharing this tea you get to see this beautiful process twice.
So now you have chosen your clear teapot or similar you know need to brew your water. Like normal you want to boil your kettle but remove it when it reaches the rolling boil. This will insure that the water isn’t too hot and won’t scold the tea. One thing you need to know is that you have to make sure the water is hot enough because without hot water the tea will find it hard to flower.
Once you have your hot water, fill your teapot to the top and then drop in one bulb. It takes about 4 minutes to flower but we recommend you sit and watch as the transformation is stunning. You should now have a beautiful flower in your teapot – isn’t it magnificent? Even though this is truly stunning don’t leave it in your teapot for too long because it will make the tea bitter. So once you have admired it for a minute or so remove it. Now you will be left with a light, golden liquid which will be perfectly clear. Clear teas represent the quality and superiority of the blend so as you can see this is a very special tea.
Now pour your tea into your chosen cup and taste! Jin Zhan Mo Li is absolutely delicious; it’s light, fresh and has citrusy tones. It really clears your plate and wakens your taste buds. This tea is perfect to have after a heavy meal and savoury foods. If you’re having a dinner party and want to impress guests then this is the perfect choice, you will entertain your visitors whilst serving them a scrumptious cup of tea. We really hope you enjoy Jin Zhan Mo Li as much as we do and until next time happy tea times.
Jin Zhan Mo Li Video
This month our fabulous master blender Yana talks us through the wonder of Jin Zhan Mo Li.
Watch now >
Jin Zhan Mo Li - Twinings Tea Tasters