Inheriting Fuzhou Jasmine Tea Intangible Cultural Heritage

The thousand-year craft of Fuzhou jasmine tea — recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

A Tradition Born in Fuzhou

Jasmine tea is one of China’s most beloved and enduring tea traditions — and Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, is its undisputed birthplace. For over a thousand years, the people of Fuzhou have perfected the art of scenting green tea with fresh jasmine blossoms, creating a tea that is at once delicate and deeply complex.

The craft was first recorded during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), when tea masters discovered that layering freshly picked jasmine flowers with green tea leaves would transfer the flower’s fragrance into the tea. Over centuries, this technique was refined into the elaborate multi-scenting process we know today — a process so labor-intensive and precise that it was once reserved exclusively for the imperial court.

The Jasmine Fields in Fuzhou.
The Jasmine Fields in Fuzhou.
Jasmine tea fields,Jasmine harvest

The jasmine fields of Fuzhou — where the fragrance begins.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Fuzhou Jasmine Tea Scenting Craft is officially recognized as part of China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage — a designation that honors its historical depth, cultural significance, and the irreplaceable human skill required to practice it.

Master Chen Chengzhong, whose teas are featured in our A Century of Fragrant Legacy collection, is one of the few living inheritors of this heritage — a fourth-generation tea master whose family has been scenting jasmine tea in Fuzhou for over a century. His work represents the highest expression of this ancient craft.

The Scenting Craft: Seven Steps, One Soul

The production of authentic Fuzhou jasmine tea follows seven core steps: leveling, shaking, spreading, arranging, drying, scenting, and finishing. Each step is performed by hand, guided by the tea master’s senses rather than machines.

  • Harvest timing — Jasmine buds are picked in the early morning, just before they bloom, and stored through the day. They are released to open naturally at night, when their fragrance peaks.
  • Precise ratio — The scenting process follows a ratio of 1 part tea to 3 parts jasmine flowers by weight. Tea leaves and blossoms are layered alternately — one layer of tea, one layer of flowers — then stacked and left to rest.
  • Multiple rounds — This scenting cycle is repeated multiple times. Premium grades undergo up to nine scenting rounds, each adding another layer of floral depth.
  • The final transformation — In the end, the jasmine flowers fully impart their delicate fragrance to the tea leaves and gently fade away. As the Chinese saying goes: “you smell jasmine, but see no flowers.”

The 7 Core Steps of Authentic Fuzhou Jasmine Tea Scenting Craft

Step 1: Leveling (Ping)

 
The foundational first step of the entire scenting process. Artisans use traditional bamboo sieves to sort, straighten, and level the raw tea leaves, ensuring uniform size and shape. This creates a consistent tea base that will absorb jasmine fragrance evenly in later steps, laying the groundwork for premium quality.

Step 2: Shaking (Dou)

 
A precision sifting technique that separates tea leaves by size and density. By shaking the bamboo sieve rhythmically, artisans remove broken fragments, dust, and uneven leaves, leaving only the finest, intact tea strips. This step refines the tea base, ensuring only the highest-quality leaves move forward in the process.

Step 3: Tapping (Tang)

 
A gentle, controlled sifting method that further tidies and aligns the tea strips. Artisans tap the sieve lightly to adjust the tea’s texture, improve its uniformity, and remove any remaining small impurities. This step polishes the tea base, enhancing its appearance and preparing it for optimal scent absorption.

Step 4: Bending (Bai)

 
The final, most delicate sifting step in the tea base refining process. Using a curved, sweeping motion with the sieve, artisans perform a final fine grading, removing the last traces of impurities and ensuring perfect consistency across the entire batch. This step guarantees the tea base is pure, uniform, and ready for the core scenting process.

Step 5: Drying (Hong)

 
A critical pre-scenting step that bakes the refined tea base to the ideal moisture level. Artisans carefully control the temperature and duration of the drying process to remove excess moisture, activate the tea’s natural aroma, and create the perfect porous texture for the tea to absorb jasmine fragrance. This step is essential for achieving the iconic "rock sugar sweetness" in the final tea.

Step 6: Scenting (Xun)

 
The soul of Fuzhou jasmine tea craftsmanship. Artisans layer the dried tea base with fresh, hand-picked jasmine blossoms, allowing the tea to naturally absorb the flower’s fragrance over hours. This process may be repeated multiple times (7, 9, or even 10 times for premium grades) to build depth, richness, and longevity in the aroma, creating the signature fresh, floral character of authentic Fuzhou jasmine tea.

Step 7: Finishing (Ti)

 
The final, masterful step that elevates the tea to its peak. Artisans perform a final "enhancement scenting" with a small batch of the freshest jasmine blossoms, adding a bright, lively top note to the tea. This step refines the aroma, ensuring it is fresh, balanced, and long-lasting, completing the centuries-old intangible cultural heritage craft and delivering the perfect cup of Fuzhou jasmine tea.

Jasmine blossoms can be blended with various types of tea leaves to create a wide variety of jasmine tea blends.

How to Brew Jasmine Tea

  • Water temperature — 80–85°C (176–185°F). Avoid boiling water, which flattens the fragrance.
  • Leaf quantity — 2–3g per 200ml for loose leaf; adjust to taste.
  • Steep time — First infusion: 2–3 minutes. Subsequent infusions slightly longer.
  • Re-steeping — Quality jasmine tea can be steeped 3–5 times, each revealing a new dimension.
  • Cold brew — 5–6g in 500ml cold water, refrigerate 6–8 hours for a smooth, naturally sweet cold brew.

Jasmine Tea in Chinese Culture

Jasmine tea is the tea of hospitality, celebration, and quiet contemplation — served to honored guests, gifted at weddings and festivals, and sipped during moments of reflection. The jasmine flower itself symbolizes purity, grace, and enduring love in Chinese tradition.

When that fragrance is woven into tea, it becomes something more than a beverage: a ritual, a poem, a connection to something ancient and beautiful. This is the spirit of Fuzhou jasmine tea — and the spirit we bring to every cup we share with the world.

 
Fuzhou Jasmine Tea Banner

One tea. One flower. One thousand years of living tradition.