A long time ago, I went to a restaurant in prestigious Santana Row located in San Jose, CA, called Thea. I treated my mom for lunch and the food was exquisite. However, what interested me the most about the restaurant was a blooming tea which I was served.
Blooming teas are either white or green teas which are placed in hot water in a clear teapot to display its unique character. What is intriguing about blooming teas is that they open and display a flower when the water is poured over the tea.
I absolutely loved the taste of the tea and for a long time wanted to purchase my own. In fact, when I was visiting family in Alaska, I happened to find some blooming tea, called Lily Osmanthus, which I purchased immediately hoping to relive my enjoyment at Thea.*
My Lily Osmanthus sat in its bag for years, however, because I didn’t own the special pot. This last December, my sister actually found the special pot at Lupicia and surprised me with one for my Birthday. I was so excited to finally try my tea!**
Like my Breville Pie Maker, which I mentioned in a previous post, the special pot and the Lily Osmanthus tea sat awaiting its performance. Now that it is fall and today was the first rainy day I experienced in Davis, I thought it was the perfect time to open up the tea pot and let that Lily Osmanthus shine.
The tea bloomed beautifully and tasted delicious. It was sweet due to the yellow osmanthus blossoms and orange lily, but tart like a green tea should be. A true delight on this October day.
Ingrediants & Supplies:
17 Ounces (500 ml) Water***
1 Blooming Tea Variety (I used the Lily Osmanthus)
Glass Tea Pot
Directions:
For best results brew fresh water in a regular teapot on the stove. Place the blooming tea in the glass tea pot and pour the water over the blooming tea. Let the tea seap for about 3-4 minutes. Serve hot.
Cook’s Note:
*The Alaskan tea store is called Summit Spice & Tea Company. They have a wide variety of spices and teas which you can also order online. I looked to see if they sell the Lily Osmanthus online but they do not. However, I would imagine you could call them directly and see if you can special order the tea.
Another Location to purchase Blooming Teas is at Lupicia. They do not call them blooming teas so you have to search for them specifically. However, they have some Jasmine Blooming teas called Jasmin Double Flowers, Jasmin Bouquet of Happiness, Jasmin Ancient Coin, and Jasmin Amarant.
You can also purchase these Blooming Teas at Teavana.
**The teapot my sister purchased at Lupicia is on the pricey side. However, I have seen the same tea pot at Target. These tea pots are hard to find in person but you can find a wide variety online.
***The Amount of Water varies depending on the size of the glass tea pot. I recommend you fill the glass tea pot first before you add the blooming tea and then poor the amount of water from the glass tea pot into your stove tea pot. That way you will have the appropriate amount.