Best Jasmine Green Teas for an Elegant Teatime
My list of the best jasmine green teas will get you in the mood for a fresh, sweet and delicate scented cuppa. This traditional Chinese blend combines floral jasmine flowers with refreshing green tea to create an iconic taste that many people love to enjoy. But not all jasmine green teas are made equal.
Below you can find my top recommendations as well as some helpful tips to select a jasmine green tea that’s right for you. This list contains both loose leaf and teabag versions, and I will endeavour to continuously update it over time as more jasmine green teas are added to the blog here at Immortal Wordsmith.
If you have a jasmine green tea recommendation, please leave a comment below to help other readers too!
How to Select Jasmine Tea
Jasmine tea is made with green tea leaves plucked from the Camellia sinensis tea bush and fresh jasmine blooms. The traditional method involves spreading the jasmine flowers over the green tea and leaving it overnight. Jasmine flowers only bloom in the night-time, so allowing them to mingle with the green tea overnight will help the essential oils infuse.
Of course, this is an arduous multi-day process so with many modern jasmine green tea blends, you’ll find that manufacturers either just leave the leftover jasmine flowers in the packet with the green tea or use jasmine oils instead.
You can also find jasmine white tea, which is made with white tea leaves instead of green. One of my most highly rated and highest quality jasmine white teas is Teapro Phoenix Eye Dragon Pearls – find it at Teapro or read the full white tea subscription box review.
Bagged vs Loose Tea Leaves
Although jasmine petals are beautiful, the most high quality teas won’t actually contain the petals. The theory is that the flowers create a bitter note, so it is best to let them infuse their scent with the leaves and then remove them. Of course, most jasmine green teas on my list naturally include the petals anyway.
That’s why your method for brewing jasmine tea is so important.
Regardless of whether you use loose leaf tea or teabags, make sure your water is no hotter than 85°C, sticking to a recommended 80°C whenever possible. This prevents scalding the tea leaves and creating additional unnecessary bitterness.
Brew your jasmine green tea for up to 3 minutes. While infusing for longer increases the flavour, it may also increase the caffeine. High quality jasmine green teas made with the buds and small leaves of the tea plant may have more caffeine than you expect!
If you need help brewing loose leaf tea, read my article 4 Easy Ways to Brew Loose Leaf Tea.
The 7 Best Jasmine Teas in the UK
I have reviewed teas from tea producers around the world. All 7 jasmine green teas on the list below have been through my thorough review process for quality, aroma and taste. Most of these are available on Amazon or have UK/international delivery on their official websites.
1. T2 China Jasmine
Izzy's Rating:
4.6/5
- Ingredients: Chinese green tea, jasmine petals
- Format: Loose leaf or pyramid sachets
For a long while, T2 China Jasmine was the highest rated tea on the blog, and even today it’s still right up there in my top 10! T2 use large and whole leaf pieces from China, blended with visible and freshly fragrant jasmine petals.
As I noted in my full T2 Jasmine Tea review, it is the perfect balance of soft, bright, fragrant and refreshing with a mellow gold colour and non-existent astringency. I also really appreciate that the tea leaf used in their pyramid teabags is exactly the same as their loose leaf, so you can opt for the more convenient version without receiving a lower quality tea.
2. Whittard Jasmine Green Tea
Izzy's Rating:
4.1/5
- Ingredients: South Chinese green tea, jasmine essential oils
- Format: Loose leaf or paper teabags
Whittard Jasmine Green tea is my second favourite option – the best place to buy it is directly from Whittard of Chelsea. Again, you can choose from teabags or loose leaf, except in this case the loose leaf is far superior to the teabag version. If you have one of my tea infusers like the Lucky Cat Solo Tea Set, then that’s not a problem.
Whittard use a fresh green tea from South China that brings a sweet and lightly grassy note to the jasmine green tea blend. It’s also not too floral, with the jasmine scent popping through more in the aroma than the flavour. If you buy this tea, make sure you purchase a metal caddy to store it in to help keep the tea leaves fresh and verdant for as long as possible.
3. Tea People Jasmine Pearls
Izzy's Rating:
3.8/5
- Ingredients: Green tea from the Fujian province of China, jasmine blossoms
- Format: Rolled pearls loose leaf
Tea People Jasmine Pearls are these small round pearls that are made from rolled up green tea buds with jasmine petals held between them. As you pour water over them, they slowly unfurl and dance in your cup as the tea brews. When high quality leaves are used, this is an amazing way to brew a cup of jasmine green tea.
You can buy these pearls from Tea People directly. They’re a great small tea supplier in the UK and they have some admirable ethical guidelines that they operate by. In my full review of this tea, I noted the silky smooth texture as one of the best features of this jasmine green tea.
4. Sunflower Jasmine Tea
Izzy's Rating:
3.7/5
- Ingredients: Chinese green tea, jasmine flowers
- Format: Loose leaf
Sunflower brand is not so well-known in the UK as the likes of Whittard and Twinings, but if you want traditional and reliably delicious jasmine green tea, you cannot go wrong. Sunflower Jasmine Green Tea is also excellent value for money and can be found on Amazon.
Compared to other best jasmine green teas on my list, this option has a little more astringency (a green type of bitterness) which plays really well with rich sweet and salty foods. You’ll definitely want to brew up a large pot of this jasmine tea the next time you order a Chinese takeaway – my full tea review has instructions for brewing.
5. Thes de la Pagode Jasmine Green Tea
Izzy's Rating:
3.7/5
- Ingredients: Chinese green tea, jasmine (infused)
- Format: Loose leaf
Thes de la Pagode called out to me among a shelf of various other jasmine green teas, and I am very glad that this is the one I went home with! Primarily operating in France but also on Amazon, Thes de la Pagode offer a simple loose leaf jasmine green tea made from Chinese green tea and infused jasmine oil flavour rather than whole blossoms.
In my tea review, I found this tea to be clean and smooth with a fresh and bright yet subtle jasmine flavour that wasn’t too strong. If you’d like an easy-to-drink green tea with only a small yet natural note of jasmine, this is an excellent option.
6. Becky’s from Holland Green Tea Jasmin
Izzy's Rating:
3.1/5
- Ingredients: Ceylon green tea, jasmine petals
- Format: Pyramid sachets
Becky’s from Holland sell tea as gifts, rather than as a serious tea seller. Nonetheless, they surprised me with this one! Their jasmine green tea is made with Sri Lankan tea, which is unusual to begin with, and is packaged in pyramid teabags. Cost wise, they are great to give as a gift but not ideal for regular drinking. You can find the gift set on Amazon.
But back to my tea review. I was surprised by how smooth and pleasant this green tea was to drink. Typically, novelty tea brands use low quality green tea that gets very bitter very quickly. But here, you can sip a smooth and gentle green tea with just a hint of jasmine. It’s not the best jasmine green teas available, but it’s certainly an option to consider.
7. Ahmad Tea Jasmine Romance
Izzy's Rating:
2.6/5
- Ingredients: Chinese green tea, jasmine petals
- Format: Paper teabags
Last on my list is this simple, one-dimensional offering from Ahmad Tea London. Again, we have a nice and smooth green tea base that really makes the entire cup very easy to drink. However, that verdant and fresh jasmine note is a little bit too subtle for my tastes. The lack of jasmine and cheap teabag format are why this brew only scored 2.6 in the full jasmine tea review.
However, Jasmine Romance does have a few things going for it. First, it’s very affordable and easy to get your hands on in the UK (check Amazon). It is also well-packaged and will stay fresh for a long time. Finally, I found the caffeine from this tea to be particularly low so it could be an ideal refreshing tea to sip after dinner or in the early evenings.
Jasmine Teas That Didn’t Make the List
I have reviewed a lot of different jasmine green teas on the blog, but not all of them made this list.
- Tea Famille Snow on Green – this tea scored a very high 4.4, but unfortunately the tea brand is no longer operational.
- Pure Leaf Green Tea with Jasmine – an absolutely delicious tea that I reviewed in teabag format for the blog. Unfortunately, Pure Leaf discontinued it and now only make ready-to-drink teas.
- Fosters Traditional Foods – I picked up this jasmine green tea at a supermarket and was thoroughly disappointed. Thankfully, it’s no longer available to buy.
- Offblak Squeeze Me – a delicious blend of green tea, jasmine and orange flower that’s super juicy, but definitely not a traditional jasmine green tea. Highly recommended nonetheless!
FAQs
What is the best brand of jasmine tea?
T2 produces the best jasmine green teas, but you cannot go wrong with Whittard of Chelsea either. Both brands ship internationally and offer their jasmine tea in both teabag and loose leaf format.
Is jasmine tea as good as green tea?
Jasmine tea is often smoother and more elegant than standard green tea, thanks to the addition of jasmine blossoms. However, a high-quality loose leaf green tea can have floral notes hidden within the flavour even without any additional jasmine added. With so many different types of green tea, you can find a cup for every taste.
Which brand of green tea is the best?
The finest green teas will be sourced by small, independent tea stores – see WhatCha, Hebden and Rare Tea Co. in the UK. For commercial tea brands, Whittard is an excellent choice as they offer both loose leaf and teabags, plus a range of flavours.
What goes well with jasmine green tea?
Jasmine green tea is frequently served with Asian cuisines. The freshness of jasmine green tea cuts through delicious salty, fatty and rich foods extremely well.