Jasmine Tea: Benefits, Side Effects, and Preparations (2024)

Jasmine tea is a flavored or scented tea. Scented teas are made by infusing traditional tea leaves from the Camellia sinensisbush with flowers, fruit, spices, oils, extracts, or other ingredients to provide additional flavor.

What Is Jasmine Tea?

Enjoyed hot or cold, jasmine tea first gained popularity in China during the Ming dynasty. Its renown in Asia and around the world has much to do with its claimed health benefits for the body and its sweet, delicate aroma.

One of the more famoustraditionaljasmine teas comes out of the Fujian regionof China, where it ismade with jasmine blossoms. Commercially produced jasmine teas may be made with jasmine oil or other flavors.

How to Prepare

Jasmine tea is usually made from green tea leaves or leaves that have not been fermented, but the tea can also be made from black tea leaves (that have been fully oxidized), oolong tea leaves (partially oxidized), or white tea made from new growth buds and young leaves.

You can make jasmine tea from scratch by adding freshly picked jasmine flower petals, but purchasing dried tea or tea bags is more convenient and safer. Certain varieties of jasmine are toxic, so it's best to purchase from a reputable tea company instead of making your own from the garden. Jasmine pearl tea is hand-rolled tea blended with jasmine blooms.

Here's how to make the perfect cup of jasmine tea:

1. Boil water (filtered water is ideal). If using an electric kettle, set the temperature to 175 degrees.
2. Place your tea in a teapot and add the heated water.
3. Cover and steep for 3 minutes.
4. Strain loose tea or remove teabag, and pour into your favorite mug.
5. Enjoy!

For cold-brew iced tea, place tea in a water pitcher and steep for six to 12 hours at room temperature. Strain and refrigerate to chill, or pour over ice. Some people prefer a bit of sugar, honey, or milk with jasmine tea.

Does Jasmine Tea Contain Caffeine?

Jasmine tea contains as much caffeine as the base tea it is made with. Both green and black tea naturally contain caffeine. Green tea has between 9 to 63 milligrams per 8-ounce serving and black tea has 42 to 79 milligrams per 8-ounce serving. For comparison, a typical cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine.

You may also find decaffeinated versions of jasmine tea that have been decaffeinated during processing.

Health Benefits

Because most commercially-available jasmine tea blends do not contain actual flowers, (but are scented using either essential oil or fragrance) many of the benefits of jasmine tea come primarily from the green or black tea leaves from whichthe drink is made.

Caffeine provides a temporary metabolism and mental boost, but can produce negative side effects if you're very sensitive to it or consuming large doses (over 200 milligrams per day).

There is not enough known about the safety of tea extracts or supplements for pregnant or breast-feeding women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests that pregnant women limit caffeine consumption to less than 200 mg per day because higher caffeine intakes have been associated with increased risk of miscarriage and low birth weight in some epidemiological studies.

Both black tea and green tea contain polyphenols includingcatechins, flavonoids, and tannins. Researchers have linked the consumption offlavonoidsto several favorable health outcomes due to their antioxidant effects, but scientists advise that more research is needed to say for certain iftea can significantly boost your health.

Some tea drinkers believe that jasmine tea can help to induce calm before sleep. However, these benefits haven't been proven in clinical studies. If you're drinking tea to relax before bed, make sure it's caffeine-free. The simple ritual of taking quiet time out of your day to sit and sip tea likely offers independent stress-reducing benefits.

Side Effects

Jasmine is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Pregnant women should consult their doctor before drinking jasmine tea. Any caffeinated beverage may result in side effects—especially if consumed in large quantities. Headaches, jitters, shakiness, or trouble sleeping may be the result of too much caffeine from tea and other beverages.