Jasmine Bi Luo Chun: A Guide for Australian Tea Drinkers

In short: Jasmine Bi Luo Chun is a curly, downy Chinese green tea from the Dong Ting mountains that has been scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. It is lighter, fruitier and quicker to brew than jasmine dragon pearls, and because the thin leaves give up their flavour fast, it is one of the best green teas for cold brewing on a hot day. Brew it at 75 to 80°C for 2 minutes hot, or steep it overnight in the fridge for a clear, floral iced tea.

This guide is written for tea drinkers in Australia: grams and millilitres, °C first, and every link points to tealyra.com.au. It covers what the tea is, how it is scented, how it compares to the other jasmine teas we stock, and how to brew it through a Queensland summer or a Melbourne winter.

What Bi Luo Chun is

Bi Luo Chun, "Green Snail Spring," is one of China's ten famous teas. It comes from the Dong Ting hills beside Lake Tai in Jiangsu, where tea bushes have traditionally been planted between peach, plum and loquat trees. The leaves are picked very early in spring as a bud and one small leaf, then rolled by hand into tight little spirals covered in fine white down. Dry, it looks like a bowl of tiny silver-green snail shells. Brewed, it gives a pale, slightly cloudy liquor with a fruity, nutty sweetness and almost no bitterness. The unscented version is on our Chinese green tea page as Bi Luo Chun.

How the jasmine gets into the leaf

Jasmine teas are not flavoured with oil or essence. The green tea is made in spring, stored, and then scented in late summer when the jasmine blooms. Fresh blossoms are picked in the afternoon while still closed, layered with the tea overnight as they open and release their perfume, then sifted out in the morning. Good jasmine tea goes through this cycle four to seven times. The downy Bi Luo Chun leaf is especially absorbent, so it takes the scent deeply and gives it back cleanly in the cup. The result in our Jasmine Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun is bright jasmine up front, then the fruit and sweetness of the base tea, with a smooth finish and very little astringency.

Jasmine Bi Luo Chun vs jasmine pearls vs jasmine green

We stock several jasmine teas, and they are not interchangeable. The base leaf and the shape change how the tea brews.

If you already drink our Jasmine Dragon Pearls and want something lighter for the warmer months, Jasmine Bi Luo Chun is the natural next step. The full range is on our jasmine tea page.

How to brew it hot

1. Use 2.5 g (about 1 heaped teaspoon; the leaves are light and fluffy) per 250 ml of water.
2. Heat water to 75 to 80°C (167 to 176°F). If your kettle has no temperature setting, boil it and wait about 4 minutes, or pour it into a jug first. Boiling water scalds the downy leaf and turns the jasmine sharp.
3. Steep 2 minutes. Taste; the tea should be sweet and floral with no bite.
4. Re-steep the same leaves 3 to 4 times, adding 30 seconds each time.

A glass teapot or a tall glass is the traditional vessel for Bi Luo Chun, because watching the spirals sink and unfurl is half the pleasure. Chinese tea drinkers often use the "top pour" method: fill the glass with warm water first, then drop the leaves on top and watch them fall.

How to cold brew it for summer

From November to February most of Australia is better served by a jug in the fridge than a kettle, and this tea is built for it. Cold water pulls out the sweetness and the jasmine but very little of the tannin, so the result is clear, smooth and never bitter.

1. Put 8 to 10 g of leaf (3 to 4 heaped teaspoons) in a 1-litre jug of cold filtered water.
2. Cover and leave in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Strain into a clean jug or bottle. It keeps for two days in the fridge.
4. Serve over ice with a slice of lime or a few fresh mint leaves. For a long drink, top up half and half with sparkling water.

Cold-brewed Jasmine Bi Luo Chun also makes a good base for a non-alcoholic spritz at a Christmas lunch: chilled tea, soda water, a squeeze of lime and a sprig of mint.

Storing jasmine tea in a hot climate

Scented green teas lose their perfume faster than black teas, and Australian summer heat speeds that up. Keep the pouch sealed with the air pressed out, store it in a cupboard away from the stove and the sun, and finish it within six to nine months of opening. Do not put it in the fridge unless it is in an airtight container; condensation and the smell of last night's curry both get into tea. A 100 g pouch at 2.5 g a cup is about 40 hot cups, or ten litres of cold brew, so buy a size you will finish by autumn.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jasmine Bi Luo Chun a green tea?

Yes. The base is Bi Luo Chun, a famous Chinese green tea from Jiangsu. The jasmine scent is added afterwards with fresh blossoms, not flavouring, so the tea stays a true green tea.

How much caffeine does it have?

About the same as other Chinese green teas, roughly 20 to 35 mg per 250 ml cup when brewed as above, which is around a third of a cup of coffee. Cold brew comes out a little lower.

Why does my jasmine tea taste bitter?

Almost always the water was too hot or the steep too long. Drop to 75 to 80°C and 2 minutes. If it is still harsh, use slightly less leaf.

Which is better, jasmine pearls or Jasmine Bi Luo Chun?

Neither; they suit different moments. Pearls are richer and slower, ideal for a winter pot. Bi Luo Chun is lighter, fruitier and brews faster, which makes it the better summer and iced tea.

Can I buy Jasmine Bi Luo Chun in Australia?

Yes. It is stocked on tealyra.com.au along with Jasmine Dragon Pearls and the unscented Bi Luo Chun, so you can order all three and compare them side by side.