Osmanthus

Osmanthus (guihua, 桂花) is the tiny golden blossom of an evergreen tree that flowers across southern China in early autumn. Its fragrance is one of the most recognisable in Chinese cooking and perfumery: ripe apricot, peach stone and honey with a soft, creamy edge.

Taste and aroma in tea

Tea makers use osmanthus in two ways: scenting the leaf in the classic manner (as with jasmine tea) or blending the dried flowers straight into the tea. Osmanthus oolong is the most famous pairing — the dense, buttery body of the oolong picks up the apricot-honey sweetness of the flowers, giving a round, lingering cup.

In the Chinese tradition

Guihua is the flower of mid-autumn: it opens around the Moon Festival, and in southern China it flavours sweets, wine and tea alike. In traditional thinking osmanthus is associated with warmth — it is said to “warm the middle”, to help digestion and to soothe the throat. Osmanthus tea is traditionally enjoyed in the cool season and after meals.

How to brew

The flowers give up their aroma quickly, so osmanthus tea needs no long steeping: short infusions with water at 90–95 °C open up both the tea base and the floral sweetness.