Flowering teas, also known as blooming teas, performance teas, and display teas, among other names, are hand-sewed individual tea leaves forming a ball, and designed to perform an action when steeped in hot water, usually unfurling into decorative flower-like arrangements. Flowering teas are usually prepared in glass or otherwise transparent cups or mugs so that the performance can be seen.
Varieties
Varieties include small, silvery green tea balls with various flowers which open to release the flowers inside, and teas that are shaped into objects such as plants and animals which expand or change.
Origin
Flowering tea was created recently in the past 20 years in China. Most if not all flowering tea comes from China, as other tea origins (such as India, Sri Lanka, etc) have not picked up this new trend.
Ingredients:
Tea
Flowering tea primarily uses green, white and jasmine tea, but black tea is also used in some instances.[citation needed]
Flowers
Common flowers used in flowering teas include globe amaranth, carnation, chrysanthemum, jasmine, marigold, and rose. When added to water just off the boil, flower ball teas will slowly open, or blossom, into the form of a chrysanthemum-like flower
Preparation
These teas can be refreshed several times by adding more water as needed, from 5 to 15 times depending on the variety. Flowering teas are fragrant, aromatic teas that do not tend to get bitter with extended steeping.[citation needed]