Chrysanthemum tea is one of those beverages that, to me, actually tastes like spring. Not the spring of torrential downpours or hay fever or, in Beijing, Mongolian sandstorms. But the first days of transition, when people on the street are actually smiling again, that ugly down jacket is shoved back into storage, and eating lunch outdoors seems like putting the ectasy back into your relationship with nature. So it seems fitting that on these first few days of tshirt-and-light-jacket weather, I’ve been sipping chrysanthemum tea nonstop.
Chrysanthemum tea (菊花茶 júhuāchá) is actually a tisane, or herbal tea. Instead of using tea leaves, herbal brews extract flavor from flowers, herbs, fruit, and grains. The little flowers that make up the loose “tea” range in color from white to pale yellow to bright yellow. You can steep it in a pot or a cup, but because blooming flowers floating in water is a bit more photogenic than tea leaves, restaurants sometimes present it in a big glass teapot. It is also served with a dish of bingtang, or rock sugar; just one or two cubes brings out the slight sweetness in this mellow tea.
According to Chinese medicine, chrysanthemum tea is also one of the best things to drink for “cooling” your system. Eat too much Sichuan food or drink too many whiskey shots over the weekend? Then drink some chrysanthemum tea to get rid of the excess “heat” in your body. It purportedly prevents sore throats and reduces fever, maybe even reduces blood pressure. As for me, I drink it because it’s soothing and, unlike coffee or even green tea, I can sip it all day long knowing I won’t toss ‘n turn at night.
If you’re not in China and surrounded by bags of dried chrysanthemum at every grocery store, or can’t find it in a Chinatown or natural foods store near you, you can still order it online. The Tea Farm and Enjoying Tea are two sites where you can order it in loose form.
And don’t forget the bingtang.
Learn more about other teas:
Ginger milk tea
Rose milk tea
Golden Saffron Spiced Tea from Vegeyum
White teas from Vegeyum
Ginseng Tea from My Korean Kitchen
I love chrysanthemum tea! Great as ice tea in the summer also.
How fragrant and lovely this tea must be
My mom used to make me drink it when I had way too much “heat” foods like chips and fried anything to soothe and like you said cool my system. I have such a love for it now that I’ve even made ice cream of it!
This is lovely and I am not in China or near any easily accessed pre-made chrysanthemum tea….so, my question is, do you know if there are any special requirements for making your own? I have loads of chrysanthemum plants around my yard but don’t know if you can use any chrysanthemum flowers or if it has to be a special type? Mine aren’t sprayed with anything so they are “organic”, but they aren’t white blooms (purple, yellow, and orange are what I have). Any advice would be most welcome! Gorgeous pictures, btw!!
Jennie, as far as I know you can use the flowers and buds of white and yellow chrysanthemum. Just make sure to dry them out before using them for teas…fresh flowers have a fragrance that is too intense.
That picture is absolutely gorgeous! Now you’ve reminded me of how much I like chrysanthemum tea. I ought to make myself a pot!
Thank you for this wonderful article, I knew before about chrysanthemum tea but I never tried it. Now I am curious to see how "spring" tastes like. Until then I should finish my natural bekunis tea treatment.
Beautiful and so elegant! I LOVE tea of all kinds, and my acupuncturist is always on the look out for different cooling and/or warming foods. I’ll definately have to order some of this. Thanks for the educational post!
Even though freshly-brewed is by far the best, chrysanthemum tea even tastes good in canned form (available in the coolers of just about any Asian grocery store you’ll ever encounter.)
Hello, My chinese patient brought me and the Doctor a box of chrysanthemum tea and I did hesitate to try it. But I tried it and it’s not only sweet allready, it’s delicious. I had 2 big cups allready. I recommend it to others, if it’s too sweet, just add extra H20.
Tried it cold and for the first time because I was having my normal yummy sushi and wanted a different kind of drink other than green or oolong…yummmy!! I can’t believe what fantastic things people have come to learn of. I’m glad someone experimented and explored before me ’cause it’s now mine, mine, mine :)
can you tell me how to prepare the tea?
thanks
I love this stuff. Everytime I am in China, I drink GALLONS of this stuff.
I love this stuff. Everytime I am in China, I drink GALLONS of this stuff.
I love it (: I buy it in the Asian supermarket!
Just bought a beautiful boutique jar filled up into its glass lid with curled up leaves the size of chick peas. The label says “Pearl Ku Ding Tea”, “Tian Hu Shan Tea” and “Ku Ding Tea” and it has a beautiful picture of yellow chrysanthemums. We added three buds to enough water to fill two teacups. The buds opened up to reveal only leaves. The resulting very pale greenish-gold tea not sweet or fragrant, but instead was bitter, even medicinal. Is this chrysanthemum tea? With no flowers?