Which flower is used to scent jasmine tea?

The flower used to scent jasmine tea is the jasmine flower.

Jasmine tea is made by infusing tea leaves with the fragrance of jasmine blossoms. The tea base is often green tea, but white, black, and other teas can also be scented this way. Jasmine contributes the aroma; it is not a distinct tea leaf or a separate plant variety of Camellia sinensis.

Traditional production carefully times the flowers’ release of fragrance. Jasmine blossoms are often picked while their petals are still closed, kept cool during the day, and allowed to open at night. Fresh flowers are layered with prepared tea leaves so the leaves absorb the floral scent, then removed or replaced. High-quality teas may repeat this scenting process six or seven times.

Jasmine tea has deep roots in China. Jasmine was likely introduced there from South Asia during the Han dynasty, from 206 BCE to 220 CE, and jasmine-scented tea was being made by around the fifth century. Fuzhou in Fujian is especially famous for its jasmine tea tradition.