Tutorial on How to Tie a Tea Flower

Jasmine flowers are a type of edible flower that is commonly used in blooming tea.

Upon initial inspection, tea flowers appear to be only a tight ball of bundled and dried tea leaves. After hot water is applied to a tea flower, the leaves and flower petals begin to slowly unfurl, bearing resemblance to a blooming flower. Watching a tea flower as it blooms is truly a unique experience. While you can purchase these blooming tea flowers from some specialty shops, you can also make them at home, using your choice of edible flowers.

Things You'll Need

• Edible flowers
• Fresh green tea leaves
• Cotton thread
• Needle
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Oven
• Cookie sheet

Instructions

1. Gather your edible flowers and tea leaves. Both the flowers and tea leaves should be as fresh as possible. Place a green tea leaf onto your cutting board and slice the leaf lengthwise into 1/4-inch sections, making sure not to include the stem in any of the cut sections.

2. Arrange the cut green tea lengths into a round formation, with the pieces of tea leaves resembling the spokes of a wagon wheel. Then, place one of your flowers on top of and centered over the wagon wheel formation, right side up. If desired, place another, smaller flower inside the first flower.

3. Thread your needle with the cotton thread. Then, insert the needle through the bottom center of the layered green tea leaves. Pull the needle and thread up and out of the top center of the edible flower.

4. Insert the needle back into the flower and down through the tea leaves. Continue sewing the flower to the tea leaves, until the two appear to stay in place.

5. Fold the tea leaves up and over the flower, creating a ball shape. Tighten the flowering tea ball into a smaller space by squeezing it carefully. Then, twist the tops of the tea leaves together, to lock them into place, preventing the ball from opening up.

6. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your tea flower onto a cookie sheet and place it inside the oven. Allow the tea flower to bake for 30 minutes and then remove it from the oven. Store your tea flower in a well-ventilated area until you are ready to use it.

Tips & Warnings

• Some edible flowers that you may consider using include jasmine and marigolds. Some specialty markets may sell these edible flowers.

References

• Blooming Tea Store: Blooming Teas