Translation of small text on tea (flowers)

[Urban0406]

Hello I recently purchased some blooming teabags from China and they said to have these ingredients in: "Common flowers used in flowering teas include globe amaranth, carnation, chrysanthemum, jasmine, sweet Olive, lily, tea flowers, peony and marigold" I was wondering if someone could help me identify them? Thanks a lot!

https://sites.google.com/view/teaflowers/home?authuser=1

I had to put them on a link as the file size was too large even after compression.

[Shelley]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

 

Not sure why the file size was too big. It would be helpful though if you could retake the pictures and try and lesson the effect of the glare, it makes some of them very difficult to read. 1,2,6,and 10 are very hard to read.

It is too difficult for me to try identify them but hopefully someone will come along who can help? Possibly @abcdefg ?

[Publius]

#1 百合花篮

#2 has no label

#3 步步高升

#4 风花雪月

#5 金元宝

#6 金龙吐珠

#7 the same as #6

#8 百花仙子

#9 满园春色

#10 锦绣山河

 

They are vague and poetic names not very indicative of actual ingredients. Sorry can't help you.

[889]

But Google each of those terms and add the character for "tea" 茶 OP and you'll probably come up with something useful. See No. 8, for example:

 

https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/百花仙子茶

 

Then use Google Translate to get something half-intelligible.

[abcdefg]

18 hours ago, Urban0406 said:

Hello I recently purchased some blooming teabags from China and they said to have these ingredients in: "Common flowers used in flowering teas include globe amaranth, carnation, chrysanthemum, jasmine, sweet Olive, lily, tea flowers, peony and marigold" I was wondering if someone could help me identify them? Thanks a lot!

 

I don't think these will be teabags at all. These are usually balls of several kinds of flowers tied together and compressed so that they expand in a pot of hot water, resembling a blooming flower in the process. The general name for these is 开花茶 kaihua cha, and they usually don't actually contain tea 茶叶 (by which I mean processed leaves of the camelia sinensis plant.) 

 

Chinese use the term "tea" 茶 rather loosely, and apply it to flower infusions as well as to actual tea leaf decoctions. All this is not to say these balls won't produce a beautiful and tasty infusion. Just trying to align your expectations with reality. The resulting liquid won't look or taste like "tea" as it is known in the west.

 

These work best in a clear glass teapot because that way you can best appreciate the show. I have given some to friends back in the US when I've returned for holidays. Always have to "demo" them, since otherwise they are lost regardless of how carefully I supply written instructions. 

 

I wouldn't worry too much (or better said, I wouldn't worry at all) about what kind of flower is which unless you are a botanist. Just unwrap one and put it into very hot (not quite boiling) water in a teapot and wait until the flower opens. After that, pour some into cups and enjoy the experience. These do not need added sugar. None need added lemon or milk. Chinese drink these beverages plain.  

 

Even though yours appear to be vacuum wrapped in foil pouches, they won't keep too long. Best to use them within a year of purchase. After that the contents may just crumble when reconstituted. So these are not something to "lay up" for several years. 

 

Congratulations on your purchase! Hope everyone enjoys them! And welcome to the forum. If you would like to read about more usual kinds of Chinese tea, how to select and prepare them, I'd invite you to have a look at this index file of tea articles: https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/54133-tea-articles-a-users-guide/

[Urban0406]

@889 @abcdefg @Publius @Shelley

Thanks all for the help. I was just wondering out of curiosity, I have tried one so far and am pleasantly surprised!  

[Urban0406]

Any chance you could convert these into symbols for me? @Publius

Thanks again,

Filip

[889]

七星伴月   茶

 

锦上添花   茶

[abcdefg]

Did your tea look like these? (I'm posting pix for the benefit of other members who may not have seen this kind of tea.) Note that sometimes they put one ball of this into a large wine glass. Shows it off very well. A good approach if you don't have a clear glass teapot.

 

      

 

 

   

[Urban0406]

@abcdefg Yes, it did look a lot like that, pretty tasty as well as good looking too.