Shenzhen, China — November 2025
Jasmine tea is one of the most recognizable Chinese teas in the world. Yet, the key process that determines its quality and value — the traditional Yin Zhi (scenting) craft — has long been overlooked. Even today, many consumers cannot distinguish between authentic flower-scented teas and artificially flavored blends, nor do they understand why one jasmine tea costs a few dollars while another can reach hundreds.
With growing interest among younger consumers in North America and Europe for high-quality floral teas, iTeaworld believes the category has reached a critical turning point — a shift from experience to systemization. Following its successful introduction of the Oolong Tea Framework at the 2025 Northwest Tea Festival, the brand now officially unveils a structured system for Chinese scented teas, helping global consumers appreciate the true craftsmanship behind this ancient art.
What Is the “Yin Zhi” Craft?
The art of scenting tea with flowers has existed in China for over a thousand years, rooted in the Eastern philosophy of “food as medicine.” For generations, Chinese artisans have cultivated harmony between humans and nature — using flowers to nurture the mind and fragrance to calm the spirit. This wisdom is embodied in the character “窨 (Yìn),” meaning to let tea leaves rest among layers of fresh blossoms, allowing the scent to slowly infuse the leaf.
From Tang Dynasty experiments with orange peel and ginger, to Song-era flower infusions, and finally to the mature techniques perfected in the Ming Dynasty, Yin Zhi evolved as a meditative craft of timing, temperature, and patience. Tea masters layer tea and flowers in ideal conditions, achieving a state of perfect harmony, where tea and flowers become one — tea draws out the flower’s aroma, and flowers enrich the tea’s taste.
Why Does Scented Tea Need a System?
While around 60% of the world’s jasmine tea raw material comes from Hengxian County in Guangxi, China’s Yin Zhi traditions are far from uniform. They form a complex system that spans Fuzhou, Hengxian, Suzhou, Sichuan and several northern regions. Different origins, techniques, flowers and base teas create enormous variation in style and quality.
Today, however, the market faces three key challenges:
- Authenticity confusion – Most consumers cannot tell whether the fragrance comes from real flowers or added flavorings. They often do not know how to distinguish genuinely scented teas from simply flavored ones.
- Fragmented information – Terms such as “three-round,” “five-round,” or “nine-round” scenting are poorly understood, and the value differences between pearl-shaped, needle-shaped and bud-shaped teas are rarely explained in a clear way.
- Recognition gap for high-quality teas – Top-tier scented teas are often misunderstood and underappreciated. For example, Fuzhou-made Jasmine Silver Needle is usually more expensive than that produced in Hengxian, yet very few people can clearly explain why.
For these reasons, scented tea urgently needs a transparent, structured framework that can be understood by readers and tea lovers around the world.
Introducing the “Five-Dimensional Framework of Scented Tea”
Based on field research across five major producing regions in China—Hengxian, Fuzhou, Suzhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan—combined with interviews with heritage artisans and a systematic review of historical records, iTeaworld distilled the traditional scented-tea craft into a Five-Dimensional Framework. This marks the first structured analytical system of its kind presented to the global tea industry.
1. Base Tea
The season, cultivar, leaf form, and processing level of the base tea fundamentally shape the final aroma structure.
For example, even within green teas, differences in harvest season and fixation method (pan-firing vs. oven-baking) lead to noticeably different aroma absorption during scenting.
2. Flower Influence
Using the same base tea, different flowers create completely distinct aromatic expressions. For instance:
- Jasmine × Baked Green Tea
- Gardenia × Baked Green Tea
- Daidai Orange Blossom × Baked Green Tea
- Pearl Orchid (Zhulan) × Baked Green Tea
All four use the same baked green tea base, yet their molecular aroma structures, smoothness, and aftertaste vary significantly. This is the first major source of diversity in scented tea.
3. Regional Terroir
Hengxian’s heat and humidity, Fuzhou’s lightly salty sea breeze, Yunnan’s high-altitude temperature swings, and Suzhou’s Jiangnan floral heritage…
Different regions develop distinct floral materials and traditional methods, resulting in unique aroma systems.
4. Scenting Rounds
Traditional three-round, five-round, or seven-round scenting cycles are not simple grade labels—they are structural variables that determine aroma depth and dimensionality.
More rounds do not automatically mean better quality; they reflect increasing complexity and require greater technical mastery to balance well.
5. New Pairings Across Tea Types
Beyond classic jasmine-scented green tea, modern tea makers are exploring new combinations, such as:
- Aged tangerine peel × White tea
- Petite Mandarin Orange × Ripe Pu’er
- Chrysanthemum × Pu’er
These combinations fall outside the traditional Yin Zhi system but represent a new wave of flower–tea innovation, helping consumers and professionals expand their understanding of what “scented tea” can encompass.
Through this Five-Dimensional Framework, iTeaworld provides overseas readers with a structured path from entry-level understanding to deep appreciation—revealing the flavor origins, technical logic, and cultural context behind China’s scented tea tradition.
Product Directions: iTeaworld Bringing the Framework to Life
To help consumers experience the Five-Dimensional Framework in a more intuitive way, iTeaworld has already introduced three structured product series, with more to come as the system is gradually completed:
- Base-Driven Jasmine Series
Using different base teas—such as baked green tea, pan-fired green tea, and white tea buds—this series illustrates how changes in the base directly influence the expression of jasmine aroma. - Scenting-Rounds Series
Focusing on jasmine green teas scented three, five, and seven times, this series demonstrates the systematic differences in aroma saturation, persistence, and layering across different rounds of Yin Zhi. - China Floral Tea Classics
A collection of ten representative floral teas from different regions, flowers, and aromatic traditions. Paired with a “flavor map,” this series helps consumers visualize and understand the broader landscape of Chinese floral teas.
These series are the initial, tangible expressions of the Five-Dimensional Framework. Going forward, iTeaworld plans to expand into more flower types, regions, and cross-category pairings, making the system more complete and providing long-term reference samples for comparative study within the global tea industry.
From Savoring Aroma to Understanding It
Alongside this initiative, iTeaworld has released the Guide to Chinese Scented Tea, covering:
- How to identify genuinely scented (Yin Zhi) teas
- Ideal tea–flower pairings
- Why regional flavor differences matter
- How to choose the right floral tea for yourself
The guide is included with every floral tea order and is also available as a free download.
With this, iTeaworld hopes to help tea drinkers around the world move from simply liking floral aromas to truly understanding fragrance—and to lead the century-old craft of Yin Zhi into a new era that is clear, transparent, and accessible to a global audience.
To help more consumers explore authentic Chinese tea during the season, iTeaworld is also offering a limited-time Black Friday promotion: 50% off all green teas and 25% off sitewide. This provides an accessible way for tea lovers to experience different bases and varieties while exploring the world of scented tea.
To make it easier for global tea lovers to explore different tea bases and varieties during this season, iTeaworld has launched a Black Friday offer, including 50% off green teas and 25% off all products sitewide — a timely opportunity for those interested in experiencing the foundations of Chinese scented tea.
About iTeaworld
Founded in 2009 in the ancient tea gardens of Guilin, iTeaworld began with a simple intention: to share good Chinese tea with the world. Over time, as the brand expanded into global markets, it discovered a significant “knowledge gap” among overseas tea lovers regarding Chinese tea. This realization transformed its original mission.
Today, iTeaworld is not only a purveyor of high-quality tea — it is also a storyteller of Chinese tea culture. Guided by principles of sustainability and authenticity, the brand has developed structured educational frameworks for Chinese tea, beginning with its Green Tea system, followed by the widely welcomed Oolong system presented at the Northwest Tea Festival, and now the revival of traditional scented-tea craftsmanship.
Across every product line, iTeaworld aims to break information barriers and help consumers not only enjoy a cup of tea, but also understand the craftsmanship, terroir, and culture infused within it.
Website: www.iTeaworld.com
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Contact: Yujie Zhang, [email protected]