Moli Nü’er Huan

Moli Nü’er Huan — jasmine daughter’s rings — is a rare artisanal jasmine tea. Tender green buds are hand-twisted, one by one, into little rings, then scented with fresh sambac jasmine in the Fuzhou manner, bed upon bed, until the leaf carries the flower. The name nods to the custom of giving a girl earrings at her coming of age; the tea is often chosen as a gift for young women. The best buds come from the high gardens of Yunnan and Fujian.

The shaping is slow — a skilled maker turns out only a few hundred rings a shift — and the reward is both flavour and theatre. The cup is sweet and floral, the jasmine and the green leaf held in fine balance, with a long floral-sweet finish and no bitterness. In a glass the rings sink and unfurl, opening into leaf like underwater flowers, a sight the Chinese liken to a dance.

In the cup

Brew it cool, around 75 °C, in a glass so the rings can perform. The Yunnan versions run a touch fuller; all of them cold-brew well. Drink it fresh, while the jasmine is bright.