Chrysanthemum Tea: How to Brew It Properly
Chrysanthemum tea is one of the most widely drunk herbal infusions in China, and one of the easiest to make badly. Most people pour boiling water over a spoonful of flowers, leave it too long, and end up with something bitter and faintly stewed. Done properly it's delicate, floral and gently sweet, and it can be refilled several times from the same flowers. Here's how, plus what to look for when buying.
What It Is
Chrysanthemum tea is made from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum morifolium, known in Chinese as Ju Hua. It contains no tea leaf and no caffeine, which is part of why it's drunk throughout the day and given freely to children and older relatives.
The flavour is light and floral with a natural sweetness and a faint honeyed note, quite unlike the grassy or medicinal character of many herbal infusions. It's one of the most approachable Chinese herbs for anyone new to the category.
The chrysanthemum also carries real cultural weight. The ninth month of the lunar calendar is traditionally associated with the flower, and the Double Ninth Festival, held on the ninth day of that month, has been marked for centuries with chrysanthemum displays and chrysanthemum drinks. It's an autumn flower in the Chinese imagination as firmly as it is in a British garden.
Buds or Open Flowers: Two Grades
Chrysanthemum comes in two main forms, and they brew differently.
Tai Ju are the small, pale, unopened buds, harvested before the flower fully opens. They're the more delicate grade: sweeter, more floral, lighter in colour, and generally the most prized for straightforward drinking. Because they're small and tightly closed, they release slowly and re-steep especially well.
Ju Hua are the fully opened flower heads, larger and more robust, with a bolder floral character and a slightly more assertive edge. They suit anyone who wants a fuller-flavoured cup, and they're the better choice for blending with stronger companions like jujube dates or for cold brewing, where the extra character holds up over ice.
Neither is better. Tai Ju for delicacy, Ju Hua for body, and the 500g bag of the latter is the sensible buy once chrysanthemum becomes a daily habit.
The Most Common Mistake: Water That's Too Hot
This single point makes more difference than anything else. Chrysanthemum flowers are delicate, and water straight off the boil scorches them, which is where the bitterness and the flat, stewed taste come from.
Let the kettle stand for a minute or two after boiling, so the water is around 85 to 90 degrees, then pour. If you have a variable temperature kettle, that's the setting.
How to Brew It
Use around 5 to 8 whole flower heads per mug, or a small handful for a teapot. They look like a lot in the cup, because dried flowers are mostly air, and they'll open up as they steep. With Tai Ju buds, use slightly more, as they're smaller.
Pour the slightly cooled water over the flowers and leave them for 3 to 5 minutes. The liquid should turn a pale straw-gold, not deep amber. If it's going dark, it's steeping too long or the water was too hot.
Then, and this is the part most people miss, don't throw the flowers away. Chrysanthemum re-steeps well. The same flowers will happily give you a second and often a third cup, and many people find the second the best of the three. Just top up with more hot water when the cup is low, which is how it's actually drunk in China: a flask of flowers topped up through the day rather than one cup and done.
The Classic Pairing
Chrysanthemum and goji is one of the best known combinations in Chinese herbal drinking, and it's worth trying before anything else. Add a small handful of dried goji berries to the flowers before pouring. The berries plump up, add colour and contribute a gentle sweetness that balances the floral note beautifully, and you eat them at the end.
Other traditional additions: a little rock sugar or honey if you want it sweeter, a few jujube dates torn open for a rounder, deeper sweetness, or honeysuckle flowers for a more perfumed cup.
Iced Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum makes an excellent cold drink, and it's the standard summer version across southern China. Brew the open Ju Hua flowers at double strength, let it cool, then chill and serve over ice with a little honey. It keeps two or three days in the fridge and is considerably more interesting than most soft drinks.
Buying: What Good Flowers Look Like
Quality varies a lot with this ingredient and it's easy to judge by eye.
Good dried chrysanthemum should consist of whole, intact flower heads or buds, pale cream to light yellow, that still smell distinctly floral and sweet when you open the bag. The petals should be recognisable as petals.
What to avoid: crushed or broken flowers, brownish discolouration, a musty or dusty smell, or a bag that's mostly fragments and stems. Broken flowers release their character too quickly and turn bitter, which is another common cause of a disappointing cup.
Storage
Dried flowers are fragile and they absorb moisture and odours readily, so an airtight container away from light and heat matters more here than with roots and barks. Kept properly they'll hold their aroma for a year or more. Kept in a cupboard next to the spices in an open bag, they'll be flat within months.
If yours have lost their scent, they've lost most of what makes them worth drinking.
Where It Sits in the Tradition
In Chinese tradition chrysanthemum is described as cooling in character and is traditionally associated with the eyes, which is why it's so often drunk by people doing close work or reading. That association is a large part of why it's paired with goji berries, which carry a similar traditional association.
None of that is a claim about what the tea does. It's simply the reasoning behind why these particular flowers, in this particular pairing, have been drunk together for a very long time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chrysanthemum tea contain caffeine?
No. It's made from flowers rather than tea leaf, so it's naturally caffeine-free and can be drunk at any time of day.
What's the difference between Tai Ju and Ju Hua?
Tai Ju are the small unopened buds, more delicate and sweeter. Ju Hua are the fully opened flowers, bolder and more robust. Both make good tea; the choice is delicacy versus body.
Why is my chrysanthemum tea bitter?
Usually water that was too hot, steeping for too long, or broken rather than whole flowers. Use water around 85 to 90 degrees and steep 3 to 5 minutes.
How many times can I re-steep the flowers?
Two or three times comfortably. Many people prefer the second infusion to the first.
What goes well with chrysanthemum tea?
Goji berries are the classic pairing. Jujube dates, rock sugar, honey or honeysuckle all work too.
Can I drink it cold?
Yes. Brew it at double strength, cool, then chill. It's a standard summer drink in southern China and keeps a few days in the fridge.
Find Ju Hua flowers, Tai Ju buds, goji berries and jujube dates in our DaoDi culinary herbs collection.
Food supplements and culinary herbs should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet. This article is for general information only and is not intended as medical advice.