Chinese Herbal and Flower Teas: The "Teas" That Aren't Tea
Chrysanthemum, osmanthus, barley, kuding and more: Chinese "teas" that aren't tea, for flavour, not cures.
In Chinese, almost anything you steep in hot water can be called cha, "tea": chrysanthemum tea (ju hua cha), barley tea (da mai cha), bitter kuding tea (ku ding cha), buckwheat tea (ku qiao cha). But none of these are made from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. They're herbal or flower infusions, sometimes called tisanes. Pure herbal infusions contain no caffeine; scented teas like jasmine or osmanthus oolong are real tea with flowers added, so they do. This section covers the most popular Chinese "teas that aren't tea": what they are, how they taste and how to brew them. It's about flavour, not medicine.
I'll be honest: this section exists partly because of where I live. In Slovenia, as in much of Central Europe, the word čaj means anything you pour hot water on: mint, chamomile, linden blossom from the tree down the road. For years I had to explain to friends that my pu-erh was "real tea" and their mint wasn't. Then I spent a week in a Chinese friend's family home, where the day started with barley tea, went on with chrysanthemum after lunch and ended with a pinch of osmanthus, and I realized the Chinese language is just as generous with the word as Slovenian. I stopped being a snob about it and started exploring.
Tea vs herbal tea: the difference#
| Tea | Herbal / flower "tea" | |
|---|---|---|
| Plant | Camellia sinensis | Anything else: flowers, grains, leaves of other plants |
| Caffeine | Yes | No (unless blended with tea) |
| Examples | Green, white, oolong, red (black), pu-erh | Chrysanthemum, barley, buckwheat, kuding |
| Scented versions | Jasmine tea, osmanthus oolong: tea + flowers | Pure flowers, no tea |
The Chinese herbal and flower teas on this site#
| Infusion | Chinese | What it is | Taste | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrysanthemum | 菊花茶 ju hua cha | Dried chrysanthemum flowers | Floral, honeyed, gently herbal | None |
| Osmanthus | 桂花茶 gui hua cha | Tiny dried osmanthus flowers, alone or with tea | Apricot, peach, honey | None pure; yes when scented onto tea |
| Kuding | 苦丁茶 ku ding cha | Rolled leaves of certain hollies or privet | Very bitter, then sweet | None |
| Barley | 大麦茶 da mai cha | Roasted barley kernels | Toasty, bready, coffee-like | None (contains gluten) |
| Buckwheat | 苦荞茶 ku qiao cha | Roasted tartary buckwheat | Nutty, cereal, honeyed | None |
| Ginkgo leaf | 银杏叶茶 yin xing ye cha | Dried ginkgo leaves | Grassy, slightly bitter | None; see our safety notes |
| Rose buds | 玫瑰花茶 mei gui hua cha | Dried rose buds | Floral, softly sweet, lightly tart | None |
| Chenpi | 陈皮 chen pi | Aged tangerine peel | Citrus when young; dried fruit and wood when old | None |
| Lotus | 荷叶茶 / 莲花茶 | Leaf, flower or seed-heart; or lotus-scented green tea | Grassy (leaf), delicate (flower), very bitter (seed-heart) | None, except scented tea |
Scented tea vs flower tea#
This trips up a lot of people:
- Scented tea is real tea that has absorbed the aroma of flowers. Jasmine tea is the classic: green tea layered with fresh jasmine buds overnight. Osmanthus oolong works the same way. These contain caffeine.
- Flower tea (hua cha) is just the flowers, dried: chrysanthemum, osmanthus, rose buds. No tea, no caffeine.
- Blends mix the two, like chrysanthemum with pu-erh. Blooming tea is also real tea: tea buds hand-tied around dried flowers. They contain caffeine because of the tea.
Read the label: if it lists tea, green tea, black tea or oolong, there's caffeine. More in caffeine in tea.
How to brew Chinese herbal teas#
| Infusion | Amount (per 300 ml) | Water | Time | Re-steeps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrysanthemum | 4–6 small flowers or 1 large | 90–95 °C | 3–5 min | 2–3 |
| Osmanthus (pure) | About 1 teaspoon | 90–95 °C | 3–5 min | 1–2 |
| Kuding | 1 rolled needle | About 80 °C | 30 s–1 min | Several |
| Barley | 1 tablespoon | Boiling | 5–10 min, or simmer | 1–2 |
| Tartary buckwheat | 1 heaped teaspoon (3–5 g) | 90–100 °C | 3–5 min | 2–3 |
A glass teapot or a tall glass is perfect: most of these are as pretty to watch as they are to drink. Barley, buckwheat and chrysanthemum all make excellent cold brews too: see cold brew tea.
A word on health claims#
Nearly every herbal tea in Chinese shops and on Western websites comes with a list of promised benefits: cooling, detoxing, lowering this, curing that. Some rest on traditional Chinese medicine, some on lab studies of extracts, and very few on solid research in people drinking a cup of tea. On this site we write about how these infusions taste and how to make them, not about what they might cure. If you're pregnant, take regular medication or have a health condition, check with a doctor before drinking any herbal infusion regularly, and treat miracle claims with suspicion.
Storing herbal teas#
The same rules as for tea apply: airtight, dark, dry and away from strong smells. Flowers lose their aroma within about a year. Roasted grains like barley and buckwheat can go stale and oily-tasting if left open. See how to store tea.
My honest take#
I didn't expect to love these as much as I do. Barley tea has replaced water on my summer table, chrysanthemum is my after-lunch cup, and a pinch of osmanthus in an oolong is one of my favourite small pleasures in autumn. None of them replaces a good pu-erh. They don't have to: they're a different, gentler pleasure, and they're caffeine-free.
The bottom line#
Chinese herbal and flower "teas" like chrysanthemum, osmanthus, kuding, barley and buckwheat aren't made from the tea plant and are caffeine-free, unless blended with tea. They're easy to brew and lovely to drink. We write about them for their flavour, not for health claims. For true tea, start with my guide to the types of Chinese tea.
FAQ#
Is herbal tea real tea?#
Not botanically. Herbal teas don't contain leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
Are Chinese herbal teas caffeine-free?#
Pure herbal and flower infusions are. Scented teas and blends with real tea contain caffeine.
What is the most popular Chinese herbal tea?#
Chrysanthemum tea is probably the best known, followed by barley tea.
Is jasmine tea an herbal tea?#
No. Jasmine tea is real tea, usually green, scented with jasmine flowers.
Can I brew herbal teas gongfu style?#
You can, but most are happiest in a glass or teapot with longer steeps.
All herbal teas guides
Guide
Lotus Tea: Leaf, Flower, and Lotus-Scented Green Tea Explained
"Lotus tea" can mean four drinks: lotus leaf tea, whole lotus flower tea, lotus seed-heart tea or lotus-scented green tea. The first three are caffeine-free; the scented tea is real tea and contains caffeine.
Guide
Rose Bud Tea (Mei Gui Hua Cha): Taste, Varieties and How to Brew
Rose bud tea (mei gui hua cha) is an infusion of dried rose buds, most often from Rosa rugosa and related Chinese roses. It's caffeine-free, softly floral and lightly sweet; blended with red tea or shou pu-erh it gains caffeine.
Guide
Chenpi: Aged Tangerine Peel as a Tea, Alone or With Pu-erh
Chenpi (陈皮, "aged peel") is tangerine peel dried and aged for years, most prized from Xinhui in Guangdong. Caffeine-free on its own, it's bright and zesty when young and sweet, woody and mellow when old, and a small piece is a lovely addition to shou pu-erh or aged white tea.
Guide
Tartary Buckwheat Tea (Ku Qiao Cha): Nutty, Golden and Caffeine-Free
Buckwheat tea is roasted buckwheat steeped in hot water; the Chinese ku qiao cha is usually made from tartary buckwheat, a hardy mountain crop. It's caffeine-free and tastes nutty, toasty and gently sweet: brew about 3–5 g per 300 ml at 90–100 °C for 3–5 minutes, and mind that buckwheat can cause serious allergies.
Guide
Kuding Tea: China's Most Bitter "Tea", and How to Enjoy It
Kuding tea (ku ding cha, "bitter nail tea") isn't made from the tea plant but from the rolled leaves of certain hollies or privet: caffeine-free, famously bitter, with a sweet aftertaste that follows. Use very little leaf and water below boiling, because hot water makes it much more bitter.
Guide
Osmanthus Tea (Gui Hua): The Golden Autumn Flower, Alone or With Tea
Osmanthus tea (gui hua cha) is made from the tiny dried flowers of Osmanthus fragrans, which smell of ripe apricot, peach and honey. Pure flowers are caffeine-free; osmanthus oolong and osmanthus red tea are real tea scented with the flowers and do contain caffeine.
Guide
Chrysanthemum Tea: Varieties, Taste and How to Brew It
Chrysanthemum tea (ju hua cha) is a caffeine-free infusion of dried chrysanthemum flowers: floral, softly sweet and gently herbal, with a honeyed finish. Brew 4–6 small flowers (or one large flower) per 300 ml at 90–95 °C for 3–5 minutes and top up two or three times.
Guide
Ginkgo Leaf Tea: What It Is, How It Tastes, and Why I'm Cautious
Ginkgo leaf tea (yin xing ye cha) is an infusion of dried Ginkgo biloba leaves: caffeine-free, grassy, hay-like and slightly bitter. Unlike most herbal teas it raises real safety questions, so buy from a regulated producer, drink it only occasionally, and never brew leaves picked from a tree.
Guide
Barley Tea (Da Mai Cha): The Toasty, Caffeine-Free Everyday Drink
Barley tea (da mai cha in Chinese, boricha in Korean, mugicha in Japanese) is roasted barley steeped or simmered in water: toasty, nutty and caffeine-free, with a light bitterness a bit like weak coffee. Use about 10 g per litre, simmer it for 5–10 minutes or cold-steep it overnight; note that barley contains gluten.