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, a shrub that blooms in southern China in autumn. The flowers smell of ripe apricot, peach and honey. You'll find it in two forms: pure dried flowers, which are caffeine-free, and scented teas like osmanthus oolong or osmanthus red tea, where real tea leaves have absorbed the flowers' aroma and do contain caffeine. A small pinch goes a long way.

I'll be honest: I first met osmanthus not in a cup but in a dessert: a translucent jelly in a small restaurant, flecked with gold and smelling of apricots. I asked what the gold was and was handed a jar of dried flowers to smell. It was one of those moments where a smell becomes a memory immediately. Today a jar of osmanthus lives next to my oolongs, and in autumn a few flowers go into almost everything I brew. More in the Chinese herbal tea guide.

What osmanthus is#

Osmanthus fragrans, sweet osmanthus, is an evergreen shrub or small tree grown across southern China. Its flowers are tiny, just a few millimetres across, but they bloom in dense clusters, and in autumn whole streets smell of them. Guilin in Guangxi takes its name from the plant: "forest of osmanthus". Other well-known growing areas include Hubei, Hunan and Jiangsu.

The flowers bloom in autumn, around the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is why osmanthus is tied to autumn in Chinese culture: osmanthus cakes, osmanthus wine and sweet osmanthus syrup are all seasonal treats.

The main types#

What osmanthus tastes like#

The aroma is the main event: ripe apricot, peach, honey and something creamy. On its own, a cup of osmanthus is pale and delicate, sweet-smelling but light on the tongue. Added to tea, it rounds out and sweetens the tea's own flavour. With oolong, it's floral and fruity; with red tea, it's like stewed apricots with honey; with green tea, it's bright and fresh.

Pure flowers vs scented tea#

Osmanthus oolong is the most famous scented version, often made on a rolled oolong base like Tieguanyin. The method is similar to jasmine tea: fresh flowers are mixed with tea so the leaves absorb the aroma. You'll often see some golden flower bits left in the leaf.

Don't confuse it with Huang Jin Gui ("yellow golden osmanthus"), a light oolong from Anxi in Fujian. It's named for its golden young leaves and its natural osmanthus-like fragrance. There are no flowers in it.

How to brew osmanthus#

Tips:

• Start small. Too many flowers and the tea tastes perfumed.
• Use a strainer. The flowers are tiny and float.
• A glass shows it off: golden flowers drifting in pale tea.
• Honey or rock sugar is traditional with pure flowers, but good osmanthus doesn't need it.

My favourite combinations#

• Osmanthus + roasted oolong: a pinch in a Dong Ding or Tieguanyin gaiwan. Apricot and toast.
• Osmanthus + Chinese red tea: honey on honey; perfect on a cold evening.
• Osmanthus + cold-brewed oolong: my September bottle in the fridge.
• Osmanthus + chrysanthemum: a caffeine-free after-dinner cup. See chrysanthemum tea.

My session: osmanthus three ways#

Pure flowers, 1 g in a 300 ml glass, 90 °C, 4 minutes. Pale gold, apricot and honey on the nose, light and sweet. Pleasant, but I wanted more body.

A pinch added to 5 g of Dian Hong in a gaiwan. The red tea's honey and malt with a ripe-apricot top note. My favourite of the three.

Osmanthus oolong, 6 g, 95 °C. Floral and creamy, the osmanthus strongest in the first three steeps, then the oolong takes over.

How to choose good osmanthus#

• Colour: bright golden or orange, not brown or grey.
• Aroma: strong, sweet and clean when you open the bag. Weak or musty means old.
• Clean flowers: few stems, leaves or dust.
• Scented teas: the tea underneath should be good too. Heavy flower bits and weak leaf can hide low-grade tea; so can artificial flavouring. Real osmanthus smells like fruit and honey, not like candy.

Storage#

Airtight, dark, dry and away from strong smells, like any delicate tea. Osmanthus loses its aroma steadily, so buy small amounts and use them within about a year. See how to store tea.

Myths#

"Osmanthus tea is a type of tea." The flowers aren't tea. Only scented versions contain tea leaves.

"Huang Jin Gui is osmanthus-scented." It's an oolong named for its natural aroma.

"More flowers, more flavour." More flowers, more perfume. A pinch is best.

My honest take#

Pure osmanthus is lovely, but I think osmanthus is at its best as a guest in someone else's cup: a pinch in a roasted oolong or a Chinese red tea. If you buy one jar of flowers this year, make it this one.

The bottom line#

Osmanthus tea is made from the small golden flowers of Osmanthus fragrans, with an aroma of apricot, peach and honey. Pure flowers are caffeine-free; osmanthus oolong and red tea are real tea and contain caffeine. Use a pinch, brew at 90–95 °C, and try it with oolong. More flower and herbal teas in my Chinese herbal tea guide.

Read next: Rose Bud Tea (Mei Gui Hua Cha).