Chrysanthemum tea
Chrysanthemum tea is a flower-based infusion beverage made from the chrysanthemum flowers of the species Chrysanthemum morifolium or Chrysanthemum indicum, which are most popular throughout East and Southeast Asia.
| Chrysanthemum tea | |
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| Type | Herbal tea |
| Other names |
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| Origin | China (Song Dynasty) |
| Quick description | Tea made from dried chrysanthemum |
| Temperature | 100 °C (212 °F) |
| Time | 2‒3 minutes |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 菊花茶 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese | trà hoa cúc | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thai name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thai | น้ำเก๊กฮวย | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| RTGS | nam kekhuai | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 국화차 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 菊花茶 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Malay name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malay | teh krisantimum, teh kekwa | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indonesian name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indonesian | teh krisan (Chi Hua Ching) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tamil name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tamil | saamandhi | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First cultivated in China as a herb as early as the 1500 BCE, Chrysanthemum became popularized as a tea during the Song Dynasty. In Chinese tradition, once a pot of chrysanthemum tea has been drunk, hot water is typically added again to the flowers in the pot (producing a tea that is slightly less strong); this process is often repeated several times.
To prepare the tea, chrysanthemum flowers (usually dried) are steeped in hot water (usually 90 to 95 degrees Celsius after cooling from a boil) in either a teapot, cup, or glass; often rock sugar or cane sugar is also added. The resulting drink is transparent and ranges from pale to bright yellow in color, with a floral aroma.