Dàidài Huā Chá

Classification and Origin

Category: Yangtze Delta flower tea on a green base, saturated with the fragrance of daidai bitter orange blossoms.

the characters 玳玳 (dàidài) are often also written as 代代 — "generation after generation." The name refers to a peculiarity of the tree itself: its fruits do not fall off immediately but remain on the branches for two or three years, so that ripe orange spheres and young ovaries, and sometimes new blossoms, coexist on a single crown. Hence the image of "several generations on one tree," which became a wish for family continuity. This same auspicious meaning also established daidai as an ornamental and symbolic plant in the gardens of southern China.

the floral raw material and the finished tea are historically associated primarily with the Yangtze Delta. The main production center is considered to be Suzhou (苏州) in Jiangsu Province — the old capital of Chinese flower tea, where jasmine and other scented tea production developed in parallel.

daidai flowers were also grown in the surrounding areas of Zhejiang, and the bitter orange itself as a crop is widespread in the south, including Fujian and Guangdong. The precise distribution of modern plantations by district is left as a question by the author due to the lack of a confirmed industry source.

Type: scented (flower) tea — huā chá (花茶).

Botany and Raw Material

the raw material is the blossoms of the bitter (sour) orange — Citrus aurantium L., a form called 玳玳 / 代代 in the Chinese tradition. It is an evergreen citrus tree or large shrub of the Rutaceae family, with dense dark green leaves and thorny shoots.

in late spring — mainly in May, sometimes extending into early June; the flowers are white, waxy, small, and very fragrant, with a structure typical for citrus, possessing five petals and a dense cluster of stamens.

specifically the flowers (花 huā) are used for tea. The essential oils of bitter orange blossoms are known in perfumery as "neroli," and the characteristic fresh-citrus, slightly honeyed and bitter nature of this aroma is directly manifested in the finished tea. Unripe fruits of the same species are known by other commercial names in the Chinese tradition but are not related to flower tea.

as with most classic Yangtze Delta flower teas, the base is usually baked green tea — hōngqīng (烘青): a leafy semi-finished product that holds extraneous aromas well due to its porous, not too tightly rolled structure. The green base is not chosen randomly: its own taste is neutrally herbaceous and does not compete with the citrus perfume of the flower, but merely supports it. Variants on a different base exist, but baked green tea is considered canonical for daidai.

Organoleptic Profile

exudes a cool citrus-floral scent: fresh, slightly astringent, with a neroli bitterness and a subtle resinous undertone — less sweet and "perfumey" than jasmine, and therefore perceived as more austere.

usually pale, yellowish-greenish.

Taste: the soft herbaceousness of the green base combines with the characteristic light bitterness of the bitter orange flower, which turns into a cool, refreshing aftertaste at the finish.

Brewing

a glass or porcelain gaiwan, or a tall glass that allows one to see the leaf and flowers.

approximately 3 g of tea per 150 ml of water, adjusted to taste thereafter.

the first infusion is short, subsequent ones slightly longer; the tea withstands several infusions, gradually yielding an ever purer floral note.

Water Temperature: moderate, around 80 – 85 °C, so as not to "scorch" the green base and make the bitterness harsh.