New to tea?

Last night, we received guests from abroad who were probably very new to the concept of tea and brewing with loose leaves. Now, in a situation like this, I thought it would be easiest to start with a floral green tea scented with jasmine flowers brewed in a glass pot, served in neutral blue-white porcelain cups.

Why a floral tea? I find this tea to be the most widely accepted amongst tea rookies and to quote a friend, 'seduce their senses with fragrances'. This is not to say that I am a proponent of scented teas like orange-flavoured pu'er, strawberry flavoured ginger tea and what not. I believe that tea can be appreciated without the frills of artificial scents, milk and sugar. However, if certain scent and tea combinations work out seamlessly, I would embrace them with arms wide open. 

Take for example jasmine green teas, or orchid scented teas from Anhui province in China. These are labelled scented/ floral teas, but quite different from teas suffering from the wrong kind of marketing. The elegance in fragrance and the synergy between tea and flowers will not go unnoticed by discerning tea connoisseurs.