So, I got this blooming tea set that’s been sitting in my cupboard for like, forever. You know, one of those things you buy because it looks cool but then you never actually use it? Yeah, that’s the one. Anyway, I finally decided to give it a go today.

First off, I had to find the darn thing. It was buried under a pile of other unused kitchen gadgets. After a bit of digging, I pulled it out and gave it a good dusting. It’s got this clear glass teapot and a bunch of these dried-up little balls that are supposed to be the “blooming” tea. Okay, let’s do this.

Prepping the Teapot

I remembered reading somewhere that you should warm up the teapot first, so I filled it with some hot water from the tap, swirled it around a bit, and then dumped it out. Seemed easy enough. I also learned to use one tea ball per six ounces of water.

Choosing the Tea Ball

Next, I opened the container with the tea balls. They looked kind of weird, all brown and shriveled. I picked one out – they all looked pretty much the same to me. It has some green tea leaves and dried flowers.

Brewing the Tea

• I carefully placed the tea ball into the now-warm teapot.
• Then, I boiled some water in my electric kettle. When it was ready, I slowly poured the hot water over the tea ball, filling the teapot.
• And then, I just waited.

Watching It Bloom

This is where the magic supposedly happens. Slowly but surely, the little ball started to unfurl. It was like watching a time-lapse video of a flower blooming. The leaves opened up, and these little colorful flowers started to peek out. Honestly, it was pretty mesmerizing. It took a few minutes, but eventually, it was fully bloomed, and the teapot was filled with this light amber-colored liquid with a flower floating around in it. I also found out that the flower is edible and is a jasmine flower!

Tasting the Tea

Time for the taste test. I poured myself a cup, took a sniff – it smelled kind of floral and earthy. And then I took a sip. It was… surprisingly good! It’s a light, delicate flavor, a little bit sweet, and definitely floral. I added a tiny bit of honey because I like my tea a little sweeter, and that made it even better.

So, yeah, that’s my blooming tea experience. It was way more fun than I expected, and the tea was actually pretty tasty. I might actually start using this thing more often. Who knew those little dried-up balls could turn into something so cool?