This tea is called Pearl Orchid because the flowers used to make the tea are smelled like Chinese orchids and shaped like pearls.
The flower is known by its scientific name aglaia odorata, and its elegant and calming fragrance was highly prized by many intellectuals.During the late Qing Dynasty it was a popular tea in China.
Anhui Province in China is the original source of pearl orchid tea. At present, pearl orchid tea is relatively niche, but there are still many people in Anhui who enjoy it, make it and promote it. In Anhui, all teas can be served with pearl orchid.
My personal favourite is Pearl Orchid black tea, which is a neat and loose small-leaf black tea made with a mellow aroma that is particularly elegant when it absorbs the aroma of the Pearl Orchid flowers.
Chinese medicine believes that the aromatic substances in flower teas can relieve depression and reduce the effects of stress on the body, and pearl orchid tea does have this effect.