Best Roses for Tea: Buds or Petals?

In everyday life, people often make tea with roses for health benefits. However, the selection of roses is also crucial. The rose tea can be made from buds or petals, which differ in aroma, brewing durability, and nutritional value.

Generally speaking, it’s better to use rose petals than buds for making tea.

Moreover, there are many varieties of edible rose tea available in the market. Which type of rose is best for tea? Let’s find out.

I. Which is Better for Rose Tea: Buds or Petals?

There are two common types of rose tea: one made from unopened buds, commonly known as “rose buds,” and the other from opened roses, commonly known as “rose petals.

1. Aroma Intensity: Whether smelled or brewed into tea, the aroma of petals is slightly stronger than that of buds.
2. Aroma Duration: Brewing tests have shown that petals have a slightly longer-lasting aroma than buds. This aroma comes from one of the active ingredients in roses, “rose alcohols,” proving that the release of rose alcohols is higher in petals than in buds.
3. Brew Durability: For a 400ml cup of water, adding two petals provides a strong rose flavor and can be brewed repeatedly throughout the day, while buds require 5-6 to achieve a suitable taste. In this regard, petals are more cost-effective and durable.
4. Nutritional Value: According to botanical experts’ research, practice, and testing, roses reach the maximum accumulation of various nutrients when they open about 70%. This 70% state is roughly the semi-open state of the petals. After exceeding 70%, the nutrients start to be lost. Also, scientific experiments have shown that the main active ingredients of rose tea, such as rose alcohols, rose polyphenols, and rose essential oils, are much higher in rose petals than in rose buds. Therefore, from a physical and chemical index perspective, the nutritional value of rose petals is greater than that of rose buds.

II. Which type of rose is best for making tea?

There are many varieties of roses, but the most popular ones on the market include the Gold-Trimmed Rose, Pingyin Rose, Bitter Water Rose, French Thousand-Petal Rose, and the Damask Rose.

1. Gold-Trimmed Rose (Tea recommendation index: ★)

This is a wild variety of rose, watered by the glacial waters of the Yulong Snow Mountain and also known as the “Snow Mountain Rose.” It has a history spanning over two decades. Tests show that it contains trace elements and amino acids.

2. Pingyin Rose (Tea recommendation index: ★★★)

With a long history, the Pingyin Rose has deep-colored blossoms and a subtle fragrance. It is mainly used for essential oil extraction and rose water in the domestic market. Its quality ranks among the best nationwide, enjoying a high reputation in both domestic and international markets. Its growth is not significantly affected by environmental conditions, which affects the purity of its fragrance. It is also used to make rose jam and rose cakes.

3. Bitter Water Rose (Tea recommendation index: ★★)

Cultivated in Yongdeng County in Gansu for over two centuries, the Bitter Water Rose has small buds, a relatively light flavor, vivid colors, and mediocre taste, hence its relatively low price. It is widely used for essential oil extraction and rose water, and also as a tea ingredient. Due to its slightly bitter taste, it is mainly used for rose water extraction.

4. French Thousand-Petal Rose (Tea recommendation index: ★★★★)

The Thousand-Petal Rose has high-quality petals and a strong aroma, suitable for essential oil and rose water extraction. It needs to be dried immediately after picking, and its storage conditions are strict. If exposed to air or water, it will easily oxidize and lose its color. This imported rose is relatively expensive due to its limited cultivation and the fact that its potency is greatly reduced outside of its native French environment. There is currently no domestic cultivation. Despite being sold in China, there are many counterfeits.

5. Damask Rose (Tea recommendation index: ★★★★★)

One of the world’s oldest roses, it has a recorded cultivation history of over 4,000 years and a consumption history of over 2,000 years. The purest Damask Rose No. 3 contains over 300 effective substances, over 120 of which are beneficial to the human body, including “18 amino acids”.

Once exclusively used by royalty, this rose’s anthocyanins (the anti-aging component in rose petals) are easily soluble in water.

Nowadays, it is mainly used for high-end perfumes, skincare products, and edible essential oil extraction. Due to its stringent growth environment requirements, its yield is low but it has the highest beneficial component content.

The Cloud Rose is No. 3 variety of the Damask Rose, and currently the purest Damask Rose. Its fragrance is defined as the “international standard fragrance”.

The Cloud Rose is cultivated in our own Damask Rose base, grown at an altitude of 3700 meters in a 4A national scenic eco-zone. It is truly harvested and baked directly from our base to the consumer!

III. How to Select Rose Tea

1. Smell the Aroma: First, smell the rose tea to see if there’s any unusual scent. Place it under your nose and take a deep breath to determine whether the aroma is authentic. Generally, high-quality rose tea has a strong and rich fragrance. If the aroma is not strong, the quality may not be as good.
2. Weigh It: When buying rose tea, grasp a handful and feel its weight, also inspect for any leaves, stems, or fragments. Usually, premium rose tea is quite heavy, and it doesn’t contain stems or fragments. Inferior quality tea is lighter and may contain a small amount of impurities.
3. Check the Shape: The shape of the rose flowers should be full and the color should be uniform. Look for whether the petals are whole or fragmented, try to select roses with more intact petals.
4. Appreciate the Tea Soup: Don’t assume that a bright red color after brewing indicates high-quality rose tea. If the tea is too red, it might be due to added colorants. In general, the color of superior rose tea soup is similar to regular green tea soup, perhaps slightly deeper, tending towards earthy yellow or light red. It definitely should not appear bright red.