Saicho Jasmine

Fujian, in spring.

Saicho was founded in 2019 by Natalie Chiu and Charlie Winkworth-Smith — food scientists, husband and wife, working between Hong Kong and the UK. The brand takes its name from the Japanese Buddhist monk who first carried tea from China to Japan. Its purpose is to give tea its rightful place at the table — alongside wine, in the same glass, with the same considered hand.

From the green tea fields of Fujian Province, the leaves — Fuding Big White Leaf varietal, hand-picked in spring when the new buds carry the most delicate flavour — are layered with fresh jasmine blossoms over the course of several nights, allowing the tea to absorb the perfume slowly and naturally. Then cold-brewed for twenty-four hours in English spring water, and finished with a fine carbonation. The result preserves the integrity of both leaf and flower — neither overwhelming the other.

Of the four Saicho expressions, Jasmine is the most aromatic. The first lift from the glass is unmistakable: bright jasmine, soft honey, a clean green undertone that keeps the floral note from turning sweet. Jasmine is a tea most people think they know — the bottled, oversweetened versions have shaped the expectation. This resets it.

The Pour

Pour it cold from the bottle into a white wine glass — the way it is served at the table. As the aperitif, with raw bar, dim sum, anything light and briny. Through the meal, with steamed fish, soft greens, gentle dishes that ask for something perfumed rather than weighty. Or simply on its own, in the late afternoon — when the day asks for something quietly aromatic.

The Rienne Index offers a clear perspective on how each bottle is best experienced.

The Tea Reading™ — The Rienne Index, applied to this bottle.

Origin — Fujian Province, China. Green tea (Fuding Big White Leaf varietal), scented with fresh jasmine blossoms.
Character — Bright jasmine, soft honey, clean green undertone. Aromatic, lifted, never sweet.
Structure — Off-dry. Light body. Clean, lifted finish.
Moment — Aperitif. Light meals. Dim sum and sushi pairings. The afternoon glass.
Service — 46–50°F. White wine glass.
Proof — Zero. 0.0% alcohol.