The damasks are a very, very old rose grouping, not a species but a gallica that accidentally crossed with some kind (or kinds) of wild European roses, back in the mist of time. There are roughly three divisions.

The first are the damask roses mostly used for perfumery. These bloom only in May and June, but are exceedingly generous in flower and wonderfully scented when they do bloom. Some, such as 'Ispahan', also have an exceptionally long season. Deadheading would not promote rebloom in these.
http://flowers.yonatan.us/0615ispahanbushbig.jpg

The second kind is the Autumn Damask which was known to the Romans. It blooms prolifically in spring and has some rebloom in August and September. It benefits from deadheading.
https://roguevalleyroses.com/rose/autumn-damask-quatre-saisons/

The third division is the Damask Perpetual (sometimes called the Portland group), where some everblooming rose has crept into the mix. This group varies in appearance, size, hardiness, and frequency of repeat. 'Jacques Cartier' (aka 'Marchesa Boccella') is an example that is quite perpetual while having the appearance and cold hardiness of an older rose. I think--in addition to maturity--pruning, feeding, and deadheading improve the floriferousness of this one.
https://www.baumschule-horstmann.de/shop/exec/product/80/5616/Parkrose-Jacques-Cartier.html.

Thank you both SOOOO much for your knowledge and input. I am in zone 5 which has that longer "spring-ish" season, but it is very much cold for most of the year. I guess maybe I'd be much better off with going with a more modern rose that has strong damask fragrance bred into it for the rose bud tea. Once I have the space for it, I want to try some of the different damasks for the tea to see which is the best. Kind of like how members in the past have threads about rosehip teas and which Rugosas had the best flavor. Almost ALL rose/rosebud tea I see are always from China or Thailand (My favorite is Chatramue brand) and I cannot figure out what class of roses they use (not to mention they are pricey). There is actually this video that inspired me to take advantage of the roses I grow to make different drinks/dishes and it is definitely worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSX3ik9Z4X8&t=87s Her videos are a gardener's dream come true.

Grace, I would think that growing a Damask, whether it's once-flowering or repeating like Autumn Damask, to be easier as they should be more cold-hardy than many moderns. Plus, they HAVE the scent you desire, so you don't have to then search, hoping to find something sufficiently cold-hardy AND scented the way you want. Of course, that's up to you, but selecting a Damask seems the easier, better route to me. I hope you determine what roses are used for your tea. And, please keep in mind to use only material which has not been treated with systemic pesticides and fungicides.

@roseseek yes, great point! Almost every damask scented modern rose I find is not very cold hardy or juuuust under my zone. For example, Munstead wood is said to be 5b hardy (when selecting zone 4-5 hardy on the DA website, MW is eliminated after applying the filter). I am just above that at zone 5a and would need to do some winter protection. I don't mind, but not doing so would make it easier for sure. At the same time I only have room for just 1 bush :( Some repeat would be a really prized trait. I am looking into Velvet Fragrance and think I will compare with Autumn Damask and Jacques Cartier like monarda has suggested!

If it were me, 'Ispahan' would win hands down. In the video, however, it looks like they are using a variety of the China rose (rosa chinensis), These are everblooming and some are scented. Unfortunately the China roses are not winter hardy below zone 6 and even in zone 6 may struggle in a cold winter.

Slater's crimson china: https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.111903 is close to the wild species, but the one in the video seems more robust & looks like a hybrid.

In addition to the video, I also see rosebud tea websites that advertise that they use Bulgarian rosebuds (i.e., pink damask, like Ispahan) or a mix of pink and red, and even beets, because of he rose color they impart to the drink.

Again, If it It were me and I really, really wanted a red China type for tea, I would experiment with growing 'Gruss an Teplitz' (https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.281097) in a large pot that I brought into a cold cellar or unheated garage in the winter. Gruss an Teplitz (classified as a Bourbon--or China rose crossed with European old rose) is fragrant, everblooming, and a beautiful, brilliant red color. When my husband saw it in the Botanic Garden, he turned to me and said reproachfully, "Why can't we have roses like this one?" I understand Gruss an Teplitz is very popular in Asia ( https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.281097 ). It is naturally a big shrub and would have to be kept in check with pruning.

You could also grow a true damask rose in the ground (or you could grow beets! :) ) and in addition, a more tender china rose, big like Gruss an Teplitz, or smaller, like Louis Philippe (https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2013/01/roses-for-florida.html) in a container.

Rosehip tea, incidentally, is made traditionally with Rosa canina, the European wild rose, though the rugosa roses (very hardy) are often recommended. Here again, one can experiment. There are so many kinds of roses and their hips.

@monarda_gw That is so interesting that they add beets for the coloring! I would have never guessed- this is why I was looking into the reds haha it is a smart idea! Thank you so much for your suggestions! I didn't even know there was a species called Rose Canina. Just thought Rugosas were the end-all-be-all for hips. I've heard they are a great source of vitamin C and am excited to look into those when I get some more space. I absolutely love Gruss an Teplitz, but unfortunately do not have a winter storage space for any plants, so they have to survive in the elements of Northeast! Pot culture is exactly what I am looking into, do you think Ispahan will be able to grow in a 20 gallon pot? Also looking at "ROSE DE RÊSCHT" and "COMTE DE CHAMBORD"

Perhaps I could grow another class of red along with it in the future just to add some color to the mix (look at me, looking for another excuse to get more roses). Ooh I am getting excited :)

Hello @User! The varieties of damask roses used to make rosebud tea are "Kazanlik," "Ispahan," "Gloire de Guilan," and "Autumn Damask," with "Kazanlik" being the most often used variety. I have "Ispahan" and it is huge! It produces long arching canes; I think it is 7 feet or taller and just as wide right now. I don't think damask roses would grow well in pots because they like to grow big, but if you give them room to grow they are really breathtakingly beautiful roses. "Kazanlik" would probably the best choice for fragrance and flavor, "Ispahan" would be the best choice for sheer quantity of blooms and it's the longest blooming of the OGRs, and "Autumn Damask" would be the best choice for repeat bloom. I haven't heard too much about "Gloire de Guilan." They're all pretty cold hardy, especially "Ispahan" which is hardy to zone 3. I think a really fragrant red Austin might be good to make rosebud tea out of as well, but I'm not sure because I have only tried "Ispahan" and "Kazanlik" rosebud tea. I hope this helps!

Have a nice evening,

damask_rose : )

The thing about that video is that the presenter is surrounded by many red roses, which may not (probably not) be the specific ones she is using for her rose preserve.

She also has another video of herself in a field of what are clearly pink damasks, judging by the leaves https://youtu.be/vxIZodWQWpM. 

It may be hard to find red roses that are both fragrant and cold hardy. But there are a number of them, such as the Canadian roses, that are red and hardy and just not terribly fragrant, but which are fine for garden decoration.

In her video the reds, including some climbers, look marvelous grown together, and they serve to set the stage, as it were, with a red theme. It's theater. You, too, can always have a red theme, comprising roses and other flowers, including annuals, in addition to the ones you use for tea or other culinary or aromatic purposes, which you can't enjoy visually so much anyway, since you are going to cut the buds off for utilitarian purposes before they bloom in the garden.

I'd like to go here: https://youtu.be/Xpu12wAcwA8

@damask_rose_zone9b Ah! Such a shame I probably won't be able to grow them in pots if they like to get that big! So glad you mentioned those that are used for consumption thank you :) I will in the future probably grab both kazanlik and ispahan when I get the space.

@monarda_gw Yes she is using a deep pink/magenta bloom and a light red for her tea, rosewater, and jam. I do not mind not having red in the landscape (in fact all my other roses are pastels-I love pastels!!) but I was thinking that the petals are probably dying the tea that color. But after you mentioned that they mix in beets with the tea to make it the pink/red color I realized that it shouldn't be necessary to look for a red fragrant one as you have mentioned they are not too cold hardy. Thank you!

If you want a rose for its hips, a rugosa may well be the go. Especially if you want a repeat bloomer. Rosaerie d l'hay is one of the most beautiful, large fluttery papery blooms of crimson pink. rosa moyessi geranium is grown mainly for its hips, which are huge, and has tiny bright single red flowers (once flowering only). Also, there is a gallica, the apothecary rose (which was used for medicine in the middle ages) that has single pink medium sized flowers, but it only flowers the once.

Gallicas were certainly grown for medicinal and culinary use. The gallicas were supposed to keep the fragrance of their petals after they were dried, I once read. One kind was specifically used for candied rose petals (conditorum). I would love to know more about mad_gallica's Hippolyte rose jelly. Wow!

Hippolyte is such a pretty rose. It's one that is quite hard to get in our neck of the woods these days. I've got Charles de mills growing wild all over the place, but got that by digging it up by the side of the road. I am thinking of putting a Rosa mundi in as well. Reine des violettes (hybrid perpetual) is lovely and does repeat flower, and is thornless.

Comte de Chambord and Jacques Cartier are good suggestions. and Ispahan, although not a repeat flowerer, it's definitely worth having for the scent alone.

Sorry, I didn't see your comment about growing in pots. Some of that gallicas remain compact. I think out of the rugosas Belle Poitevine and Scarbrosa are the smallest. Comte de chambord can get up to 5ft, but Jacques Cartier is smaller and might be a better bet. Ispahan can get enormous so not be the best bet unless you can grow it in the soil.

To me, this seems like an excellent candidate for growing in a pot or tub and hauling into a cold (non-freezing) protected place for winter, such as a cellar or garage.

It is the only China rose I have seen that is described as very, very fragrant.

About color, when I was a young child red flowers were everybody's favorite and were seen everywhere, red bedding annual sage, (magenta) red petunias, red pelargoniums, and the red climber "Blaze". I think people got tired of too much red.

But a few years ago, when my husband and I visited Strasbourg, France, everywhere you looked there were tumbling masses of red flowers, I thought it was fabulous and you couldn't have too much or too many gradations of red.

https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.71576&tab=1

https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.256952