Creative Tea Blends

In this article we explore tea blends. These popular items include blending tea leaves in addition to adding ingredients.

Should you Blend Tea?

Most blended teas cancel each other out in terms of taste and aroma. Tea farmers and well known tea teachers rarely blend teas since they believe tea is best experience in its pure natural form based on tea’s production process from rolling to frying.

However, given the right direction in terms of leaf types and ingredients, there are some possible mixes you may enjoy.

Blending Tea Leaves

1. Combining Leaves of the Same Tea Type: Tea enthusiasts can experiment by blending different leaves of the same type of tea. For instance, blending various high-mountain Taiwan green teas with long green tea leaves from China can create a specialized green tea blend with unique aromas and flavors.
2. Blending Puer Teas: Puer tea offers opportunities for blending due to the availability of loose leaf Puers, both cooked and raw. Combining different ages of Puer, with one being cooked and the other raw, can result in a combination of earthy, dry, and soothing tastes.
3. Combining Different Tea Types: Combining Oolong and Green tea leaves can create a half-blend between unfermented and half-fermented tea. Darker, more roasted Oolong teas can be mixed with Puer to create a fully fermented and half-fermented blend with a bolder, richer taste.

Adding Ingredients to Tea

1. Puer Tea: Some additions to Puer tea include honey, which gives it an earthy and sweeter taste. Organic honey is particularly recommended for its nutritional benefits. Dark chocolate can also be added directly to Puer tea or enjoyed alongside it.
2. Green Tea: Honey and sugar cane are suggested additions to green tea. Real sugar cane, rich in antioxidants and cold-fighting properties, can enhance both the taste and health benefits of green tea.
3. Black Tea: Cinnamon can be added to black tea to provide a nice spice, and other spices can be incorporated to mimic or create unique Indian Chai flavors. Orange flavoring, either through extracts or small orange slices, can help soothe the throat and combat colds. Various fruits like pomegranate or peaches can also be added to black tea for a delightful taste.

Try experimenting with a few of these to see whether tea blending is for you!