The Art Of Tea Blending

A cup of tea soothes us in many ways and drinking tea has more been like a ritual in many parts of the world. It’s a sensory feast, a blissful little escape from the chaos of everyday life. There is no occasion to drink a cup of tea; it’s just a matter of invigorating our mind with the humbleness present in the tea.

Have you ever wondered of the soothing aroma and the refreshing taste while sipping a cup of tea? Where does it exactly come from and how does it stay same in almost all the batches of tea? The perfect answer to this is –“Tea Blending.”

In a layman‘s persona, the art of tea blending simply means “fusing flavors,” but there is more to this phenomenon which rather seems easy but in actual is very complex. Blending tea is more than a science and we have put our heart and imagination to it, although the process seems simple with no set of rules to the same. There is no protocol to blend tea; it simply is an art which requires persistence and perfection.

Tea blending was originally intended to mask the inconsistencies in the flavor of batches of tea but the actual aim of blending is to create a well balanced flavor using different origins of tea. There is only one golden rule for tea blending- “Every blend must taste the same as the previous one, so a consumer will not be able to detect a difference in flavor from one purchase to the next.”

Blending tea is an act of surprise as we are usually unaware of the end results and it’s always exciting too. So are you ready to blend you own tea??? Follow these tips and we guarantee you will end up like a professional tea blender…

• There are no rules though, but the more the kind of flavors you know, the more exotic would be the blending. The professional tea blenders have a universal knowledge of almost all the flavors- spices, fruits, vegetables and so many other aromatics.
• The key is to learn to balance the flavors which obviously come with experience on hands. It’s also important to be fearless and be experimental while blending tea; you shouldn’t hold yourself from throwing strawberries, lemongrass and hibiscus into a tea – flavor can work in mysterious ways!!!
• Use dry ingredients to blend your tea as they contain more concentrated flavors than the fresh ones. It’s not a “complete no” to use the fresh flavors but it actually depends on the type of tea you wish to make. Let’s blend a tea right now!!! Blend some black tea with dry ingredients such as cocoa, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla bean, anise, orange peel, dried berries, cloves, ginger, and candied pineapple. That is all!!!
• Yes, but remember to use the ingredients of same size and density to avoid de-blending. Do it like this: Before you blend spices, it’s best to crush them and mix them together with the choice of tea, for flowers use the petals individually and with dried fruits it’s best to chop them all to the same size.
• Also, when you are starting to blend tea, use only one or two ingredients. You have to gradually learn to titrate the flavors to get an exotic tea blend and this only comes via experimenting and experience.
• Try to retain tea as the main ingredient while blending, which means that two-thirds of the blend should be tea and rest flavors. Don’t use flavors which overpower the inherent flavor of the tea instead use flavors to make the tea blend exotic to the palates.

There are many varieties of tea leaves which can be blended to get some relishing blends. The basic ones are green, black and white. Green tea is earthy and refreshing, and pairs well with both toasty flavors such as popcorn, walnuts, toasted coconut, lemongrass, mint, pine needles, or fennel while Black tea is flavorful and bold, and pairs well with dry flavors such as cardamom, cinnamon etc.  On the other hand white tea is delicate and sweet, and pairs well with similarly light flavors like lavender, orange peel, dried cherries or strawberries, fresh shredded coconut, and rose petals.

So, get your inner imagination to work and blend some tea!!!

Happy tea blending!!!