Tea blending describes the process of blending different teas together to produce a final product. This occurs chiefly with black tea that is blended to make most tea bags.
The aim of blending is to create a well balanced flavor using different origins and characters. Although blending and scenting teas can add an additional dimension to tea, the process is often used to cover and obscure the quality of sub-standard teas.
The one golden rule of blending is this: 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.
Breakfast
Generally a blend of different black teas that are robust and full-bodied, and go well with milk. Some types are English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Scottish Breakfast.
Afternoon tea
These blends (of black teas) are generally lighter than breakfast blends. Both breakfast and afternoon blends are popular in the British Isles.
Russian Caravan
A popular blend, Russian Caravan harks back to the days when tea was hauled to Russia from China on camelback. It often contains a bit of smoky Lapsang Souchong, though its base is typically Keemun or Dian Hong. Some also contain Oolong.
Although, many teas are still flavored directly with flowers, herbs, spices, or even smoke, teas with more specialized flavors are produced through the addition of flavorants or perfumes. This is particularly true for tea blends with pronounced fruit or flower aromas, which cannot be achieved with the original ingredients.
Flowers
most flower scented teas on the market utilize perfumes and aromas to augment or replace the use of flowers.
Jasmine : Spread with jasmine flowers while oxidizing, and occasionally some are left in the tea as a decoration. Jasmine is most commonly used to flavor green teas although sometimes it is used to flavor light oolong teas such as baozhong tea
Osmanthus : In China, osmanthus tea is produced by combining dried Sweet Osmanthus flowers with black or green tea leaves in much the same manner the more familiar jasmine tea combines jasmine flowers with tea leaves. The flowers are spread while oxidizing, and occasionally some are left in the tea as a decoration. This flower gives the tea a mild peach flavor. It is the second most popular scented tea (after Jasmine) in China.
Rose : Spread with Rose flowers while oxidizing, and occasionally some are left in the tea as a decoration. In China, roses are usually used to scent black tea and the resulting tea is called Rose Congou.
Chrysanthemum: The flowers are often brewed alone as a Chrysanthemum tisane, but it is also commonly mixed with pu-erh tea to make chrysanthemum pu-erh
Lotus: Vietnamese lotus tea is made by stuffing green tea leaves into the blossom of Nelumbo nucifera and allowing the scent to be absorbed overnight. Another common technique for making this tea is by jarring or baking the tea leaves with the fragrant stamens of the flower multiple times
Herbs
Mint: Known as touareg tea, this tea consists of a mixture of green teas and any variety of the Mint plants (known as nana). This tea is very popular in the Middle East and prepared in desert areas of North Africa.
Other flavorants
Citrus oil : Best known of this class is Earl Grey tea. They are typically a mix of black teas with essential oils of the citrus fruit bergamot added.
Smoke: The one type in this class is Lapsang Souchong, which is produced by drying black tea over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odor and flavor. The best varieties are not overwhelmed by the smoke, but retain subtlety and a mix of other flavors. Lapsang Souchong is found in many Russian Caravan blends.
Spice : Tea such as Indian and Middle Eastern chai, flavoured with sweet spices such as ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cassia, black pepper, clove, anise, fennel, Indian bay leaf and sometimes vanilla, nutmeg and mace.
Rum : Jagertee is a tea with rum added.
Roasted grain: Genmaicha, a Japanese tea with roasted rice added to green tea, and favoured by adherents of a macrobiotic diet. Wheat and barley are also used to blend with tea
Source: Wikipedia
Before you begin blending herbs for tea, you should know what the herbs taste like individually. Make up simple teas with one herb at a time until you become familiar with the various flavors. During this process it is best to drink the tea unsweetened. Sit back, savor and enjoy.
As you begin blending, start with equal measurements of the herbs (except lavender, licorice and the spices that tend to overpower a tea if used too freely). You will find it helpful to keep a journal of your creations, including notes on the teas made with just one herb. Combining herbs will tend to alter the taste of the individual herbs so although you may not care too much for one, adding another herb to the blend may create an enjoyable tea. Part of blending involves finding the herbs that enhance or complement each other to your liking. For some, herbal teas are an acquired taste much like a fine wine.
Here is a list of some of the more popular beverage tea herbs categorized by flavor to get you started.
Florals - lavender, jasmine, rose petals, chamomile, red clover, chrysanthemum
Lemony/Citrus - lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, orange, lemon or lime peel
Tart - hibiscus, rose hips
Spicy - cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom
Sweet - licorice, fruits, stevia, aniseed, fennel
Woodsy - sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram
Mints - peppermint, spearmint, bee balm, catnip, hyssop
Some ideas to get you started on creating your own custom blends:
An iced tea made with equal parts of peppermint and lemon balm
Lavender and lemongrass
Hibiscus, rose hips, lemon verbena and orange peel
Orange peel, cinnamon, clove, ginger and licorice
Rosemary, sage and fennel seed
Source: ArticlesBase (Tania Tyler)
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