Fall And Winter Tea Blends
When we think of winter we think of pumpkin spice, dont we? Cinnamon too and maybe some mint? So how do we use that in tea? Thats where your imagination comes in!
Try dried oranges/orange peel with some cinnamon and rooibos OR black tea. Add a little bit of licorice for sweetness. Add a tiny bit of cloves if you want more spice. Alternatively, exchange the orange for apple!
Diy Recipes For Tea Blending At Home
Proper Cuppas Tea Blending Kit comes with several recipes for you to blend and test at home but they also encourage you to create your own. Their recipes are based off their taste preferences and are great for a starting point.
After I tried several of their tea blending recipes, I decided to make some changes to better serve my tastes. Below I am sharing an Irish Breakfast Tea recipe I modified from the kit and then a Jasmine Earl Grey Cream recipe I created on my own.
The measurements below are for a single serving. Grab a tea blending kit here and give these a try at home!
Get To Know Your Ingredients
Popular tea blends are the result of many hours of tasting, blending, re-blending, and trying again. Trial and error will become your best friend.
We HIGHLY recommend that you indulge your palate with a tea journey to experience and explore various teas before embarking on tea blending. Unless you know what a certain true tea tastes like, its impossible to effectively pair it with other ingredients.
To begin that tea journey, we have a Tea Journey Starter Set that is perfect for such an occasion!
The ingredients that go into a tea blend must be something you are familiar with in taste, sight, and pairings. Some teas or herbs may not pair well with a fruit or another tea. To help give you an idea of ideal pairings when it comes to tea, herbs, spices, and infusions we have outlined a few below.
Tea Base
This will be the foundation of your tea blend that sets the tone on what type of pairings you will add. Everything should complement one another in flavor. Tea blends are very personal, and what one person likes, another may not.
Tea Base = true teas
Infusions
Infusions are elements that are added to a tea base to flavor it, enhance it, and marry it to any added herbs.
Infusions = dried/fresh fruit/fruit peel, essential oil, artificial flavoring, cacao nibs, chocolate.
Herbs
When it comes to herbs, less is more. Adding too much causes a tea to have a very unpleasant flavor
Herbs = dried/fresh herbs
Use Caution With Herbs
Spices
Spices = dried/fresh
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Tea Blending & Music Correlation
I enrolled in Sarahs Introduction to Tea course on Udemy because I was very interested in learning more from her about tea blending. Section 8 of this course covers the basics.
It begins with her comparing the experience of tasting a tea blend to listening to a musical chord.
One tea can have a variety of notes and another tea will have those different notes as well. When you put them together you get a beautiful chord that resonates just like in music.
This brings me on to the next question to answer
Tip: Real Tea Blending Is Happening In Your Stomach
Human beings have been discovered with a wide variety of food. Most of the people on this planet can eat and drink whatever they like, and on top of that, they dont even realize there are so many more kinds of food in existence that they havent even heard of or may never even taste. Like creating a perfume, we keep creating foods. Food, not on the level just for survival anymore, but on the level that we only pick what we like and can be very picky about the taste, smell, and even how it looks on the plate or feels in the mouth…
But here are some warnings from ancient Chinese sages I would like to share with you:
In Confuciuss training Li Ji , it is recorded:
Eat, drink, and sex is all humans biggest desire, and everybody has them. When you are hungry you feel that all foods smell good, and when you are thirsty, you feel that all drinks are sweet. This is actually losing your mind and experiencing illusions because you are hungry. Hunger can break down the human bodys normal feelings of having eaten, and the barren and poor condition can destroy a persons mind. If when you are facing lots of wealth and prosperity, you still can choose the Tao and keep calm and peace in your mind, not doing anything outside of the Tao, then you will be able to get away from disease and shame.
Mencius, the ancient Chinese philosopher who has often been described as the “Second Sage”, is famous after only Confucius himself. He also told his disciples:
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S To Blending Your Own Tea
Blending your own tea is a craft and takes time to prepare and carefully claim flavors in teas, spices, fruits, herbs, and flavors before you get all mad scientist in your kitchen. We recommend that you invest the time to become acquainted and comfortable in each step before proceeding to the next.
The Structure Of Tea Blends
When formulating an herbal tea blend, there are three main classifications of herb types in the structure to consider: base or lead supportive and accent, catalyst, or synergist. Depending on the herbalist, slightly different names may be used for these roles.
Generally, you will want to aim to create a tea blend that has three parts base ingredient, one or two parts supporting ingredient, and one-quarter to one part accent ingredient . These proportions are a good starting point, but feel free to experiment and make adjustments as needed. A good guideline is to make a single cup of your new blend, taste-test it, and then add or subtract ingredients from there. Learning how herbs taste and blend together is a skill that develops with consistent practice, experimentation, and working with the herbs themselves.
As you become more experienced with making tea blends, you may notice that the role that an herb fills may vary from one formulation to the next, and sometimes there will be multiple herbs that share a role in a blend, for example, there may be three supportive herbs or two base herbs .
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Tip : There Are Tons Of Herbs And Foods Out There And You Might Start To Feel Overwhelmed If You Have To Figure Out Which Of The 5 Elements Each And Everyone Belongs To
Dont worry! The main thing you need to do is to choose food thats in season. Dont choose off-season foods. Mother Earth already set up everything for us, and the only thing you need to do is follow her rules.
Aside from that, dont create tea blends from things when you arent sure what the results will be. Lets take a very simple example:
You know that red foods in red color belong to Fire element. For example, strawberries, cherries, roses, and black teas all belong to Fire. When you want to do tea blending, you need to think about which organs you would like to focus on healing. As we know, Fire is related to our heart, and strawberries, cherries, roses and black teas are all related to Fire. We also know that if one element is too strong, it will be out of balance, and the organ itself and others could be harmed, so we shouldnt only focus on the element itself you want to heal, but also the other elements that support and control it.
Many tea companies might not know or care about this principle. Instead, they only want to focus on the taste of the tea blend. For example, some companies would like to put dry strawberries, cherries, roses, and black tea altogether. It might sound like a tasty blend, but be careful, there may be too much Fire in your cup. If your heart and small intestine are already unhealthy or weak, you should be careful of this kind of tea blend, as it will burn out your Fire element organs energy, leading disease.
Yes There Are Other Kinds Too
If you know your teas, youre probably thinking what about fermented teas, and Rooibos and… Yes, there are other plant varieties and blends we commonly call tea. And tea growers, producers, and aficionados are always finding new ways to produce, brew, and enjoy them. Its more than well dive into in this article, but theres a fun and nerdy tea world out there if you care to explore.
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Diy Recipes For Your Own Tea Blends
We prepared 10 DIY recipes to make your own tea blend. You can use these recipes as guidelines and a starting point for blending. The amount of leaves used in recipes is enough for 2-3 infusions, depending on the recipe. Our recipes include the most common herbs, fruit and spices, for very easy blending. Every herb, fruit and spice is different, so its important to adjust the amounts to best suit your taste. Intensity of ingredients will depend on the type, quality, storing conditions, etc. We suggest blending small amounts and trying them first.
What Is Tea Blending
In the tea industry, tea makers blend various ingredients to create unique teas that we come to love and enjoy. Artisan blenders take things a step further and create tea blends that are proprietary to a tea brand or tea shop or for individuals.
Some online tea retailers even provide the option for their customers to create a blend based on several choices of teas, herbs, and infusions. You can get as wild and funky as you want by creating tea blends. However, the flavor is the end goal in any blend creation.
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Great For Skin Health
Herbal tea has a lot of antioxidant properties that can be used for acne and overall skin health. The tea can either be ingested normally or by directly applying the tea onto the skin.
Rooibos and chamomile tea are some of the best teas for treating the skin due to their antioxidants and antibacterial properties. Spearmint tea may also work as it reduces the breakout of acne.
Taste Test Your Tea Blend
After youve blended the base ingredient with complimenting flavors, taste test your tea blend! Get your water boiling and test out your first tea blend. When learning how to make your own tea blends, its important to sample your creations. If you find one of the complimenting flavors overwhelms the tea, repeat steps 1 and 2 but add less ofthat ingredient. There are no measurements when I craft my teas, I simply go off of what feels right! So dont stress out over measurements, just eye it! Crafting the perfecttea blend is all about finding that heavenly balance between the base and complimenting ingredients.
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A Guide To Diy Tea Blends
The world loves tea. Besides water, people drink more tea than any other beverage. Its no surprise, since tea has been around for more than 2000 yearssome say much longer.
Since tea is really just the dried leaves of a plant, it doesnt take modern processes to produce an herbal blend and steep it in hot water. Whether youre using the dried leaves of the tea plant, or an infusion of other plants, its actually pretty simple to make it yourself with a few of your favorite flavors.
This guide walks you through the basics to make your own signature tea blend.
Accent Catalyst Or Synergist Herbs
These are the ingredients that help round out the other herbs by either synergizing or harmonizing the effects and overall potency of a formula. The term synergy refers to the theory that the interaction of two or more substances produces a combined effect greater than the sum of their individual effects .
Some herbs enhance each others effects when combined, making them more effective in a blend than on their own. According to one scientific study on colon cancer cell growth, the actions of sage and peppermint were amplified when combined, a combination that was significantly more impactful than combining sage and rosemary in terms of inhibiting the proliferation of colon cancer cells. However, despite encouraging findings such as these, there is not yet enough scientific research and data on the synergistic effects of different herbs and more need to be done .
Research aside, synergistic herbs can also simply harmonize a blend or add an accent to the flavor. They should make up about 10-20% of your tea blend and can have a more potent flavor profile or stronger energetic action than the other categories these herbs embody the cliche a little goes a long way. Accent or synergist herb examples include lavender , citrus peel, sage , cardamom , and ginger .
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Can I Add Whatever I Like To My Tea Blends
One of my favorite flavors in the flower world is lavender, so I added that to this mix. It might not be traditional in the tea world, but thats the beauty of it you can do whatever you want.
And with the lemon and ginger, it paired just lovely.
I hope that you will start your own tradition and try your hand at making your own teas soon. You just never know what kind of lasting impact it will have on someone you know. And any cup of tea goes beautifully with a slice of Easy Italian Almond Tea Cake!
What We Receive From Nature We Give Back
Here at Joi Tea we believe in the idea of reciprocity between people and mother nature. For every herb cultivated from the earth to heal us, we must in return heal our land.
This is why we have joined forces with Trees That Count, so that 1% of our profit goes towards planting native trees right here in New Zealand.
Trees That Count is a conservation charity bringing together business, community and everyday Kiwis, with the vision of helping plant millions of native trees across the country.
Planting native trees is one of the most powerful actions we can take to combat climate change, protect our beautiful landscapes, waterways and forests for future generations.
With every purchase from Joi Tea, you are helping to build a greener, brighter future for our planet!
You can also plant, gift or donate a native tree today directly through the Trees That Count website:
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How To Drink Your Teas
When I first became interested in loose leaf teas, I had no idea how to properly brew or dispense the tea! Sounds silly but if youre never worked with loose leaf tea, you might be stumped. Theres a few ways to do it: you can add your tea blend to a tea ball, re-useable tea bags, OR use a tea dispenser/diffuser. I prefer the tea diffuser most, because the tea floats around freely inside and flavors the infusion thoroughly. And if you really want to make the best tea in your neighborhood, research the right temperature and steeping times for your tea blend ingredients.
NOTE: The information and other content provided in this blog, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. Seek the advice of your healthcare professional before going on any herbal or tea regimens as some herbs may interact with medications and/or with medical conditions. Your health is your responsibility.
As The Thirst For Tea Explodes Beyond Pure Leaves And Specialty Shops Do
Zoe McKnighttimer
Jessica Shearer is known as the tea lady at the office.
She has an energizing lemon tea in the morning, maybe a green tea with almond and marigold later in the day, and a superfruit herbal tea in the afternoon. Until January, Shearer, 29, who works at an educational non-profit, was a coffee lover but she decided to cut back in the new year. Now she keeps a desk drawer full of tea options, and a two-cups-a-day coffee habit has become a four-or-five-cups-a-day tea habit.
In the last few years, since I discovered that tea had more variety and flavour, I started a collection and its taken off from there, Shearer said.
If she only consumed her favourite tea, a blend of white tea, green tea, jasmine pearls and white hibiscus blossom, it would cost about $5 per day, a little more than she was spending on coffee, though still cheaper by the cup.
Fancy tea can be expensive. Paying $20 or more for 100 grams of tea is normal at specialty shops. That could be why the past few months have seen the burgeoning tea trend enter the TIY market, with the release of books with titles such as Healing Herbal Teas: Learn to Blend 101 Specially Formulated Teas World Atlas of Tea: From the Leaf to the Cup, the Worlds Teas Explored and Enjoyed and Cleanse, Nurture, Restore with Herbal Tea. All include recipes or tips for blending at home.
Blends to make at home
Mint Tea
1/4 cup green tea
1/4 cup dried peppermint
Herbal Sleepytime Tea
1 tbsp rose petals
Turmeric Latte
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Why You Should Be Blending Your Own
Its super empowering, badass, and good old renegade herbalism fun! Do you even need another reason?!
But I get it. Not everyone has the time, will, or desire to blend their own herbal teas. Sometimes its 1000% easier to grab a box of herbal tea bags at the grocery and be done with it.
Ill admit, I dont always blend my own herbal teas, but I try to as often as possible. And when I do, I do so in larger batches that will last me several weeks or more.
Here are my top reasons to blend your own herbal teas:
- You have control over the quality of the herbs. While therere many companies making high-quality herbal teas, the herbs that typically make it into tea bags are oftentimes lower quality. Tea bags are often filled with bits, pieces, and herbal dust leftover from other herbal products.
- You can customize blends to meet your specific health concerns. Theres an herbal tea on the market for next to every single universal health concern. Nonetheless, you may be looking for something different. Making your own tea blends allows you complete authority in choosing herbs for their specific health benefits.
- You can customize blends to suit your taste. Licorice root isnt my favorite. And do you know how many commercial tea blends contain licorice root!? I dont actually know the answer to that question, but sometimes it seems like all of them. In learning how to make your own tea blends, you can leave out the herbs you dont enjoy and add in the ones you do!