Tea blending and additives
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 but can also occur with such teas as Pu-erh, where leaves are blended from different regions before being compressed. The aim of blending is to create a well balanced flavour using different origins and characters - this also ensures that variation in quality and from season to season can be ironed out. 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 flavour from one purchase to the next.
There are various teas which have additives and/or different processing than "pure" varieties. Tea is able to easily receive any aroma, which may cause problems in processing, transportation or storage of tea, but can be also advantageously used to prepare scented teas. Tea is usually flavoured in large blending drums and essential oils may be added.
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[edit] Varieties of blended tea
- Breakfast
- Generally a blend of different black teas that are robust and full-bodied, and go well with milk. Some flavors 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.
[edit] Varieties of scented/flavored tea
- Jasmine
- Spread with jasmine flowers while oxidizing, and occasionally some are left in the tea as a decoration.
- Earl Grey
- Usually a mix of black teas, with essence of the citrus fruit bergamot added.
- Lapsang Souchong
- This tea is fired 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.
[edit] Tea blended with flowers
A variety of flowers are used to flavor teas. The most popular of these include the flowers of the following plants: Lavender, Orchid, Plum, Gardenia, Hibiscus, Chamomile, and Chrysanthemum.
- Osmanthus
- In China, osmanthus tea (called guì huā chá, 桂花茶) is produced by combining dried Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) flowers (guì huā, 桂花) 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.
[edit] Tea blended with herbs
- Mint
- Usually a mixture of green teas and any variety of the Mint plants. This tea is very popular in the Middle East.
- Touareg
- Strong green tea with Nana mint, prepared in desert areas of North Africa and the Middle East.
[edit] Flavored Tea
- Lychee
- Usually a mix of black teas, which has been spread with the husks of the lychee fruit.
- Spiced
- 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.
- Jagertee
- A tea with rum added.
- Genmaicha
- A Japanese tea with roasted rice added, and favoured by adherents of a macrobiotic diet.
