Throughout history, tea has been an enjoyment for people around the world. Known for its comforting, soothing, and even medicinal qualities, its flavors are nothing short of a delicious time. While traditional flavors such as black, green, and herbal are most common and familiar, blending flavors can create an exciting and personalized experience.

By experimenting and combining flavors, you can unlock a world of flavors and aromas that are yours and yours only - unless you're so kind as to give your delectable secrets away!

In this post, we'll explore the art of mixing tea flavors and provide tips and suggestions as you begin your personalized tea concoction journey!

Understanding Tea Flavor Profiles

Before we dive into it, first thing's first: understanding tea flavor profiles. While you could definitely skip this portion and jump to the next, understanding different flavors can save you from making some interesting flavors and help with creating some unique ones.

In short, black teas are bold and malty.

Green teas are fresh and have a little grassy taste.

White tea tends to be delicate and sweet.

Herbal teas have a wide range of flavors that include floral, fruity, and earthy.

To get a good sense of these profiles, smell them! Taste them!

Temperature & Steeping Time

We're almost to the fun part - promise!

Another factor that greatly impacts the flavor profile and potentially your tea mixing process is the temperature and steeping time.

While every tea tends to have its own brewing requirements, we understand that taking into consideration every little nitty gritty detail can be troublesome. So while we recommend taking a good look at whichever tea you wish to use instructions, here's a brief overview.

Green and white teas require a lower water temperature around 180°F and shorter steeping time at 3 minutes that help preserve their delicate flavors. Black tea can withstand a higher temperature at 212°F and steep for 3 - 5 minutes as its bold flavor can easily get bitter if steeped at the wrong temperature and improper time. Herbal teas should also be steeped at a high temperature at 212°F for 5 - 10 minutes to allow its unique flavor to blossom.

But with all this state, please keep in mind that yummy is in the mouth of taster! So if you prefer green tea made with hotter water and steeped longer, who are we to stop you!

Brew your teas quickly and accurately every time with the varieTEA variable-temperature electric kettle.

Tapping Into Your Inner Tea Alchemist

Okay now we're at the fun part! Exploration, experimentation, and execution of fun new flavors!

If you're overwhelmed and have no idea where to start, start by taking a deep breath! This whole process can be done however you want - there really is no wrong answer. But if you need a few pointers, we definitely got you covered.

There are a couple ways you can go about making your own personalized mixed tea combo.

The first is the aroma method where you gather all the tea you want to experiment with, smell each individual intoxicating aroma, and mix to your hearts delight before brewing. Another method is the tasting. This is where you brew small mini cups of tea and taste as you mix. Again, there's no way you can go wrong!

Need some suggestions on which teas to mix? Here are a couple of our recommendations:

Garden Green

Gyokuro x Lavender Lemongrass

We love this pairing as Gyokuro's green umami flavor compliments the smooth delicate notes of the lavender and lemongrass that make the notes dance on your tongue and become the most calming aromas there ever was - perfect for quiet mornings and times of relaxation!

Cooling Colada Darjeeling

Casablanca Mint x Pina Colada

Minty Darjeeling standalone is a light to medium bodied black tea with hints of floral and fruity notes. But combined with the Pina Colada's sweet, tropical, and citrusy profile, they make the most refreshing pair. The convergence of floral and fruit create a medley of playful flavors while the mint helps bring it to a balance with its zing and cooling aspects.

Citrus Explosion

Grapefruit Oolong x White Peach

Who doesn't love a good oolong and white tea combo? This exhilarating fuse consists of the bright acidity of the grapefruit that ties into the fruit sweetness of peach. Oolong itself carries a bright sweet flavor which is complemented by white tea's delicate vegetal essence.

In Conclusion

Mixing tea flavors has no rules! We hope that our tips and tricks to understanding profiles and basic brewing instructions help you on your journey to making the most exquisite combinations. We encourage you to embrace your inner tea alchemist and have the best time making your own special personalized craft mixes!