Making your own tea blends

Throwing this here so I can find it again:  http://www.bulkherbstore.com/blog/2013/03/how-to-make-your-own-tea-blends/

I think this is something I want to pursue when I have free time: making my own tea blends.

Tea tasting: Tea Forte's Peach Rhubarb Preserve

I picked up a sample package of fruity white teas from Tea Forte.  One of the favorites of the samples so far is Peach Rhubarb Preserve.  It has a fruity cinnamon aroma that screams peach pie to me.  The flavor is definitely fruity, but not overly sweet.  That could be the effect of the rhubarb moderating the sweetness of the peach.  After the first initial sweetness, there's a lingering tartness plus the smooth aftertaste of light cinnamon.

I wish it were an herbal rather than white tea, because I'd love to be able to drink this in the evening to relax.  

It's a strong enough flavor that this tea would be splendid iced.  I don't think sugar would help it at all.  Honey yielded with a light hand, however, could work quite nicely.

Tea tasting: Tea Forte's Darjeeling Quince

I'm a real fan of quince flavoring in tea, so I was excited to try Tea Forte's Darjeeling Quince tea.  It's smooth and slightly floral, with the tea remaining the predominant flavor.  The sweetness is tempered by the tartness of the quince and citrus elements.   I think the lighter floral nature of a darjeeling makes a good match with the fruit flavoring.

It's a lighter scent and flavoring that the Republic of Tea's very similar Raspberry Quince black, which is one of my absolute favorite teas.  I'll definitely order and drink this again.

Tea tasting: Tea Forte's Lemon Lavender

Tea Forte's Lemon Lavender herbal tisane smells amazing, rich with lavender and hints of citrus.  By smell alone, it's the perfect tea to drink while contemplating the possibility of sleep.

The base of the tea is chamomile, with lavender, lemon, apple and linden leaves added.  The chamomile is definitely there.  However, the tisane is overwhelmingly lavender in aroma and taste.  Lemon seems to be the middle ground, present in the background and the aftertaste.

This tea is not going to be to everyone's taste, but I adore lavender and it completely works for me on all the necessary levels.  It's calming and soothing, while also being brisk and palette-clearing.  I suspect it would be remarkable in iced form.

Tea tasting: Teavana's Passion Tango

Teavana's Passion Tango herbal blend is one of the blends available through Starbucks these days.  It bills itself as "bright tropical notes of papaya and mango with bright citrus lemongrass with a hint of cinnamon."

Bright is a fair description of the tea.  A sharp and tangy citrus flavor dominates.  The cinnamon note is in the background, very lightly blended in.  It reminds me of a hot version of the plantation iced tea I had in Hawaii.  It's only very slightly sweet; adding honey or sugar would probably work nicely.

This tea does not have the over-engineered quality that many Teavana blends have.  Some reviewers have recommended that it be blended with Teavana's Youthberry or with it Wild Orange Blossom.  As I have both of those tisanes, I'm going to give that a try.

Tea tasting: Adagio's Coconut Pouchong

Pouchong is a type of oolong tea from Taiwan.  As pouchong generally has a slightly sweet and slightly coconut-like flavor, Adagio created its Coconut Pouchong blend to highlight the coconut elements.

The tea has the slight sweetness of a oolong, but it's not a sweet tea.  Both the tea and the coconut flavor are more grassy than sweet.  It's not the coconut of a macaroon.  It's closer in flavor quality to eating a raw coconut, yet gentle and subtle at the same time.  The oolong hits all the right notes on top of that.

I'm definitely ordering more of this tea.  It strikes me as the perfect companion to sushi and Japanese noodle dishes.

Tea tasting: David's Teas' Midsummer Night's Dream

I can't completely break up with David's Teas until I at least taste the non-lethal non-rooibos samples included in my Christmas/birthday present.

Tonight's experiment is Midsummer Night's Dream, which bills itself as a "citrusy-mint tea with sweet apples, cool spearment, tart gooseberries and petals of marigolds and rose."  Someone needs to tell them that apples are not citrus fruits.   After checking the ingredients carefully, here we go.

It smells peculiar.  I can detect both citrus and mint, but in an odd balance.

The taste is far better than the aroma, fortunately.   It's pretty much what it says on the tin: citrus and mint.  The citrus is bright and sunny, and the mint is very subtle.  Strangely, I don't detect any apple at all, despite the apple pieces clearly being part of the tisane.  I'd definitely drink this again.

On David's Teas: or, who does this sh---?

Oh, David's Teas.  You are quite creative.  I think just a little too creative for me.

I'm browsing through my David's sampler pack when I come across a tea called "Read My Lips" that bills itself as a sweet black tea with chocolate and peppermint.  Sounds lovely, right?  Until I look at the ingredients:  Chinese black tea, peppermint, chocolate, pink peppercorns, sprinkles, natural and artificial flavouring.

I'm not allergic to peppercorns (they don't contain capsaicin).  Nevertheless, peppercorns are not something I want in my tea.

And then there's this trap, also just discovered, although fortunately without actually consuming any:  The Spice is Right contains "Cinnamon, green tea, orange peel, cloves, chili pepper."

I really don't like having to check the ingredients of my tea to make sure it won't kill me.  I don't have this problem with other tea companies.  They either *clearly label* the few brews that contain chili peppers or *don't put gorram peppers in tea!*

I'm sorry, David's.  Between the weird artificial cream undertones you throw into perfectly good blends and the hidden death traps in your other teas, I think we're done.  I'd say "It's not you, it's me" but in this case, it really is you.