Blend your own tea?

[curtiplas]

Hello All,

I'm looking to make my own blend of tea... specifically one to replicate a tea I had once. I know what I want to add to it, but my question is this.

if I want to add "apricot bits" to a dry tea for apricot flavoring, would I use dried apricot or candied apricot? I just don't want it to ruin the tea.

Also does anyone know if there is a good way to make sure that the various flavors are absorbed into the tea? I'm assuming they will blend during steeping?

-Thanks
Curtiplas

[kuánglóng]

Hello All,

I'm looking to make my own blend of tea... specifically one to replicate a tea I had once. I know what I want to add to it, but my question is this.

if I want to add "apricot bits" to a dry tea for apricot flavoring, would I use dried apricot or candied apricot? I just don't want it to ruin the tea.

You can use whatever you want but you have to make sure that it's fairly dry and doesn't contain any significant amount of water. Your tea would absorb any excess moisture, lose flavour plus you'd run the risk of mold growing. Another way to flavor teas would be natural or synthetic flavors (oils, essences, ...), just use google.

Also does anyone know if there is a good way to make sure that the various flavors are absorbed into the tea? I'm assuming they will blend during steeping?

Let your tea leaves take care of that. All it needs are some ingredients, an airtight container of the right size and a little patience.
Back in the day I regularly mixed up my own Earl Grey blend, based on Darjeelings, Ceylon, Keemun and a wee bit of Lapsang Souchong. I started with spreading out the tea on a table, spraying some bergamot oil on it with a small atomizer (take one that deserves its name - a few drops go a long way) and put the tea back into the tin to rest for a couple days, later I just glued some layers of tissue on the lid of the tin and used a few drops of bergamot on the tissue.
Tea leaves readily absorb any moisture, aroma or fragrance; all it needs is the right dosage (again, careful!) and a little time.