A perfect morning to most people is defined by a perfect cup of tea. A miracle in a cup that awakens all senses and keeps us going throughout the day.
But ever wondered what makes that cup of tea so special?
What is in it that does the magic every morning?
Well, it the tea blending. The rich taste, aroma, and appearance of tea are attributed to the blending process which caters to the different segments of consumers across the globe. Tea Blending forms an important facet of the tea industry that combines specific selections of tea along with other elements with appropriate measurements to create a blend that brings the magic into the teacup.
But why there is so much emphasis on tea blending?
The blending of tea allows consistency of the quality on a large scale. This, in turn, propels the commercialization of tea in the world. With the modern-day lifestyle coming into the picture, contemporary blends touch various aspects of healthy living and lifestyle for people.
The formula for blending tea lies in certain important parameters. Creating the desired taste with aroma requires an in-depth understanding of the diverse tea varieties, flavors, textures, origin, measurements, and much more. Different traditional formulae for tea blends have been followed over the years by expert tea blenders. However, there is no such thing as a fixed tea blending formula. Innovation blends have made their way to the market over the past decade. Coming to the actual tea blending process, it completely depends on the goals one is trying to achieve.
Be it a certain flavor or scent, depending on the requirement, blending is done. Measurements play a significant role in this practice. The tea blending process was initiated centuries ago. However, new-age consumers now look for certain unique tastes and aroma along with health benefits.
Three most common tea blending techniques are being used in recent times. One of the known techniques is the Blending of different types of Herbs. The addition of herbs can be to gain a specific flavor or add medicinal value to the tea variant. Different flowers, fruits, and spices are blended to create a new tea variant. It is interesting to note that in some cases, the tea itself is opted out. Only the herbs or spices are mixed to create a purely herbal tea variety. Most such blends are known to contain various healing properties.
Next comes, the Inclusion tea blending technique. This method aims at creating an aesthetic variant or adding health benefits to the blend. In this case, the flavor of the tea remains unaltered. Only the chemical composition differs along with the addition of the medicinal element. Hence the taste and aroma factors become secondary in this technique. Special care and precautions are taken up by the tea blenders to conserve the basic properties of the tea variant in this process.
Last but not the least, is the Scenting technique. This infuses specific aroma into the tea blends to tap into the tea lovers’ sensory tone. The aroma is inculcated either through the surrounding in which the tea variety grows or added manually.
The art of tea blending is an age-old tradition that has maintained a steady pace in the modern world, thanks to tea lovers and their unique taste across the globe.