Tea Blending Based On The Ending
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How do I create a tea that tastes like salted caramel bars or lemon meringue pie? It's a question that gets to the heart of my creative tea development process, and the answer might be surprising: I start at the end.
When developing a new blend, I don't begin by immediately grabbing ingredients off the shelf. Instead, I work backward, envisioning the final experience I want to create. Take banana crème brûlée, for example. Before I even think about tea bases or flavorings, I'm researching the dessert itself. What are its components? The silky custard, the caramelized sugar crust, the sweet banana. What balance do I want in the final cup? Should the burnt sugar dominate, or should the creamy vanilla custard play the leading role?
This backward approach continues while choosing the tea base. For something like banana crème brûlée, I might consider an oolong or black tea. White tea probably won't have enough body, and green tea would be too fresh and vegetal. On second thought, maybe a roasted green tea like hojicha could work. No, I'll stick to my first instinct. An oolong with moderate oxidation could provide those golden, toasted notes that mimic caramelized sugar. But flavor is only one part of a dessert. Texture is a key consideration if I want that silky, custardy mouthfeel. I need to avoid anything too astringent that would slash through the smoothness, so bye-bye bold black tea.
Every blend presents unique challenges, and that's what makes tea blending endlessly fascinating. Even after years of blending, I'm still learning. One of my favorite blending stories is the creation of a hazelnut chocolate blend, which took over six years to commercialize. We weren't simply trying to create something chocolatey and nutty. We were chasing that specific flavor memory of hazelnut chocolate spread that instantly transports you back to childhood.
The breakthrough came with the right pu'erh base. Initially, I'll admit, using one of the world's most ancient and revered teas for a flavored blend seemed almost sacrilegious. But that deep, earthy character of the pu'erh turned out to be the perfect foundation to enhance the chocolate and hazelnut flavors, with a smooth texture to match.
I love the liberty of choice tea offers as a medium for flavor expression. There's immense freedom at every step of the process. Processors can experiment with oxidation and rolling techniques. Companies can blend and flavor in countless ways. And consumers have complete control over how they brew and enjoy their cup. Unlike wine or beer, which come to you complete, tea invites participation at every stage along the supply chain.
Blenders are not always trying to mask tea with flavoring and herbs. Sometimes, they’re accentuating what's already present and pushing it to its logical next step. Tradition seamlessly marries innovation.
What's your creative approach to tea blending? Where do you start, and how can you best represent your creativity in the cup?
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