Find Store
Tea blends introduce you to the fascinating variety of tea with their range of diverse flavors and unique nuances. The endless combinations of tea leaves with spices, fruits, and herbs indulge your palate with intense aromas. We'll show you the secrets behind the perfect tea blend and why they're ideal for newcomers to the world of tea.
What is a tea blend?
Tea blends allow you to enter the fascinating universe of teas with their palette of varied tastes and exceptional nuances. The possible combinations between pure tea leaves and spices, fruits, and herbs seem endless and indulge your palate with intense flavors. We show you the secret behind the perfect tea blend and why they are ideal for curious tea beginners.
In a tea blend, you can find more than one single ingredient. In the case of pure teas, whole tea leaves alone are enough to release a full-bodied taste experience. However, a variety of delicious ingredients, such as fruits, flowers, spices, and aromas, determine the rich taste of a tea blend. The real art lies in the perfect composition of all ingredients.
“Certainly, it requires deep expertise, knowing how to blend all the ingredients in the best way possible. But most importantly, we also need a good portion of creativity - playing around with proportions of ingredients to create a cup of tea that has not existed before.” - Eduardo Molina Anfossi, PAPER & TEA Head of Tea Experience
In a good tea blend, all flavors of each component come together to create a unique whole. Creative tea experts have created famous tea blends that have become incredibly popular. Earl Grey is a true classic among black teas, refined with citrusy bergamot oil. At PAPER & TEA, we have taken a twist on these classics and created audacious varieties. For example, bergamot pairs well with rooibos, green tea, and white tea.
Genmaicha, a green tea blend of Japanese Sencha and roasted rice, is a favorite of many tea connoisseurs today. Originally created as a nutritious drink for poor people, Genmaicha is now a pure delight for everyone.
Tea blends: Perfectly suited for tea beginners
Tea blends fill your cups with delightful happiness and are an excellent way to enter the world of teas. They offer a varied palette of tastes due to their multilayered, intense aromas that stimulate the palate. Did you know that trying diverse taste notes trains your organoleptic memory? This sensory memory stores all tastes, and the more nuances you add, the more differentiated your palate becomes. Tea blends pave the way for enjoying pure teas and recognizing their nuances.
“Once the right composition of flavors comes together in a cup, a sip takes us on a journey through memories, feelings, or transports us to places that are special for us.” - Eduardo Molina Anfossi, PAPER & TEA Head of Tea Experience
The process of blending: All blending techniques
Tea blends are true masterpieces to us. The art of blending employs three different techniques: scenting, flavoring, and blending. Eduardo Molina Anfossi, PAPER & TEA Head of Tea Experience, explains the different methods.
What is a scented tea?
Eduardo: “Scenting is a traditional process that takes place where the tea is plucked. Flowers are often used to scent tea leaves. During the process, the tea leaves are put into direct contact with flowers to absorb their aroma. Our IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE N°323 is a good example, a delicate green tea scented with jasmine flowers. For this, green tea leaves are left overnight with layers of jasmine flowers, and this process is repeated with new flowers multiple times over a month. It takes 1.1 kg of jasmine flowers to produce 1 kg of scented tea.”
What is a flavored tea?
Eduardo: “The tradition of flavoring comes originally from Europe. Unlike scenting, tea leaves are not exposed directly to the flavoring product. Instead, we use the essential oil of the ingredient. For P & TEA teas, we only use natural aromas. One famous flavored tea is Earl Grey. Our GOLDEN EARL N°514 uses golden bud tea from Yunnan bathed in bergamot oil from southern Italy.”
What is the key to blended teas?
Eduardo: “Blending is the mixing of different ingredients. We may blend pure tea leaves with other components or multiple teas with each other. A flavored tea can also be blended with a scented tea, or herbs may be used as a base with other delicious ingredients. Masterfully blended is our BRAVE NEW EARL N°711: a black tea with scented green tea, blended with high-quality ingredients like juniper and flavored with bergamot oil.”
Masterfully blended: Our in-house Master Blends
Creating a tea blend is a complex process requiring deep understanding of proportions and ingredient pairing. The art lies in developing the perfect recipe and composition technique. Our in-house creations, the Master Blends, are crafted with passion and creativity. These unique teas take you on a delicious journey with every sip. Explore their incomparable recipes available exclusively at PAPER & TEA.
