Tea Thoughts Blend.

So, I get to share something REALLY cool with y'all today! Tea Laboratory has a feature on their site where you get to step into the shoes of a master tea blender and create your own melange of leaves and spices! I recently had the opportunity to create "Tea Thoughts Blend" and it was an eye opening experience.

I'm going to take you through some of the features they have and let you know what I chose! After debating I decided to chose a 2 base tea.

Here are the crazy amount of options you have to use as bases! Y'all know that I'm a black tea lover so I chose Ceylon and the Boukhial Estate Assam.

Next, you get to choose up to 5 flavorings. This is not even a complete list of the options. I really love how these flavors are categorized for two reasons. One, someone who doesn't know many of these flavors can still add them to their blend and know what the effect will be and two, it's easier to say you like a sweet blend than a specific flavor. This list allows you to choose and explore all sorts of options!

For my blend, I wanted to have a twist on classic Persian tea. I added Cloves, safflower, pink rose petals, honeysuckle and just to be adventurous, black walnut leaf!

Finally, you get to choose your amount and the best part, naming your blend!

I love the box the tea comes in and how the tea is labeled. The labels not only have the name and ingredients you chose but also brewing instructions for your specific blend!

I'll be honest, although the blend looks really pretty when it was dry it DID NOT smell good. I think that many of the ingredients I chose have very strong scents and all together it was too much for my nose.

Thankfully once it was brewed the aroma was much better and the ingredients blended. Cloves have a very strong scent and that what was dominant in my blend. Due to a double black tea base this brew is REALLY dark which is just the way I like it. I grew up in a household where tea is brewed way past the suggested brewing time because it was enjoyed dark and strong.

Although the dry blend was discouraging, I'm pleased with the way my blend came out! The cloves are definitely the dominant taste but with the reminder that it's a ceylon leaf tea. I added some honey after tasting it plain because I love honey in tea! The honey perfected this brew. The honey subdues the clove taste. Tea Thoughts blend was a success!

I've started to look at the the brewed leaves because they are so beautiful! I love the sprinkles of color in this. I think that Tea Laboratory has stumbled upon a really unique idea. Like many art forms, tea blending is often unappreciated. This process allows you to step into the shoes of a tea expert and test your flavoring skills. Perhaps you'll discover that the task is tougher than you thought or perhaps you'll find a new career path!

Head over to Tea Laboratory and start experimenting!

If you try this process, let me know how your blend turned out!