Flavored Tea
Wikipedia: Tea_blending_and_additivesLast Updated: Feb. 2, 2016
↑About Flavored Tea
Flavored tea is made by blending leaves of the tea plant Camellia sinensis with some other flavoring, usually herbs, spices, flowers, or fruit.There are many types of flavored teas, since they can be made out of different varieties of tea and there is no limit to the types of flavoring that can be used. Some of the most well-known flavored teas are Earl Grey (usually black tea + bergamot orange), jasmine tea (usually green tea + jasmine blossoms), and moroccan mint tea (usually green tea + mint leaves).
Fruits are also common blending ingredients. Commonly used fruits include lychee, orange, berries, or various tropical fruits. Herbs and spices commonly combined with tea include mint, ginger, ginseng, cinnamon, cardamon, clove, and fennel.
Flavored teas can be mixed up into a blend which is packaged and sold as-is, or they can be made up at the time of brewing.
Scented teas
When the tea is flavored only with flowers, especially when the flavoring is carried out through a process of layering the leaves with flowers and then removing the flowers, the resulting tea is sometimes called scented tea. Jasmine tea is produced by this method, and slightly less commonly, osmanthus. Flowers with a very strong aroma, such as rose, often just have their petals mixed in with the leaf, and this yields a strong enough aroma.Extracts and artificial flavorings vs whole ingredients
Many flavored teas are produced by adding extracts or essential oils, or less commonly, artificial flavorings, to a base tea. This method is inexpensive and often yields a more consistent flavor, and sometimes can yield more potent flavors than blending with whole ingredients. However, it can yield blends that are flat or unnatural tasting, lacking the complexity attained by blending tea with whole ingredients.When this method is used, essential oils and natural extracts are preferable, and tend to produce better results, than artificial flavorings. In the U.S. the legal definition of "natural flavors" is broad, including any flavoring obtained from a natural source, including both essential oils and more processed substances such as distillates or flavorings extracted by enzymolysis or heating. When reading ingredient lists, seeing the term "natural flavors" thus provides little information about what you can expect from the quality of the blend.
Many companies use both extracts with whole ingredients in their flavored teas. In some cases the whole ingredients do impart significant flavor and aroma, but in other cases they are mainly for show, being present in too small a quantity to influence how the tea tastes and smells.
↑Recent Flavored Tea Reviews — RSS ![rss icon](/images/icons/32-rss.png)
This is a very unusual tea - I am a little unsure how I feel about it, so I may amend this review later. It is made with hibiscus, elderberries, and beet root and, strangely enough, they recommend steeping for just 2 minutes. I am guessing that is to prevent the tart hibiscus from stepping in and dominating the flavor...
Read Full Review![Picture of Kama Sutra Chai](/images/t/28e17285544ddfa2d74a1ae438dd39e3.jpg)
This makes a very sweet, floral chai, which is not surprising, since it contains 3 kinds of flowers, in addition to cinnamon and other spices. The flavor is a little extravagant, but nice. I see that my review is very different from Alex's - maybe the formula has changed, or perhaps our taste buds are different.
Read Full Review![Picture of Chai Spice Black Tea](/images/t/b703ddc5e33dccf01493080d194e60d0.jpg)
Here's another tea that has been around a long time, but somehow, I haven't tried nor reviewed it until now! A restaurant in Minnesota served this tea on good water, and I got a second bag to take home and chug as well.
Both times, the impression I got was: this is a pleasantly good, herb-dusted cinnamon infusio...
![Picture of Orange Flavored Jasmine Green Tea](/images/t/22a752ad340b67d3d8235347a2ea5c5e.jpg)
Orange Flavored Jasmine Green Tea from Rituals
Style: Flavored Green Tea – Region: BlendJun. 6th, 2024
This peculiar combination came from a Days Inn in Hays, KS, and tasted really nice on their water, so I brought a bag home to try as well. Rituals Teas in general seem to perform above most food-service offerings, and this was no exception.
The type made me curious, because I've never seen orange and jasmine paired...
![Picture of Kadak Masala Chai](/images/tea/8198.jpg)
This is an ok chai, the aroma is nice. It seems the cardamom and cloves are the 2 spices that most come through in this blend, I wish there was a little more flavor and aroma. It's a bit astringent and I would probably prefer this with milk. It's a little thin too, it's definitely not my favorite cup of chai but it was...
Read Full ReviewRead More Reviews of Flavored Tea (1966) ...
↑Top Reviewers
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1 | ![]() | 261 | 13 |
2 | ![]() | 137 | 7 |
3 | ![]() | 125 | 6 |
4 | ![]() | 115 | 6 |
5 | ![]() | 102 | 5 |
Review 103 teas to get on this list!
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↑Most-Rated Flavored Tea
![No image of this tea](/images/t/f6c17617d6ee16b74bb8cb0b5bb6cfee.jpg)
Earl Grey
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
![No image of this tea](/images/t/dc352e3d08749ffbdf606dc1c67499bf.jpg)
Constant Comment®
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Flavored Black Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
![No image of this tea](/images/t/3dffcabca1c25ff8fd43229df5374675.jpg)
Zen Filterbags
Brand: | Tazo Tea |
Style: | Flavored Green Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Sachet |
↑Top-Rated Flavored Tea
![No image of this tea](/images/t/90429fca3424405322e805d3af881ea8.jpg)
Golden Orchid
Brand: | Whispering Pines |
Style: | Vanilla Black Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
![Picture of Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea](/images/tea/87.jpg)
Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Decaffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
![No image of this tea](/images/t/d2058b7e8fb48253952dabf8bacfed97.jpg)
Organic Bangkok (Green Tea with Coconut, Ginger and Vanilla)
Brand: | Harney and Sons |
Style: | Flavored Green Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
![No image of this tea](/images/t/4d467d91e975564c78e5c8704d341b34.jpg)
Masala Chai
Brand: | Rishi Tea |
Style: | Chai / Spiced Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
![No image of this tea](/images/t/60d37979e4004420a6e562ce1671d880.jpg)
Green Tea with Peach
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Fruit Green Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |