Do you love unique combinations of tea?Companies create blends based on a variety of factors, such as: the flavor, health benefits, and the beauty of teas. Creating your own custom blends is easier than you may think. When buying tea in bulk, consider buying from local farms and choosing organic teas, for more health benefits. Store tea in airtight glass jars, away from sunlight. If you can see them, you are more likely to remember to make them.
Creating combinations can feel daunting until you give it a try. Start out with combining two tea flavors you love. Then work up to 3-5 tea varieties. Add tea that looks beautiful together in a jar. Try a cup yourself. Do you like it? Does it need more of one flavor? Is it better hot or cold? Which sweeteners do you enjoy? Experiment with cups of tea until you find the teas you love.
Label your jars with the date and types of tea. If you want to get fancy, come up with lovely names for your custom tea blends. Tea in mason jars with a ribbon tied around the top, will make a beautiful gift. Add a square of colorful fabric around the lid, before adding ribbon or a piece of twine. Create a small tag from cut up index cards.
Ideas for selling your tea blends
- Farmer’s Markets – Share a booth with an established venue before investing in a booth rental. When established markets have a customer base, it can be a great way to showcase your teas to allow you to develop a following.
- Organic Grocery Stores – Check with the store manager for their qualifications for local artisians.
- Art and Music Festivals – Rent a booth and sell your wares.
- Facebook, Instagram, Website – Start your own company and advertise on social media. Your friends and family will likely support your endeavors to get you started. Make sure to ask for reviews!
Let me share with you some of my favorite tea blends
Earl Grey Supreme
Anyone who knows me, knows I love a delicious cup of earl grey. I’ve been trying several different blends of fancy Earl grey over this past year. Harney and Sons (found at specialty stores) has an earl grey blend (Earl Grey Supreme) that is richer and more flavorful than regular Earl Grey teas. They blend black tea with oolong and white before adding bergamot essence. They come in adorable little triangle sachets. Marmalade Tea Shop in Blowing Rock, NC makes an Earl Grey Supreme loose-leaf with black tea, lavender, malva, roses, cornflower, and bergamot essence. Bergamia fruit from Italy is how their essence is derived.
Green Earl Grey
I have tried several versions of this tea. Combining green tea leaves (the bigger the better) with bergamot and rose petals makes a delicate and earthy tea with floral notes. Lavender and pea flower are also wonderful additions to Green Earl Grey tea. Dried orange peel and jasmine are delicious, as well.
Relaxing Blends
When you want a blend of calming herbal tea, try You, Me, and Uni’s Meditative State of Mind. This lovely combination of Mint, Chamomile, Lavender, and Moringa is delicious and soothing. Full of health benefits, this tea is good for your immune system, heart health, and adds digestive support. Add honey or raw sugar if you prefer. This tea also makes a delicious cold tea with lavender or mint syrup added. Experiment with tea flowers to come up with an herbal blend that won’t keep you up at night. These make wonderful gifts for everyone to enjoy, without the worry of caffeine.
White Tea
White tea has less of a flavor than black and green. It’s a wonderful base for herbal tea combinations. Mixing dried berries with citrus peels will make white tea explode with flavor. Calming blends of chamomile and lavender can be mixed with hibiscus for color and sweetness, in a white tea base. Jasmine, white tea, and lemongrass is delicious iced with lemon in the warm months of summer. Rose, lemon peel, and mint, can be mixed with white tea for a delicious tea, served hot or cold with local honey.
Yerba Mate
It took me a while to truly love Yerba Mate. With its earthy taste and strong flavor, it can boost your energy levels, increase immunity, and is rich in antioxidants and nutrients. I enjoy it hot and cold with honey. You can steep it as long as you like and it never becomes bitter. At home I use loose-leaf from Guayaki. I steep in a tall mason jar with local honey and drink with my metal filter straw until I’ve had my fill. I add the remainder to the fridge and enjoy it cold in the afternoon for a pick-me-up. Adding lemon juice to cold Yerba Mate is wonderful. Adding zest of lemons to hot Yerba Mate gives it a kick. I sometimes add jasmine tea with Yerba Mate and honey for a soothing cup of hot tea in the mornings, when I want to skip the higher levels of caffeine from black tea.
Digestion Blends
When you want to be good to your digestive tract, steep and enjoy a You, Me, & Uni blend called Trust Your Gut, Know Your Gut. This tea blends red clover, cornflower petals, comfrey leaf, and dandelion. This caffeine-free tea is wonderful for children with tummy aches or as an after-dinner tonic. Drinking hot beverages after meals can be soothing to the digestive system. Place these dried herbs in a mason jar so you can enjoy the visual beauty of this fine tea daily. The longer you steep it, the more medicinal benefits you will enjoy. Experiment with chamomile, ginger, lemon peel, lavender, and fennel for digestive aid benefits. Adding rose or hibiscus flowers will bring on floral notes and a rosy hue to your cup of tea.
Check out past editions of You, Me, and Uni articles on tea and tea blends. Create the 10 Best Tea Combinations. Annual Tea Party. And one of my favorite articles: The Ritual of Tea.
Anastacia Elizabeth Walden is a writer, editor and the owner of Walden Writes For Women.
