Flavored, Scented, and Blended Teas: An Overview
In the rich tapestry of tea varieties, flavored, scented, and blended teas hold a special place, captivating the senses with their aromatic bouquets and complex flavor profiles. Celebrated for their inventive combinations and sensory delight, these teas offer a gateway to a more immersive tea experience. As your guide through this fragrant world, let's explore these teas, their crafting processes, and the flavors that define them. Understanding these distinctions can enrich your appreciation and guide your selections, whether you're a curious newcomer or a seasoned tea enthusiast.
All tea has flavor. Otherwise, why would it be the second most popular beverage in the world? Some teas have only the flavor inherent in the tea leaves. We call these "unflavored." They all taste different based on which tea plant cultivar is used, where it is grown, the country's climate, when the leaves are plucked, and how the leaves are processed after plucking.
Other teas have additional flavorings or scents added. We call these "flavored" or "scented" as they contain flavors/scents not inherent in the tea.
Flavored teas
These teas have been infused with flavors beyond the tea leaves themselves. This is typically done by applying flavoring agents. A tremendous amount of skill is required to understand how adding flavor will affect the cup without overpowering the tea's natural essence. Flavorists can do this by mixing tea leaves with natural extracts, nature-identical flavors, or artificial flavors.
As the Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) points out, hundreds of natural substances in a strawberry lead to what we taste as strawberry flavor. Flavorists isolate these compounds to develop a strawberry flavor that we can add to our foods. They also design new flavor combinations that we love to try.
Think of a master perfumer layering top, heart, and base notes to create a signature scent. Tea flavorists work in much the same way. According to FEMA, when a company wants to introduce a new product, "they often contact flavorists at companies that specialize in creating flavors, and they ask them to create a flavor that meets their requirements and will be appealing to the consumer." In tea, this artistry means balancing delicate base leaves with complementary flavor notes — so the addition enhances rather than overwhelms the cup.
Artificial Flavor
Artificial flavor is one created by altering the chemical structure of a naturally occurring molecule. It results in a more intense and, typically, less expensive flavor.
One often-cited example is banana flavor. The natural chemical that gives the dominant flavor note is amyl acetate. It is a natural flavor if it is distilled from actual bananas with a solvent. If it is produced by mixing that amyl alcohol with other chemicals, it is considered an artificial flavor. Both taste and smell like bananas. It is similar with other flavors.
Although the US allows it as long as it is identified as "artificial flavor," Europe bans this type of flavoring agent.
Inclusions
When you look at your flavored tea, you may see dried fruit pieces, blossoms, or spices added to the tea leaves. These are called inclusions and mostly add visual appeal and maybe a bit of aroma. They usually don't change the tea's flavor on their own.
Scented Teas
Tea will easily absorb other flavors and aromas. That is why we caution against storing our tea near other strongly flavored and aromatic items. This is, however, how scented teas are created. They are allowed to be exposed to aromatic ingredients so the scent infuses into the tea leaves. Unlike flavored teas, true scented teas rely on the natural aromas of the added elements without directly incorporating them into the tea.
One of the most recognizable is Jasmine tea. The best jasmine teas use tea leaves harvested in spring, then dried and stored. The tea masters wait until the most aromatic jasmine flowers blossom in late summer. In the traditional method, the process involves layering the tea leaves with jasmine flowers. According to Dammann Frères, a French tea company that has existed since the 1800s, the dry tea leaves are alternately layered with jasmine flowers in four or five layers. They remain in contact for about 10 hours, with the mixture regularly tossed to maintain a constant, ideal temperature. This allows the jasmine fragrance to be absorbed into the tea leaves. After the proper amount of time, workers remove the flowers by hand, and the leaves undergo a final drying process. For the highest-quality jasmine tea, this procedure may be repeated up to seven times, with a new batch of fresh flowers each time.
Some tea makers might use both scenting and flavoring. Some large companies might just scent the tea once or twice and then add jasmine flavoring oil. You can tell by looking at the ingredient list on jasmine teas. The Jasmine Green Tea and Jasmine Jade Oolong offered by Tea Journeys show only "tea and jasmine blossoms" on the ingredient list. If you also see "flavoring," you will know that some type of jasmine flavor has been added. The former will hold its fragrance even after multiple infusions. The ones with added flavors will lose their aroma and flavor after only one or two infusions.
Other flowers may also be utilized in making scented teas – lotus, rose, magnolia and chrysanthemum.
Another popular scented tea is Lapsang Souchong. Traditional Lapsang gets its smoky flavor and aroma from being dried over pine wood fires. Today, just as with Jasmine, you will also find some that are flavored.
Blended Teas
This category of teas is made by blending different types of tea leaves or blending in non-tea ingredients. It is done for a specific purpose:
- To maintain a consistent taste profile from crop to crop and season to season.
- To maintain a consistent price.
- To create a unique flavor experience only available from the supplier who created it.
- To match an industry standard for a common tea blend.
Those that contain only tea may be a mix of tea leaves from different tea farms in one area, from different regions of one country or even from different countries.
An example is Breakfast Teas. They are typically blended with tea leaves from different countries. The recipe varies from company to company.
Other Tea Journeys' blends are Assam Hathakuli and Assam Medley. The former contains tea leaves harvested only from that estate. The latter is a blended tea containing tea leaves from a mixture of tea farms in the Assam region of India.
Another type of blended tea mixes other ingredients with tea leaves. This might be herbs, flowers, dried fruit bits, or spices. An example of this type of blend would be Genmaicha, a Japanese green tea blended with roasted and popped rice. Another popular example is Chai tea, which has been blended with spices.
In Conclusion
Flavored, scented, and blended teas represent a fascinating domain within the tea universe, as diverse as it is delightful. As you explore this vibrant world, remember that the best tea is the one that resonates with your personal taste and values. Whether you lean toward the natural subtleties of scented teas, bold flavor blends or innovative creations using natural or artificial flavors, there is a tea for every palate. We invite you to embark on this sensory journey with an open mind and a curious spirit, ready to discover your next favorite tea.
Ready to explore for yourself? Browse our curated collection of flavored, scented, and blended teas — each selected for quality, transparency of ingredients, and the story behind the leaf. Whether you're drawn to the time-honored ritual of jasmine scenting or the bold complexity of a breakfast blend, your next favorite cup is waiting.