I made a Franken-blend from all of my random bits and bobs of unflavored black teas in an effort to consolidate my little tins, baggies, and whatnots. From memory, I know there is some Keemun, Yunnan, Assam, and other Indian teas in this melange.
Success! This is a bold, chocolatey tea that is best with milk and sugar. I wouldn’t go a touch over 4 minutes, and I’m glad I used a timer. I feel like I have a brand new tin of tea (I think I gathered together about 3 oz of leaves altogether!) without spending a penny. Some of the teas were 2 or 3 years in my cupboard, and the fresher additions really gave them a new life. I highly recommend Franken-blending to revitalize your neglected, leftover, or otherwise languishing teas!
Preparation
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I’ve always wanted to try blending…I think I’ll go try it now! Any tips on how to get the best flavor?
Think of what you know about your teas — like I thought about how this Keemun is chocolatey and the particular Yunnan is caramel-y and the Indian tea is earthy and chocolatey — so I knew they had a good chance of going well together. If I had, say, a lemony Ceylon, I would not have used it in this blend. I knew one tea was kinda tired and I always had to double the amount I used for good flavor, so I knew that blending with my fresher, bolder teas would most likely result in a nice strength. Those are the little ideas I used. I don’t know if that’s how you’re supposed to do it, but :)
I also make another frankenblend of some vanilla tea, an earl grey, and a fruit tea — it wasn’t perfect so I added more vanilla tea — so don’t be afraid to tweak things if you are not pleased at first.
I’ve had a jar of “junkyard tea” going for a while now; its personality changes often. Mostly used for iced tea—haven’t tried the latest iteration hot yet.
Yay for FrankenTea!
I’ve always wanted to try blending…I think I’ll go try it now! Any tips on how to get the best flavor?
Think of what you know about your teas — like I thought about how this Keemun is chocolatey and the particular Yunnan is caramel-y and the Indian tea is earthy and chocolatey — so I knew they had a good chance of going well together. If I had, say, a lemony Ceylon, I would not have used it in this blend. I knew one tea was kinda tired and I always had to double the amount I used for good flavor, so I knew that blending with my fresher, bolder teas would most likely result in a nice strength. Those are the little ideas I used. I don’t know if that’s how you’re supposed to do it, but :)
I also make another frankenblend of some vanilla tea, an earl grey, and a fruit tea — it wasn’t perfect so I added more vanilla tea — so don’t be afraid to tweak things if you are not pleased at first.
I’ve had a jar of “junkyard tea” going for a while now; its personality changes often. Mostly used for iced tea—haven’t tried the latest iteration hot yet.
Yay for FrankenTea!