Scented/Flavoured Teas?

People like to think of blended/flavoured teas as a largely Western thing but the reality is that you can trace blended/flavoured teas back to the Tang Dynasty (approx. 610 to 900) if not earlier where it’s well documented that the Chinese added things such as ginger, leek, mint, and orange peel to their tea.

So, I don’t think it should be surprising that things like scented or flavoured teas exist or are so prevalent in North American culture. I like to think of them as a great “gateway” to learning more about the natural flavour differences between different tea types due to processing methods or terroir. And after all, sometimes the things a tea is flavoured with are flavours that certainly wont ever naturally occur in tea leaf: things like birthday cake or cola flavoured teas. Those teas may not be everyone’s thing (and that’s perfectly ok) but it doesn’t make them, imo, any less valid as a way of drinking tea.

I think it just boils down to personal preference. There’s no wrong way to drink tea in my mind – make it however you like it!

EDIT: And I see now that you’re not located in North America so maybe some of my comments don’t apply so directly, but I think the general idea still rings true.

Another angle is the flavored teas appeal to non tea drinkers – that’s what gets them in the door. It’s fun, more familiar alternative to juice and soda. Some people stay there as they like flavored teas and there’s always people coming up with new things. Selling a strawberry black tea is an easier sell than a 2015 sheng pu’er to someone who’s barely had tea, let alone doesn’t own a gaiwan and such.

Even then, people like to experiment. All the time there’s people asking how to make their own blends and stuff.

I know there’s lots of snobbery, I too love pu’er and oolong that isn’t flavored, but at the same time it’s a different art to flavored teas. One could think a flavored tea just masks cheap tea or makes it more appealing, but I’ve had flavored tea that goes with the tea base to make it better, especially if you go buy from a smaller, handcraft tea seller.

I love both flavoured and unflavoured. But personally I’ve found the TWG flavoured teas to be REALLY extremely flavoured. Like, burn the lining of your nose when you sniff the canister strong. There are flavoured teas that are more delicate, or more in tune with the base tea that I like better. And then sometimes I just want an Earl Grey.

I also find flavoured teas tend to travel better in a thermos, since I still don’t have a great tea steeping set up at work.

I mostly drink herbal teas, so I might have a very different perspective, but one of the things that got me into drinking tea was the wide variety of interesting flavors. I see it kind of like cooking. Some foods stand on their own very well, but some taste much better when mixed with other foods or spices, and sometimes you get a really enjoyable interplay of flavors when you mix several foods together. Good tea can stand on its own, but additives can result in something interesting and unique, and maybe something you’ll like as well as, or even better than, the original product. A lot of blended tea is made from cheaper and lower quality tea. But that both makes it more accessible, and is a way to use up lower quality tea. But at the same time, you often get what you pay for.

I like straight teas. I like flavored teas. I like homemade mac and cheese. I like Kraft blue box. None of those things should concern anyone else or impact their personal philosophy on tea. Tea is a very personal thing and we each like what we like.

I’m inclined to agree. I think a lot of people are missing out by not drinking more straight teas, and in my experience the artificial flavorings (or natural/organic flavorings for that matter) have an off taste. That said, I still enjoy some jasmine tea occasionally, and I wouldn’t mind branching out into more flavored teas as long as they don’t have flavor oils in them.

Teavana was actually what got me into tea. I don’t drink it any more, but that store introduced me to the idea that tea could be a pleasant beverage, rather than the overbrewed lipton which was all I knew of tea before.

I like to drink blended/ flavoured teas fairly often. Mostly- Earl Grey and variations. And floral/ fruit blends are nice too.

Wow, this is certainly a lot of feedback!

You’re right. If flavor/scent blends go back as far as ancient China, then to have them or not really is a matter of preference. Looking at it from the perspective of a gateway tea, or another addition to an already great brew, are also very valid ways to look at it.

We can have flavoured blends as something to get people started. Doesn’t even have to be fancy modern ones, we can have old time classics like Earl Grey. I remember Twinings Earl Grey was the first box of teabags I consciously bought (Unfortunately Twinings doesn’t sell loose leaf in my country). Before that time, my concept of tea was this sweet iced drink lol . Gotten past that stage now, of course, but I largely consider that to be the first step.

I guess it also depends on how the blend works out. OMG says the TWG’s flavour blends are reeeaaally flavoured. I don’t really think too much of how it overpowers the original taste. I mean if I want to taste strawberry in my Silver Moon, I want it pronounced. But I can see that it leads to the question of whether I want to drink tea with some hints of strawberry, or hot strawberry juice. I’d definitely want to try the former.

Anybody here have recommendations for nice subtle blends? Is Butiki a good example of that?

The thing about flavored teas is they have to be done right. A well done flavored tea will taste great. A badly done one will taste terrible. Lupica is an example of a company that does flavored right. They have a Chocolate Strawberry Puerh that is incredible even to a fanatic about straight puerh tea.