Hey, Haven't been here in forever, but need some advice...

So sorry for disappearing on all of you. I’m still drinking tea, but I just got preoccupied with other things – like writing. That’s part of why I’m here.

I’m formulating a story in my mind that involves a very friendly and personal tea session between friends. I want it to include a specially blended tea that would, IRL, be very lovely and make sense. It’s not necessarily something I would physically have in my own cupboard, but the story is requiring something a bit more “Loving” than any old off-the-shelf variety.

That’s where all of you come in. I’m looking for something that would have a green base (Dragonwell would be nice, but other greens are ok as well), with some form of ‘rose’ inclusion. Honestly, I don’t even know if you can mix green w/ rose (I’ve never tried to blend my own). Other ideas I have are that it be SUPER soothing, and mild, but able to be enjoyed by a casual drinker WITHOUT sugar.

So, is anyone up to helping me out on this? Or am I on my own. I’d love to hear some ideas. Thanks in advance for anyone that answers.

Anyway, yeah. Thanks.

6 Replies

If you want a dragonwell base, you could add mint to take the edge off the grassiness. Or snow chrysanthemum which would add a sweet taste. When I think soothing and mild tea, I think fujian black with chocolate notes, or a golden monkey that is smooth and nutty. A floral Oolong wouldn’t need sugar, and is unlikely to be overbrewed and bitter. Have you searched the forum for soothing tea?

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You can mix green tea with rose. It’s a pretty nice combination. Green tea with jasmine is another good green/floral combo. Normally, when green tea is blended with flowers, gunpowder green tea is what is used. It’s cheap, and the savory, vegetal notes from the tea offset some of the sweeter qualities from the flowers.

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I don’t drink much for blends, and green teas are my least favorite type, but it’s nice to see a real post here for once. The problem, related to a blend being something someone would actually drink, is that high quality longjing is already good enough and complex enough that adding anything to it would more or less ruin the effect. For cheap green tea that’s not as true, for what gets sold as gunpowder, more generic rolled Chinese versions. It’s strange to use a lower quality ingredient just to make mixing itself make more sense.

Why not longjing (dragonwell) with rose though? Leaving aside the “soothing” effect (I don’t notice even caffeine’s effect all that much) it might be nice to add more flavor complexity. Mint might increase the effect of sweetness, the right kind in a light, balanced proportion. Something like sage could add a bit of complex, earthier range nearer-to-savory aspect, or per personal preference maybe rosemary instead. Someone would need to taste those things together to see if it really worked, and most likely it only would at relatively best-case proportions.

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LuckyMe said

Green tea drinker here and I blend teas all the time. Rose would work with green tea but I feel like it pairs better with black tea. A dried rosebud adds a very nice subtle rose flavor. I also like dried rosebuds with jasmine white tea, although I’m sure a jasmine green would work well too.

Of course there’s fruit and spices that can be mixed with green tea. But since it seems you’re looking for a delicate blend, I think floral scented greens would be the way to go. Some ideas for your consideration:

Sencha + cherry blossoms
Bi lo chun + osmanthus
Green oolong + orange blossoms
Baozhong or any Chinese green + bergamot = Green Earl Grey
Jasmine pearls

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Have you considered a white tea with rose? A Chinese silver needle with rose petals would be mild, yet complex, if you really take the time to break down what is going on in the liquor as you taste it. It is nice to look at too because the silver needle white teas tend to have fuzzy tea buds. Tea buds with rose buds – two friends in a cup doing a melodic, slightly sweet dance on your taste buds. :)

Oooh, I like that idea. I have some silver needle handy, if I can get ahold of some rose petals, I can try that. Thanks for the advice, and to all of you. You’ve all helped me immensely. I need to get some things in the new year, and try some of these recipies!

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