Blending tea is a bit like creating a perfume. The secret is to start with an intention and a base note to build a solid foundation. Then, complimentary ingredients are added to activate and accentuate.
For example, if your intention is to develop a blend for relaxation, you might want to start with chamomile, an herb that you can tell is relaxing just by looking at it or smelling it. Its soft notes, pale yellow flowers and gentle delicacy give it away. You’ll probably notice that your intuitive understanding of the function of various plants might already be stronger than you think!
Then, you could add perhaps some rose petals to enhance calm with balance and beauty. A bit of mint contrasts the chamomile while helping to aid digestion. Finally, a pinch of lavender integrates into the mix with aromatherapeutic properties. Plants are Mother Nature’s medicine cabinet, and the best way to come to understand their healing properties is to work with them directly. Blending them with your hands, tasting them, noticing the way they make you feel.
It is helpful to think in four parts of a whole as well. We typically suggest beginning with three parts of the base and then adding one part of the supportive ingredients. From here, you can taste and add more of whichever ingredient you feel wants to be seen. Blending is an intuitive art, so turn on some music and drop out of your mind and into the process of blending. The classroom is the comfort of your own kitchen, and the classes are experiential and extremely personal. Teas can be personalized to match your individual tastes, moods and preferences. It’s about opening your senses and paying attention to how different blends taste, how they make you feel, the aroma they effuse.
Notice what makes you happy? What brings you peace? Are there blends that restore beauty or invite calm? Which become the blends you turn to when you need to sleep, or when you need to re-energize? What ministers to your unique body and soul may be different for someone else...and therein lies the treasure. Take notes in your journal so that you can remember what you liked or what you didn’t.
Learning about teas and tisanes (herbal infusions) will bring you hours of creativity, wellness and fun! Be creative and adventurous! With a blenders box, especially if you’re new to working with fresh organic loose leaf teas and botanicals, you’ll find freedom in experimenting and joy in discovering.