Custom flavored tea?

April 5, 2009 8:24 AM

Hey, I'm tired of crappy flavored tea and I want to make my own.

I've had good flavored blends, but the vast majority seem to be either crappy or overpriced. I want to just buy good quality tea and then add in the flavor components. What are some things I can buy at the grocery store or at local ethnic markets that would fit the bill?

An example I found on one website was cocoa nibs and cardamom pods. The more unusual the better!

posted by melissam to food & drink (8 comments total)

Leaves from any variety of mint, any type of citrus zest, rose hips, hibiscus...
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:30 AM on April 5

An Indian friend taught me how to make chai:

(Makes 2 generous mugs)

Put one mug's worth of water in a saucepan over low heat.

Add a large pinch of ground cinnamon.

Grind to a powder 10 green cardamom pods and 2 whole cloves. Add to water. (Preground spices are less pungent, so you'll have to add more if you use them. If you have a spare coffee grinder, clean it well and reserve it for grinding spices - burr grinders work brilliantly here, far better than whirling-blade grinders.)

Let water come to a low simmer.

Add 2 heaping teaspoons of strong black tea, like Assam (I always use loose tea, although I guess you could substitute 3 teabags here)

Continue to simmer the mixture for 3 - 5 minutes. The tea should be very strong because it will be diluted with lots of milk.

Add one mug's worth of milk and turn off the heat after the chai is heated through.

Pour through a fine strainer and serve with sugar (which vastly improves the flavor).

This is my all-time favorite chai, but there are many variations that use powdered ginger, black pepper, and all sorts of spices. Go nuts experimenting with your favorite spices. You can also buy "chai masala" in Indian food stores, but I've never found a packaged blend I really liked. By the way, chai is heavenly in cold weather, despite its subtropical origins.
posted by Quietgal at 9:17 AM on April 5 [6 favorites]

Fortnum and Mason do very simple (and very good) black teas with small pieces of dried fruit in them for flavour; I assume if they can do it, you can do it!
List of their teas
posted by Coobeastie at 9:20 AM on April 5

Sliced ginger boiled in a pot for 5-60 minutes (depending on your taste) is simple and tasty. I've got to second the chai recipe above as a great place to start making your own.
posted by kcm at 9:30 AM on April 5

Rote Grütze is tasty if you're only up for putting the tea in a strainer, sticking it in a cup and pouring water over it.
posted by nnk at 10:12 AM on April 5

I've experimented into an iced tea recipe that I, and all my friends, love.. Easy to do too!

8 cups water into a saucepan... add 2 cups sugar, and a dash of cinnamon (I eyeball this, but probably end up with... 1/8 teaspoon?. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add 4 Lipton family sized iced tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove teabags, and pour into a pitcher that already has 8 cups of ice and water in it. You'll end up with 16 cups of very tasty iced tea.

One catch (and one that i'm working on) is that the cinnamon tends to clump together and leave a sediment at the bottom of the pitcher... Doesn't affect taste, but does look a little funny.
posted by frwagon at 10:13 AM on April 5 [1 favorite]

I make my own chai spice blend, because I use it in truffle cream as well as tea and sometimes even coffee. There are a million ways to make a chai, but I prefer cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, pepper, allspice and nutmeg. For a big mug, I usually throw a teaspoon or so of the blend in with a couple of tablespoons of good black tea, steep, strain, add milk and sugar...Yum!

Also, I make candied citrus peels (orange, lemon, grapefruit) and toss them into loose black tea.

There are food grade essential oils that you can buy, add a drop or three to a cup. Bergamot is a perennial favorite for me, but I like citrus. Be sure to buy FOOD grade. Cosmetic grade is not the same thing. Try for essential oils from Europe or the Americas, as Chinese essential oils are often contaminated by heavy metals. Europe has the best safety standards. Australia is quickly gaining ground in the EO market as well, for producing good, safe, oils.

Adding fresh herbs; mint, lavender, etc. to the loose tea before steeping is always yummy.

It's a wide open area for exploration, go nuts!
posted by dejah420 at 11:47 AM on April 5

I know you want to make you own tea but I have to recommend adagio.com. I've been buying tea from them for about a year now. Really good quality and prices.
posted by nuke3ae at 6:13 AM on April 7