Is blending two kinds of loose-leaf teas a gimmick?

There is a noticeable difference between how tea is preferred in the East and the West. The farther you are from Asia, the more likely you are to add or blend your tea with spices and fragrance. If you compare the teas sold in China to those in Western tea shops, you will find that the latter has a broader selection of tea blends and tisanes (herbs) than pure loose-leaf teas.

Blending two loose-leaf teas

A tea blend, known as tisanes, combines two or more ingredients to create a tea or infusion. This opens up a world of possibilities, with over 75 tea blends to explore, including the famous Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Masala Chai. You can expect to find ingredients such as ginger, lemon, mint, bergamot, chamomile, jasmine, and rose for infusions, each offering a unique and delightful flavor profile.

Today, I will not discuss tea and non-tea herb blends or pure herbal infusions. Instead, I will focus on whether blending two Chinese loose-leaf teas and brewing them in one pot is suitable.

Blending the same type of tea from different regions, harvesting years, or qualities of picking is a common practice in China's loose-leaf tea production. For instance, big tea factories in Yunnan before the 90s blended raw Pu'erh teas from different regions and pickings, mainly to meet the supply for tea demand and standardize the quality of teas despite the area. It was later developed and turned into a 'secret recipe' with the perfect balance of taste and aroma. Similarly, a premium black tea blend called "China Red" (中国红), a mix of 18 types of black teas in Yunnan from 800+ samples, creates the ultimate black tea blend in Yunnan, China, after its Classic 58 (滇红经典58).

However, it is essential to note that mixing two distinct types of tea (among the six big categories) is not a common practice in China today. For example, you will never find Dragon Well green tea combined with Lapsang Souchong.

In some areas of China, people have a deep-rooted preference for a particular type of tea, which they have stuck to for their whole lives without trying other varieties. For instance, during my visit to Chaozhou, I observed that the locals only preferred their dancong teas, while in the green tea regions, they preferred their local green tea. This is not just a matter of taste, but a reflection of their food culture and identity, making it a tradition worth respecting and appreciating.

As a tea enthusiast, I often find myself pondering why Chinese tea drinkers don't consider blending their teas. Wouldn't it be fascinating to try something new and see how certain teas complement each other, creating a combined effect that's greater than the sum of its parts? This curiosity and open-mindedness are what drive the exploration of new tea experiences.

Taste

Traditionally, as aforementioned, there have been tea blends between two grades of Chinese teas within the same varietal, such as blending pu'er of different grades (buds and big leaves) or other regions (Menghai with Yiwu), some even with different aged leaves (fresh and five-year-old aged leaves). All these blends aim to create a more balanced and rich taste.

A similar concept could be applied to blending two different types of teas but with consideration of each tea's characteristics and brewing time, notably the white and the black. As each tea category offers a spectrum of flavors and benefits, diminishing those in a blend would be a shame.

Side effects

While blending teas offers a myriad of benefits, there are some side effects to consider. Flavors aside, the chemical substances in specific blends may not complement each other well, leading to a less enjoyable tea-drinking experience, a sour stomach, or a migraine.

The answers are pretty straightforward after asking my tea friends and searching online. Most people think mixing two types of tea, especially premium tea, is unnecessary. It wastes time and money and could unintentionally insult the tea maker.

What are the exceptions?

The general rule is not to blend your loose-leaf teas unless you know the after-effects of the blend. The following are the exceptions that are acceptable for tea drinkers to try occasionally to improve the taste of their teas or complement the benefits. If your tea is made well, you have no reason to do so.

1. Bringing out a main tea with another complimenting tea by controlling the ratio

   You can add a small amount of white tea to green tea or a small amount of green tea to white tea. In this way, green or white tea will not affect the flavor of another tea but will act as the “icing on the cake,” the “finishing touch,” without affecting the flavor of both teas.

   
   

   Once upon a time, Fuding White Tea was exported to Europe and America in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, British aristocrats liked to put a few white silver needles into black tea to increase its freshness.

   
   

2. Blending two similar teas :

   a) Similar degree of fermentation

   For example, green and yellow teas are unfermented, while yellow tea is lightly fermented, so the degree of fermentation between the two will not clash.

   
   

   b) Similar tea processing method

   In the tea-making process, yellow tea is a step further from green tea in fermentation, so mixing them will be suitable considering rule number one.

   Green and white tea can also be mixed with some to master the “one more and one less " method. Black and dark tea have a high degree of fermentation, so mixing some of them theoretically is also acceptable.

   
   

   c) Similar tea properties (茶性）

   Each tea property affects how your body absorbs the tea, so paying attention to it while blending is essential. Tea properties are affected by the degree of oxidation and fermentation.

   
   

   Green tea: cold

   White tea: new white tea is cold; old white tea is warm

   Yellow tea: cold

   Oolong tea: neutral (green oolong tea with low fermentation is cold; high-fermented oolong tea or aged oolong tea is neutral)

   Black tea: warm

   Dark tea: warm