Start With What?
The first thing you want to ask yourself is, “What kind of tea do I want to make?” What purpose or properties do you want this tea to have? Do you want it to replicate certain flavors, ideas, or a place in time? Is this tea medicinal? A sleep aid? A way to perk up in the morning or refresh yourself mid-afternoon?
Answering these questions will help you decide what kind of tea to use (black, green, decaf, herbal) and how to flavor it (herbs, spices, essential oils).
Choose and Gather Ingredients
Now you'll want to also gather your ingredients. You might be trying to use up teas from your stash you need to finish, or want to modify.
Plum Deluxe customers tend to combine all sorts of blends, but we do suggest when making your own teas, work from our unflavored tea collection which containers some of our more simplistic tea blends.
Blend and Taste
When you have all of your ingredients gathered, you are ready to start blending! The amounts of tea, herbs, or flavorings you add are entirely up to you, so you should feel free to experiment.
It’s a good idea to make an initial blend, then brew and taste the tea. If the flavor isn’t quite up to snuff, don’t despair! Simply add more of the lacking ingredient(s) and try again until you’re happy.
Packaging Makes Perfect
Once your tea is blended, you’ll want to think about packaging and storing. If the tea is just for you, an opaque, airtight jar is the perfect way to store your brew (air and sunlight will make the tea go stale). Find something pretty and keep it out on your counter.
If you’re planning to give the tea as a gift, look for small, airtight tins or kraft paper treat bags. If your friends prefer tea bags to loose leaf, you can make your own teabags and wrap them in a pretty little box.
Don’t forget to make labels! You’ll want to include the name of your tea, the ingredients you used, and brewing instructions.
