How do tea manufacturers flavor?
Herbs for tea, but only if it is fresh andof sufficiently high quality. The tradition of adding aromatic substances to tea has a long history. These additives, naturally, natural, have always played the role of second violin, complementing, but not interrupting the rich taste and aroma of tea. In China, these are traditional flower petals - jasmine, lotus, osmanthus, rose, chrysanthemum and others. In England, tea with bergamot oil is popular, according to legend, it was obtained by chance. Tea with mint, thyme and St. John's wort has always been popular in Russia. And also an exclusively Russian invention - tea with lemon. In modern retail chains there is a separate class of teas with additives or flavors. As a rule, this is not quite fresh tea (a year or two from the date of collection) and of low quality, which finds a second life thanks to artificial flavors. Modern tea makers flavor tea in four main ways:
- synthetic flavors,
- natural oils or essences,
- flavors with the addition of natural berries and flowers,
- natural ingredients (aromatic herbs, berries, and flowers).
The first two ways are clear: All manufacturers write the composition of the product on the package. Buyer's personal business is to drink tea with “flavors identical to natural”, or to search for more expensive, but really natural flavored teas. Unfortunately, the demand for tea flavored with oils is very small, so it is unprofitable to produce it.
The third way to flavor tea is the most treacherous. Usually these teas are sold by weight, and there is no information on the ingredients on their packaging. The buyer sees that the tea contains pieces of berries, fruits, petals and herbs, and does not even think that this is just a good marketing move. Natural ingredients mask the use of artificial flavors. To verify this, buy in bulk some tea flavored with, for example, orange or strawberry. Prepare your own similar mixture, brew and compare the taste and aroma. The natural blend will be far from the richness of flavored tea. Make your own conclusions. Additives to tea existed in Russia always, long before the appearance of the actual tea. Our ancestors brewed fragrant herbs to warm up, improve their health or raise their spirits. And today, flavored teas can be made independently and, most importantly, with health benefits. After all, for ourselves we will use only the best and natural ingredients. Consider the most common ones.
