Natural Flavors of Unscented and Unblended Tea

a basket of freshly picked single-origin tea in Anhui, China. © 2010, Tranquil Tuesdays.

Here at Tranquil Tuesdays, we are committed to showcasing unblended and unscented teas, allowing you the chance to discover the rich and exciting taste of a tea’s natural harvest.

Discover the Natural Flavors of Tea

Similar to wine and other natural products, tea is affected by many factors including climate, weather, and growing conditions (see more in this post on terroir and tea).

China’s best, freshest, and highest quality teas all have their own natural and inherent flavors that reflect their specific terroir.   You don’t need to add any additional flavors, scents or extra ingredients to have an amazing taste encounter.

“Unscented” and “Unblended”?

For many tea drinkers outside of China, the most popular, familiar, and widely available teas are scented or blended and not the natural taste of tea. 

Some of the most popular teas in the western world are scented teas (like Early Grey or Jasmine Green Tea) and some of the most familiar teas for western tea drinkers are blended teas (like English Breakfast, Russian Caravan, or Afternoon Tea Blend). 

Though many tea purveyors add scents to their teas, such as jasmine or bergamot peel, Tranquil Tuesdays believes that the exciting flavors of pure Chinese tea are best enjoyed on their own—ideally from a single tea harvest.

Honoring Nature’s Variations

At Tranquil Tuesdays, we believe that the variations in nature are both special and exciting. A tea’s natural taste will vary from harvest to harvest. Many tea purveyors blend teas from different regions or even different countries to achieve a shelf-stable, consistent taste, but we believe that blending leaves ruins the experience of drinking a tea that has a unique and special attachment to its provenance.

Why This Means More Fun for You

Personally, I think one of the most exciting and fun things about tasting Chinese teas gong fu style is tasting how the tea’s flavors evolve through each steeping. 

You can really only go on this taste journey with pure, natural teas where you are tasting the tea’s natural flavors.  With a scented tea, the flavor is pretty much gone after the first steeping.  You might get a little more in the second steeping but after that it is kaput. 

With an unscented tea it is not uncommon to get at least FIVE (definitely three for sure) steepings with the flavor pronounced and evolving in each steeping.  That is five times the fun of your low stamina scented teas!