How to imitate Teavana flavors?

[ZeroC]

My favorite tea is Teavana Arcadian Apple - ingredients are as follows per their website:

Green tea, white tea, apple bits, candied pineapple, candied papaya, cardamom, cherries (with pit), raisins and marigold petals.

So I wanted to learn to make this at home (cheaper) so I bought candied fruits and green tea and cardamom and put all of these in my infusor ... the only thing I left out was the marigold petals ... and it tasted like green tea that smelled like cardamom. It was not good. No fruit taste at all.

So ... obviously I'm thinking Teavana adds liquid extracts or flavoring they don't list on their website?

Any insight on making flavored teas that taste good without pumping them full of flavor extracts? Or is that how it should be done?

-New to tea, need help!

[kymidwife]

I came to Teachat because of trying to find cheaper sources for some of Teavana's flavored teas... and my searching led me to Adagio and the SIgnature Blends option. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest taking a look. You can choose up to 3 different teas, flavored or unflavored, herbal/fruit or true tea leaf, and concoct something approaching your desired blend. It may take some tries to get it right... I chose to buy some flavored and unflavored sampler sets so I could play with blending at home. Once I got my parameters adjusted, I created my own Signature Blend with Adagio so I can order the tea already blended. If other people also order a blend you created, you get points with Adagio that can be used toward future purchases. Its a neat program.

Interestingly, I hardly ever drink flavored tea anymore... but my "An Appetite Suppressant" is my favorite iced tea blend, and has been an extremely good seller for months.

Have fun blending!

Sarah

[ZeroC]

Thank you for the suggestion! I am currently looking at Adagio and I like a lot of what I see! Even I couldn't imagine up some of the flavor blends people have created ... even Wedding Cake! Might keep me from eating real cake, LOL. Your "An Appetite Suppressant" tea looks wonderful as well! I will definitely be placing an order with them and maybe trying out some of my own blends!

Happy tea drinking to you!

[TubbyCow]

I got this little write up from Frank, who runs 52Teas and Zoomdweebie, which both specialise in flavoured teas:

"The truth of the matter is that those natural and artificial flavors are really what give the teas (herbal and otherwise) their flavor. Super-concentrated flavorings are mixed into the tea at about 15 grams per pound (about 3%) and much of that weight actually evaporates away. The flavors are alcohol based; the alcohol carries the flavors throughout the tea as it evaporates allowing the tea to become infused with flavor. Most of the actual fruits, peels and botanicals you see in the tea blends are for show, though some do add a little to the flavor."

So, in short, he says it's nearly impossible to get much flavour out of dried fruit, and chances are that any fruity tea you're drinking has flavouring added to it. He certainly knows the field, so I'd imagine what he's pretty spot-on.

[kymidwife]

Wedding Cake was one of my first Signature Blend purchases... and it really does taste like wedding cake, maybe better. Glad you found the information of use.

Welcome to Tea-Chat!

Sarah

[Chip]

So, in short, he says it's nearly impossible to get much flavour out of dried fruit, and chances are that any fruity tea you're drinking has flavouring added to it. He certainly knows the field, so I'd imagine what he's pretty spot-on.

I would agree 100% with him. I have tried many times to create (fruit) flavored tea naturally. It is virtually impossible to recreate the strong fruit flavors otherwise.

[kymidwife]

Agreed regarding the natural versus artificial flavors...

The exceptions I've found in my personal home blending is that there are 2 natural flavorings which add nice flavor on their own... fresh mint leaves and citrus zest. Anyone who likes NMTC's Orange Blossom Oolong should grate some orange zest over some of their lesser-quality leaf prior to brewing... fantastic flavor and fantastic way to use up tea you're not crazy about.

Sarah

[Chip]

Yes, the mints are easy. Also Lemon Grass adds nice citrus notes.

[TubbyCow]

The exceptions I've found in my personal home blending is that there are 2 natural flavorings which add nice flavor on their own... fresh mint leaves and citrus zest.

+1

I wasn't into mint teas at all. I didn't get why people enjoyed them so much. Then I made my own gunpowder green with fresh mint, and it made such a wonderful difference. For me, fresh is the only way to go when it comes to mint.

[sneakers]

Agreed regarding the natural versus artificial flavors...

The exceptions I've found in my personal home blending is that there are 2 natural flavorings which add nice flavor on their own... fresh mint leaves and citrus zest. Anyone who likes NMTC's Orange Blossom Oolong should grate some orange zest over some of their lesser-quality leaf prior to brewing... fantastic flavor and fantastic way to use up tea you're not crazy about.

Sarah

I've tried lemon zest, which came out bitter, although the orange zest is very nice. Dried cranberries and dried coconut added no flavor.

A drop of vanilla extract in another tea worked out well. Has anyone tried other liquid extracts? I have a few teas that I really dislike, and they need camouflage.

[debunix]

I've not tried to imitate specific flavored herbal teas, but I've gotten nice tart fruity flavor from hibiscus blossoms. They don't taste like any one particular fruit, but do a nice job of adding a strong fruitiness to mixed herbal teas. I like to blend hibiscus with some orange rind for a more citrusy flavor. Then depending on mood, some chamomile, or mint, and some licorice for sweetness.

Not meaning to imply that this is a match for the OP's tea, but just that it's possible to get a strong fruity flavor without fruit extracts.

[TeaGongGoGuy]

I know this post is old but I thought I add for the next person that comes across it.

So I actually worked for Teavana for a year. The training was intensive and I learned a lot about tea. As to Youthberry, dried ground goji berries were the main flavoring, at least thats what were instructed. If you shake the tea through a wire strainer you can see some of the powder, or at the bottom of your can when you're done with the tea.

As far as replicating fruity flavors without using chemicals, the trick is to boil your dried fruit first. I have a long list of fruity tea recipes that you'll find on my blog when it launches. Shooting for end of this month, but by December it will be up and running with posts for blending, tastings, and product reviews each week.

Teavana was way overpriced and resulted in its failure. You can get the same wonderful taste at a fraction of the cost if you know how.