I agree completely on flavoring. If it's not in the tea, I don't
need it; tea has so many flavors to begin with. On your idea
of one tea subtracting rather than adding to a "blend," my
favorite example simply is green and red teas mixed. They
never seem to complement one another, but each renders
the other peculiar.

Michael

> I think with blending you can come up with something new. The British
> are the masters. I suggested the OP was combining flavors and not
> blending for a different taste. Teas with flavor of whatever are rife.
> What comes out of the black or green Puer process is a 'taste'
> irregardless if it is blended or not at the factory. It probably
> couldn't be reproduced again. From my experience blending yourself at
> least for black doesn't produce anything worth while. One cake might
> be particularly rancid and the next chauky. The two tastes don't add
> up they subtract as any combination I've tried so far. Puer with
> chrysanthemum or rose is flavoring. I think flavoring and blending are
> two different taste.
>
> Jim
>
> Michael Plant wrote:
>> Space 4/27/06
>>
>>
>>> Typical British morning teas are blends of teas. Keemun is used in
>>> English Breakfast. The British can make a taste that is greater than
>>> the sum of the teas. I think doing that yourself is a waste of time.
>>> You don't end up with a new taste but something that brings out the
>>> worst of tea. I've been mixing black Puers for several months and the
>>> taste is less than each individual black. I dumped my last mixture
>>> because the amalgamation didn't even taste like cooked puer. I do
>>> throw in a pinch of green as flavoring but that is different than
>>> blending.
>>>
>>> Jim
>>
>>
>> Jim,
>>
>> What you say makes sense for Pu'erh where the blending takes place before
>> the cake is pressed. But, I like more Keemun in a red blend than most people
>> do, so I think blending red teas is the way to go. With a little work you
>> can come up with a blend you like better than those commerically available.
>> On the other hand -- and I think this is what you're saying -- it might not
>> be worth the trouble. More typically, if I have two or more tea packets with
>> only the last remaining dregs, I'll mix them, sometimes to auspcious
>> result, sometimes not.
>>
>> Michael
>