Hi.

I am trying to make my own flavoured teas.
But i am having lots of trouble getting even close to what you can buy
in the shops.

I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.

I also tried to make strawberry tea by using regular artificial
strawberry food flavour that you get in the supermarkets.
I just added some of the flavour to some tea leaves and let them dry.
That didn't work very well either.

Have anyone of you got any ideas on how it should be done?
What am i doing wrong?
Any tips that you can give me would be very appreciated.

There are a lot of small tea producers out there so it can't be that hard.

Im also trying to get hold of bergamot oil. I have had NO luck at all so
far. One place i found online could supply me with it. In nice even 10
litre drums.
Anyone knows where i can find smaller quantities?

Thanks / Peter

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:25:53 +1000, Peter J wrote:

> I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
> leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.

The only suggestion I have is dependent upon whether or not there is a typo
in the preceding sentence. Did you dry and crush black currant leaves or
the actual berries?

--
Derek

There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.

Derek wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:25:53 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>
>
>>I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
>>leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.
>
>
> The only suggestion I have is dependent upon whether or not there is a typo
> in the preceding sentence. Did you dry and crush black currant leaves or
> the actual berries?
>

Typo.
I used crushed dried leafs.
On their own they make a nice herbal "tea".
But the flavour gets lost when i mixed them with regular tea.
I used berries to today but i just dont think thats how the supermarket
tea is made. it was messy and the tea looked pitch black.

Peter

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 13:16:36 +1000, Peter J wrote:

> Derek wrote:
>> On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:25:53 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
>>>leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.
>>
>>
>> The only suggestion I have is dependent upon whether or not there is a typo
>> in the preceding sentence. Did you dry and crush black currant leaves or
>> the actual berries?
>>
>
> Typo.
> I used crushed dried leafs.

Actually, that wasn't the typo. You were right the first time. I was
referring to leaves versus berries.

> On their own they make a nice herbal "tea".
> But the flavour gets lost when i mixed them with regular tea.
> I used berries to today but i just dont think thats how the supermarket
> tea is made. it was messy and the tea looked pitch black.

But how did it taste? Color of the water is much less important than the
flavor.

And "they" often use the currants, not the leaves. Likely a pressed and
extracted flavor, but it's still from the berries. It's the same way my
"orange tea" is flavored with orange peel, not orange tree leaves.

For example:

http://www.adagio.com/flavors/currant.html

Or an herbal that uses leaves and berries from Black Currant.

http://www.englishteastore.com/blackcurrant.html

Or even the way you were doing it.

http://www.perennialtearoom.com/inde...PROD&ProdID=39

So maybe you weren't far off to begin with.

--
Derek

No matter how great and destructive your problems may seem now, remember,
you've probably only seen the tip of them.

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 13:16:36 +1000, Peter J wrote:

> Derek wrote:
>> On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:25:53 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
>>>leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.
>>
>>
>> The only suggestion I have is dependent upon whether or not there is a typo
>> in the preceding sentence. Did you dry and crush black currant leaves or
>> the actual berries?
>>
>
> Typo.
> I used crushed dried leafs.

Actually, that wasn't the typo. You were right the first time. I was
referring to leaves versus berries.

> On their own they make a nice herbal "tea".
> But the flavour gets lost when i mixed them with regular tea.
> I used berries to today but i just dont think thats how the supermarket
> tea is made. it was messy and the tea looked pitch black.

But how did it taste? Color of the water is much less important than the
flavor.

And "they" often use the currants, not the leaves. Likely a pressed and
extracted flavor, but it's still from the berries. It's the same way my
"orange tea" is flavored with orange peel, not orange tree leaves.

For example:

http://www.adagio.com/flavors/currant.html

Or an herbal that uses leaves and berries from Black Currant.

http://www.englishteastore.com/blackcurrant.html

Or even the way you were doing it.

http://www.perennialtearoom.com/inde...PROD&ProdID=39

So maybe you weren't far off to begin with.

--
Derek

No matter how great and destructive your problems may seem now, remember,
you've probably only seen the tip of them.

Derek wrote:
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 13:16:36 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>
>
>>Derek wrote:
>>
>>>On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:25:53 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
>>>>leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.
>>>
>>>
>>>The only suggestion I have is dependent upon whether or not there is a typo
>>>in the preceding sentence. Did you dry and crush black currant leaves or
>>>the actual berries?
>>>
>>
>>Typo.
>>I used crushed dried leafs.
>
>
> Actually, that wasn't the typo. You were right the first time. I was
> referring to leaves versus berries.
>
>
>>On their own they make a nice herbal "tea".
>>But the flavour gets lost when i mixed them with regular tea.
>>I used berries to today but i just dont think thats how the supermarket
>>tea is made. it was messy and the tea looked pitch black.
>
>
> But how did it taste? Color of the water is much less important than the
> flavor.
>
> And "they" often use the currants, not the leaves. Likely a pressed and
> extracted flavor, but it's still from the berries. It's the same way my
> "orange tea" is flavored with orange peel, not orange tree leaves.
>
> For example:
>
> http://www.adagio.com/flavors/currant.html
>
> Or an herbal that uses leaves and berries from Black Currant.
>
> http://www.englishteastore.com/blackcurrant.html
>
> Or even the way you were doing it.
>
> http://www.perennialtearoom.com/inde...PROD&ProdID=39
>
> So maybe you weren't far off to begin with.
>
Thank you for replying.
I will keep experementing. Wish me luck.

BTW. do you have a good webpage with do-it-yourself-teas recipec?

Thanks for all the help.

Peter

Derek wrote:
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 13:16:36 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>
>
>>Derek wrote:
>>
>>>On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:25:53 +1000, Peter J wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I tried to make black currant tea by mixing dried crushed black currant
>>>>leaves. That worked a bit but the currant flavour was very weak.
>>>
>>>
>>>The only suggestion I have is dependent upon whether or not there is a typo
>>>in the preceding sentence. Did you dry and crush black currant leaves or
>>>the actual berries?
>>>
>>
>>Typo.
>>I used crushed dried leafs.
>
>
> Actually, that wasn't the typo. You were right the first time. I was
> referring to leaves versus berries.
>
>
>>On their own they make a nice herbal "tea".
>>But the flavour gets lost when i mixed them with regular tea.
>>I used berries to today but i just dont think thats how the supermarket
>>tea is made. it was messy and the tea looked pitch black.
>
>
> But how did it taste? Color of the water is much less important than the
> flavor.
>
> And "they" often use the currants, not the leaves. Likely a pressed and
> extracted flavor, but it's still from the berries. It's the same way my
> "orange tea" is flavored with orange peel, not orange tree leaves.
>
> For example:
>
> http://www.adagio.com/flavors/currant.html
>
> Or an herbal that uses leaves and berries from Black Currant.
>
> http://www.englishteastore.com/blackcurrant.html
>
> Or even the way you were doing it.
>
> http://www.perennialtearoom.com/inde...PROD&ProdID=39
>
> So maybe you weren't far off to begin with.
>
Thank you for replying.
I will keep experementing. Wish me luck.

BTW. do you have a good webpage with do-it-yourself-teas recipec?

Thanks for all the help.

Peter

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:35:28 +1000, Peter J wrote:

> BTW. do you have a good webpage with do-it-yourself-teas recipec?

I'm afraid that I don't. Good luck with your experimenting.

--
Derek

"Marriage isn't supposed to make you happy -
it's supposed to make you married." -- Frank Pittman