Are you thinking of trying our new wholesale create-a-blend service for your business? If so, you might benefit from a few handy blending tips to get started.

First, here are some basics about using the service. Our blending feature resides in the online account of established Adagio XL (wholesale only) customers. Login and go to your account, the custom blends feature will appear there.

The wholesale website will allow you to select up to three teas and three accents. The latter are flowers, fruits, and spices that visually enhance your tea or add an extra pop of spice. You can select the teas from drop-down lists and then select the percent of each tea for unique creation. Remember that your combined total of tea must equal 100%. Then select one, two, or all three of the accents to enhance your creation.

As you add and adjust teas and ratios, the price per pound will appear on the page. Once satisfied, you can name and save your blend. We strongly suggest purchasing a sample first to ensure your new blend is as expected (and we cannot accept returns on custom items). If it meets your expectations, you can then purchase a full ten pounds.

Now for the blending tips!

Creamy Flavors add a comforting quality and make a simple tea feel decadent. When blending with them, they can also obscure other flavors, so a little goes a long way. If using cream, vanilla, caramel, or chocolate as a blending ingredient start light if you want other flavors to still shine. If you are adding them to a fruity tea for example, try 10-20 percent, as a soft accent, or 30-40 percent to be a little more pronounced. Of course, if you want them to be the dominant flavor, then keep them at the 50 percent ratio or more to start.

Spicy flavors add pop and liveliness and can even add some health benefits! Our Fiery Cinnamon Spice is a hot sweet cinnamon black tea that can be too intense for some, so it makes sense to use it with caution. Ginger is all the rage these days but also can be intense so test your blend with lower amount initially to see how it works with the other flavors in your blend. The wellness section on our wholesale website has the reputed health benefits of many of our ingredients, as an easy reference.

Fruity flavors are always popular but some really shine in warm weather months. Decide which flavor you want to be strongest in your blend and start at 50 percent. Then add secondary flavors in lesser amounts. Perhaps you would like a blend that is mostly strawberry with a little lemon and a little cream. Select a strawberry tea at 50 percent, add 20 percent cream, and 30 percent lemon tea. Add some creative accents and review the price. Then name your creation. Consider adding a version number in case you decide to make more than one attempt, such as “Strawberry Lemon Cream No. 1” to differentiate.

If blending teas that have different base teas, such as green tea with black tea, or white tea with herbals, etc. keep in mind that you may be tempted to use the brewing instructions for the most delicate tea in the blend, but when you receive your sample, experiment with different brew temperatures to see what works best. You might think a green base will get too astringent if brewed long enough to bring out the spices in a chai, but if the green tea is at a lower ratio in the blend, or if you are solely using it in a latte type drink, it might be just fine. Be brave!