Choose a base
The base is most of the jar and decides caffeine, brewing temperature and how the blend takes milk.
True tea
Leaves of the tea plant. All contain caffeine.
- Black (Assam, Ceylon, Keemun): bold, takes milk and spices well.
- Green (sencha, gunpowder): grassy, pairs with mint, jasmine, citrus.
- White (white peony): delicate, best with flowers and soft fruit.
- Oolong and pu-erh: toasty or earthy, good with ginger and dried fruit.
Herbal base
Caffeine-free (except yerba mate). Often called tisanes.
- Rooibos and honeybush: sweet and nutty, a natural fit for chai spices and vanilla.
- Hibiscus: tart and deep red, the base for fruit punches and iced tea.
- Mint, lemongrass, lemon balm, chamomile: light bases for evening and after-dinner blends.
The shape of a blend
Think in parts: a part is any measure you use for every ingredient. For a sample jar, 1 part = 1 tablespoon (about 10 to 15 cups of tea); for a retail tin, 1 part = ¼ cup.
- Base
- One tea or herb, sometimes two that share a brewing temperature (Assam with Ceylon, rooibos with honeybush).
- Supporting
- The flavor that gives the blend its name: cinnamon and ginger in a chai, dried berries in a fruit blend, spearmint in a Moroccan mint.
- Accents
- Small amounts for aroma and color: rose petals, cornflower, cardamom, vanilla, citrus peel.
Dried fruit pieces look generous in the jar but give less flavor than you'd expect, so fruit blends often need a fruity base like hibiscus or rosehips behind them.
Base: 6 Assam CTC · Supporting: 1 cinnamon chips, 1 ginger pieces · Accents: ½ cracked cardamom, ¼ whole cloves, ¼ black peppercorns
Load it in the Tea Mixer and make it yours →Match the brewing temperature
Everything in the jar brews at the base's temperature. Hard spices like cinnamon and ginger need boiling water to give up their flavor, so they suit black tea and herbal bases better than delicate white or green teas.
Green and white teas turn bitter in boiling water or with long steeps. If a green blend tastes harsh, cool the water before blaming the recipe.
Strong ingredients: use less than you think
These take over a blend quickly. Start at ¼ part and raise them after tasting.
- Lavender
- Whole cloves
- Licorice root
- Peppermint
- Lapsang souchong
- Star anise
- Black peppercorns
- Dried chili
Flavoring oils such as bergamot (the taste of Earl Grey) go in by drops, not parts. Use only food-grade oils, add a few drops per cup of tea, seal the jar and let it rest a day or two so the aroma spreads evenly.
Cut size and settling
- Pick ingredients with pieces close to the size of your tea leaves. Small bits sink, large pieces rise, and the last cups from the jar taste different from the first.
- Use cinnamon chips, cracked cardamom and ginger pieces rather than powders. Powders cloud the cup and slip through infusers.
- Shake the jar before each scoop, and tell your customers to do the same.
- Mix base first, then fold in flowers and petals last so they don't crush to dust.
Dry ingredients only
Moisture is what spoils a tea blend. Fresh herbs, fresh fruit and fresh peel will mold in the jar. Dry citrus peel until it snaps, use fruit that is fully dried rather than soft or candied, and blend on a dry day if you can.
Taste test before you scale up
- Brew 1 heaped teaspoon in 8 ounces of water at the base's temperature and time.
- Taste it plain first, then with milk or a sweetener if that's how it will be served.
- For iced tea, brew at double strength and pour over ice.
- Change one ingredient by ½ part at a time, note it, and brew again.
Storing
- Keep blends in airtight, light-blocking tins or pouches. Clear jars look nice but fade color and flavor.
- Store away from spices, coffee and soap. Tea picks up nearby smells.
- Most blends taste best within 6 to 12 months. Write the name and date on every tin.
Safety notes
Herbal ingredients aren't right for everyone. The Tea Mixer flags these on the label as you blend:
- Hibiscus and licorice root: not advised during pregnancy; licorice is also a concern with high blood pressure.
- Chamomile: related to ragweed, so it can affect people with that allergy.
- Tulsi and some other herbs: check with a doctor if pregnant or taking medication.
- Nuts and coconut: almond bits and coconut flakes are allergens and must be named on the label.
A line such as "Check with your doctor if pregnant or taking medication" is a sensible addition to any herbal blend label.
Using the Tea Mixer
- Pick a starting point. Load one of the starter recipes, or press Clear and add your base first.
- Add from the pantry. Each tap adds one part. Use − and + to adjust in quarter parts.
- Watch the facts. The mixer shows the style, caffeine and brewing instructions, plus label notes for allergens and herbs that need a caution.
- Choose a batch size. Amounts switch between tablespoons and cups, with a cup count for the batch.
- Name it and save. Saved blends go into the Spiceground recipe book, or use Copy recipe to keep it yourself.
Turning a blend into a product
Weigh, don't scoop
Rose petals and cracked cardamom weigh very different amounts per spoonful, so volume recipes drift between batches and can't give you the ingredient order your label needs. Once a recipe is final, weigh each ingredient in grams and write a batch sheet in weights. Make every batch from that sheet and note the date and amount made.
What Florida's cottage food law allows
- Dry herbs, seasonings and mixtures are on the list of foods you can make at home and sell. Dry tea blends generally fit that description, but tea isn't named outright, so confirm with FDACS before you start.
- Anything containing hemp, CBD or THC can't be sold as cottage food; it must be made in a permitted facility.
- No state license or inspection is needed, but gross sales are capped at $250,000 a year.
- You can sell from home, at farmers' and flea markets, at roadside stands, and online or by mail order with payment over the internet. Check the receiving state's rules before shipping outside Florida.
- Wholesale and consignment are not allowed, so no selling to cafés or shops for resale.
What goes on the label
- Your operation's name and the physical address of your home kitchen (not a P.O. box).
- The product name.
- Ingredients in order of weight, heaviest first.
- Net weight or net volume.
- Allergens as federal law requires, such as tree nuts named by type (almonds) and coconut.
- This statement in at least 10-point type that contrasts with the label: "Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations."
Good practice beyond the rules
- Print brewing instructions and whether the blend contains caffeine.
- Describe taste and mood, not health benefits. "Cozy," "bright" and "soothing" are fine; "detox," "cures" or "treats" are drug claims in the eyes of the FDA.
- Add a best-by date and a caution line for herbal blends.
Sources: FDACS, Cottage Food Operations · UF/IFAS, Florida's Cottage Food Law (FS425). Rules change; check with FDACS before you start selling.
Ready for stores? Read Getting on shelves: from kitchen idea to private label →