Ten Beautiful and Unusual Teas to Try

Everyone loves tea. Although sometimes people get tired of the usual black and green teas, and the usual blends with them, and want to try something really special or beautiful. Tea can be the real work of art sometimes, looking like a beautiful masterpiece, or even a bit of magic in your cup.

Blooming tea is a work of art in of itself. Invented in China, it is basically a little ball of tea leaves—usually green or white tea—wrapped in several layers, in a certain way so they can unfurl later. Inside of the ball is a little flower. The tea is always handmade and the people who make it need to be very careful, for it is delicate work that requires a lot of patience and concentration. Because of this, machines can’t make it. However the greatest wonder of this kind of tea starts when you put it in hot water. The layers of the leaves start to open one after the other, until at last the tiny flower is revealed inside. The leaves and flower vary, though all of them are amazingly beautiful and look like magic in your tea kettle. Of course the teapot has to be made of glass or some other transparent material to see the leaves and flower opening and that is how they usually serve this kind of tea.

Every person in the world who likes refined, soft tastes needs to try this tea. It is made from tiny, delicate rose buds that usually come from China or Iran, that not only decorate your cup, but are also very nutritious as they contain a high amount vitamin C. You can also add them to your regular green or black tea, if you don’t like the taste of strong rose buds, and can be very good in case if you caught cold or just feel weak.

If you are a patriotic Canadian or just love maple then you can give this tea a try. If you are one of those hardcore maple fans then you will definitely appreciate this unique tasting tea, and if you really want to taste maple then you can even add some maple sugar to it as well. This tea tastes like black tea mixed with the very concentrated maple syrup, along with an interesting aftertaste, and warms you up quickly for those cold winter nights. It’s no wonder the Canadians created it, not only does it fulfill the maple obsession they have but is perfect for when you are cold. Adding actual maple syrup to your tea may work as well, though maple tea has something very special in its taste already.

Gold tea is something several countries propose for tourists to try. In Japan you can buy tea leaves and a little bag of golden flakes with them (which are also available through the internet) though it is not known how good those flakes are for your health. Some Chinese and Singapore companies will offer you to buy tea leaves covered with gold, so it is up to your choice if you really want to give it a try. Certain cafes in Dubai assure that for about 60$ a cup, they will add gold to your tea while brewing it, and while the authorities have said many times that it is no more than a trick to attract tourists it is still up to you if you want to try it or not.

Green tea, or in fact any tea combined with edible lavender flowers is an absolute wonder if you want to relax. The soft light taste and the combination of flowers and tea is so unique, it is hard to describe it or to compare it with anything else if you haven’t tasted lavender before. The plant itself had been praised since Roman times and is often used by those who like to try their own home remedies, while green tea is very well-known for its benefits for your health, so if you have an opportunity to try it—then be a little adventurous and try it. You can also add lavender flowers to black tea, but the strong taste of black tea would not be as soft as when you combine it with the green or white one.

Some tea producing companies tell you to try something beautiful and definitely unique—blue tea. Blue tea is made of dried butterfly pea flowers, harvested in Thailand and it is really blue when it is brewed. They promise you a pleasant flowery taste and say the tea turns purple if you add some fresh lemon juice into it. The people who have tried it enjoy the experience, and even if you don’t the tea is undeniably something very original.

Certain companies want you to try sparkling tea—just like sparkling water or wine. Even though the most of the tea lovers would frown at the idea, others who like to try new things and aren’t as serious about their tea would gladly try some. Maybe even enjoy it, too. It comes in different flavors, like different combinations of berries and fruits, so if you like fruity soft drinks you might like fruity sparkling tea as well.

Not actually a kind of tea, but a way to decorate your tea drinking experience. The heart-shaped tea bags are not only cute, but also romantic and a way to make your loved ones smile. So if you plan to cheer someone up with a cup of tea, make it with a heart-shaped tea bag; it will definitely make them smile. Heart shaped tea bags can be bought from stores like Etsy or you can make them yourself through DIY tutorials on the internet.

Those of you who like vanilla, whether cakes or sweets or just enjoy the smell of vanilla, may also enjoy the vanilla tea. The warm scent adds to its sweetness (in case if you prefer your tea with sugar), and the tea goes well with desserts and cakes. You can buy it or make it yourself, adding vanilla powder to your tea kettle.

Cloudberries are native to the Northern Hemisphere, and it is very doubtful that you will find tea made of it anywhere else without the use of the internet. In fact, Scandinavian people add cloudberry to just about everything, including sweets and liqueurs, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that cloudberry tea exists. The berry has a rather soft and gentle taste, and it adds a unique scent and aftertaste to tea. You can buy cloudberry-flavored teabags (the tea is often mixed with some other berries) or to add some cloudberry syrup to your tea, if you can get it.