r/tea • u/OpalescentShrooms • Apr 15 '26
Photo I want to drink this every day, forever.
It might be the best flavored oolong I've ever had ♡
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u/Necromelody Apr 15 '26
I like that the tea people discovered horchata specifically for this reason. I have bought so many different horchata tea blends, and all have been tasty. Still doesn't beat the real thing but it's nice for a quick fix!
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u/MiladyWho Apr 16 '26
woah this is the first I'm hearing of horchata flavored tea now I'm curious what it tastes like.
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u/canarycolors Apr 15 '26
What other blends do you like? This sounds so good, I love a flavored tea blend
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u/Necromelody Apr 16 '26
David's tea has pretty decent flavored tea and an horchata blend. Recently, I have been enjoying a Lychee flavored black tea from the steeping room. It's great hot or iced!
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u/dampdrizzlynovember Apr 15 '26
checked the ingredients, i wonder what "milk flavor" is
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u/ashinn www.august.la Apr 15 '26
Could be 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl), delta-decalactone, and or other molecules.
In general flavorings are just a highly concentrated version of the molecule that is responsible for a flavoring the named ingredient. For example, the key molecule for vanilla flavoring is called vanilln.
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u/Strayl1ght Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
The milk flavor comes from lactones (𝜹-Decalactone primarily). It occurs naturally in milk, but can also be lab-synthesized without ever touching real dairy. Gives mouth feel and flavor/smell. Because of this they do not have to list milk or dairy as an ingredient or potential allergen.
Because they call it “natural” milk flavor this means it was converted from fatty acids in plant-based oils using natural microbes in a controlled setting vs. being 100% manmade from reagents. If it was purely synthesized in a lab without the microbes then they would have to drop the “natural” and just call it “milk flavor.”
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u/Halsey_Taylor Apr 16 '26
So it's... Vegan?
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u/ashinn www.august.la Apr 16 '26
Yes flavoring is almost always vegan, hypoallergenic, etc because it is so purified. I like that for example people with tree nut allergies can enjoy almond flavors via flavoring, even if actual almonds are dangerous for them.
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u/CrochetBass Apr 15 '26
I don’t believe companies have to disclose what they use for flavoring in the USA, do they?
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u/babygotthefever Apr 15 '26
Flavoring has to be included in the ingredient list but can be as vague as “natural flavor.”
I ran a food manufacturing facility for several years and we used some of these types of flavorings. Our suppliers were not open about how the flavors were achieved but I remain curious.
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u/ashinn www.august.la Apr 15 '26
The process is extremely cool. Most flavors are created by volatile molecules that are primarily aromatic in nature.
So when a flavor house wants to create a flavoring from an ingredient, they can use a process like mass spectrometry to figure out which molecules are creating that flavor in the natural material.
Then it’s just a matter of either synthesizing it or refining a natural product in order to make mass quantities of that particular molecule.
Natural and artificial flavoring have more or less the same finished result: a highly concentrated flavor molecule.
The only difference is the source material. In the case of natural flavor, it must be a material of plant or animal origin. And in the case of artificial flavor, it can be synthesized from artificial bases.
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u/Strottman Apr 15 '26
Is the idea that artificial flavors are generally unhealthier than natural flavors bunk, then?
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u/Strayl1ght Apr 16 '26
I gave some info on this in a reply to your parent comment if you’re interested!
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u/ashinn www.august.la Apr 15 '26
Flavoring companies don’t disclose what goes into flavoring anywhere in the world to my knowledge
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u/mpmaley Apr 15 '26
What’s the flavor?
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u/OpalescentShrooms Apr 15 '26
Toasted rice, cinnamon, and milk
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u/paxweasley Apr 15 '26
That sounds divine
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
It's a Mexican (?) Drink that is fantastic. You can make it yourself with rice, cinnamon, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and a blender.
If you rather buy it, a lot of taco trucks have them. Pronounced orchata. Some have star anise in them too which I love but isint everyone's favorite
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u/Eryci Apr 15 '26
I'd definitely recommend making it though. Most of the ones I've bought have been too sweet, and/or lacking flavor. The one I made at home was probably the best I've had.
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
I'd tend to agree, though I have struggled to get the texture quite right at home. Any suggestion to remove the extra particulate?
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u/Folium249 Apr 15 '26
Strain with a cheese cloth. Some recipes call to lightly toast the rice prior to blending. Then it’s just getting the ratio rice to your taste
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
Might try cheese cloth again. I tried it before but 1 piece wasn't enough and 2 immediately clogged. I do have a jelly bag come to think of it, maybe that would do the trick
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u/Eryci Apr 15 '26
I used what I think is a flour sifter. It's better if you let the horchata sit for awhile first so you can pour the liquid off the top through the sieve, and then you can use a cheese cloth on the thick stuff on the bottom to get all of the liquid out. The longer you let it sit for the better because you'll have to put in less work.
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u/BooksCatsnStuff Apr 15 '26
In Spain we have horchata too, but it is very different to the Mexican horchata. I recommend trying the Spanish one if you can. It is typical from the region of Valencia.
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
Made with tiger nuts right? I have been meaning to try it, just haven't gotten access to it
Mexican horchata is much more common in North America
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u/BooksCatsnStuff Apr 15 '26
Yep! To be honest, tiger nuts aren't easy to find in Spain either, but the drink itself can be easily found in Valencia, particularly in summer. Or mass manufactured all over the country, but that one isn't as nice.
I figured you folks didn't have access to any version other than the Mexican one, I actually haven't tried Mexican horchata myself precisely because we don't have it accessible here. But I expect they will be somewhat similar, since the Mexican version is a derivation of the Spanish one.
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
Actually checking the wiki page for horchata there is a lot of very different types with ki assume) very different flavor profiles. I'd definitely give it a shot making horchata de arraz if you can
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u/Plane-Proof-3963 Apr 16 '26
You can find it in many other places in the Mediterranean Spanish coast without being mass produced.
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u/annewmoon Apr 15 '26
I thought it was supposed to be made with tiger nut?
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
I looked it up to make sure I got it right,but Spanish horchata is generally made with tiger nuts. Mexican horchata should technically be called horchata de arroz, and is made with rice.
There is also a bunch if different types of horchata worldwide, almost all are from spanish countries, plant based beverages. Technically horcata's etymology comes from the word barley as well, so it's been made by many people many times in a variety of flavors
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u/annewmoon Apr 15 '26
Ah that's interesting! Thanks for the info! I've only ever tried the tiger nut type but they all sound interesting
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 15 '26
I've never tried or made the tiger nut version, couldn't be easily made so I just did the rice one!
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u/goldjade13 Apr 16 '26
I thought it was Spanish. Maybe anywhere the nut grows.
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u/ShadowAdam Apr 16 '26
I looked it up and it's from a bunch of different places. The one that's most popular in America is made with rice
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u/VRJammy Apr 16 '26
It's a Valencian drink :D Tastes like soymilk but sweet and more nutty
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u/Skreech2011 Apr 16 '26
You know it never occurred to me that horchata originated in Spain, but that makes a lot of sense considering the whole conquistadores thing.
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u/theehoneygirl Apr 16 '26
OMG WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS
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u/turtledett Apr 15 '26
Oh. My. Gosh!! I’m very jealous!! Me encanta la horchata! I was spoiled while I was in El Salvador with their real, homemade horchatas every day! Every time I go to order this on the Harney & Sons app, it’s sold out! I’ve had to use Yogi’s Cinnamon Horchata Stress + Sleep in its place. I’m hoping my family can find some as my Mother’s Day gift!!! 💝
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u/GeeBeeXO Apr 16 '26
If you have a world market near you, check there. They usually have a pretty good stock of all Harney & Sons
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u/turtledett Apr 16 '26
I wish we did!! We don’t even have a Trader Joe’s!! Sometimes Target carries Harney & Sons, but not many.
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u/QuietlyThundering Apr 16 '26
This is one of my flavored teas from them!! I’m Mexican-American, and adore horchata, you bet I snatched up a box of this when I saw it in online!
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u/OrangeScissors_ Apr 15 '26
OMG I had the most amazing horchata tea at Lake Missoula Tea Co recently and have been searching for someone to scratch that itch (they didn’t tell the blend in store) 🙏🏻
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u/00johnqpublic00 Apr 15 '26
A lot of local tea shops that sell flavored tea like this are just repackaging bulk tea from Harney, Frontier Spice, and many other suppliers.
I found that was the case when I visited Perennial Tea Room in Seattle. They sell Harney & Son's (and other companies too) teas, stored in bulk jars and sold with an upcharge. I know this to be the case because they told me so.
All this is to say that its possible that the Missoula tea shop that you mention is doing the same. So it might have been this exact same tea.
Maybe try this one and see!
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u/boondiggle_III Apr 15 '26
I didn't know they had this flavor. I moved into deeper waters with unflavored teas a while ago, but I might return to the shallows for this one. Horchata is supreme
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u/DivineMiasma Apr 16 '26
....I wasn't planning on making a Harney purchase anytime soon, but the lie detector test has determined that was a lie.
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Apr 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Jumping_Jak_Stat Apr 16 '26
Harney does sell a lot of loose leaf tea. It is possible that their bags are made with lower quality leavings, but I've never noticed a difference between bags and loose leaf from Harney.
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u/at909 Apr 15 '26
Harney is pretty legit.
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u/applesandpebbles Apr 15 '26
in terms of flavor, absolutely. but the awesome taste is mostly from “natural flavors,” which is just a big unknown. i personally choose to avoid them, but there’s not too much research on their effects and most people consume them daily without an issue. up to you!
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u/ashinn www.august.la Apr 15 '26
Flavorings are generally highly regulated and tested by each countries governing food safety body. The regulations are changing all the time as new research becomes available.
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u/applesandpebbles Apr 15 '26
yes, but foods don’t have to say which specific “natural flavors” are in their products
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Apr 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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Apr 15 '26
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u/RealMrMicci Apr 15 '26
Whole leaf tea wouldn't really fit in a teabag and for sure wouldn't brew correctly so I'm afraid it is true. This obviously doesn't mean that you can't enjoy or even prefer teabags or that all loose leaf tea is better than all teabags
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u/ashinn www.august.la Apr 15 '26
You are correct that you can’t put whole leaf tea into a paper teabag. But with pyramid bags almost anything is possible because there’s so much more room in them.
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u/cptds Apr 15 '26
Why not get real horchata instead of flavor
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u/jayzisne Apr 15 '26
It takes a long time to make.. and what if you don’t want all that milk and sugar
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u/gtck11 Apr 15 '26
Also the arsenic risk. Would be nice to just have “flavoring” without the extra risk even if they say it won’t hurt you.
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u/pvtcannonfodder Apr 15 '26
Because it takes time to make it yourself or is more expensive to buy than this tea, or they just like the horchata flavoring in tea
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u/Mysterious_Soup_1541 Apr 15 '26
I don't usually do flavored teas but this one sounds fantastic. I'm about to do a restock with Harney so perfect timing!
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u/Interesting-Wave-781 Enthusiast Apr 17 '26
What other Harney teas do you enjoy?
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u/Mysterious_Soup_1541 Apr 17 '26
My usuals are the breakfast blends -- Scottish Morn, English, and Irish. CTC Assam, Earl Grey, and Pearl Jasmine are my other regulars. I also like their Apricot flavored tea, it doesn't have an artificial taste and is really nice mixed with the Earl Grey. I've tried some of their greens and puerhs but I'm a sucker for milky tea which my regulars work great for. I also only purchase loose leaf currently but I've been happy with their bagged teas in the past too.
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u/WitchyWaifuu Apr 16 '26
I'm FLYING to H&S for this, omg
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u/WitchyWaifuu Apr 23 '26
Update: got it, had to use like 5 bags worth in order to make an iced 32 oz cup, but with a splash of milk it was fantastic.
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u/PomegranateBoring826 Apr 16 '26
No way! I've never seen this before! The last one of their teas i bought was a Cherry Blossom! I must try this! Thank you for sharing!!
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u/PrinceeBunny Apr 16 '26
Every tea I’ve tried never tasted like horchata but I will give that one a try.
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u/redmountainbike Apr 16 '26
I had a nice horchata at Torchy's Tacos in Austin yesterday. At first I though, horchata tea? GROSS! And then I thought for a moment and it could be very, very good if done right.
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u/elisakiss Apr 16 '26
Is it in a plastic tea bag?
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u/lindasek Apr 16 '26
Yes, all of their teabags are plastic 🥴
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u/elisakiss Apr 17 '26
That’s terrible. I really want that tea but they don’t sell loose leaf.
They are banning those bags in Europe. Many tea bags, particularly "silken," pyramid, or heat-sealed paper varieties, release billions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles into a single cup of tea. Studies show a single plastic tea bag steeped at 95C. can release ~11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics, with polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and nylon (NY) being common materials found.
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u/RavenousMoon23 Apr 16 '26
Normally I don't do flavored teas but this sounds pretty good and I might actually try it
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u/Boggster Apr 16 '26
Where can I get something like this in Canada ?
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u/Scribbles138 Sep 08 '26
premiums.ca has a 20 sachet box.
(Found this thread while searching reviews for this tea!)
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u/jilliancad Apr 16 '26
Omg I bought this a few months ago and haven't tried it yet. I'm trying it first thing tomorrow!
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u/inononeofthisisreal Apr 16 '26
Ohh I ain’t know they had this flavor. Just popped open my cherry blossom
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u/jilecsid513 Apr 16 '26
Harney&Sons are amazing, and I had no idea they carried this, I went straight to their website and bought a tin
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u/GearhedMG Apr 17 '26
Just ordered the same tin, if it tickles my fancy like it seems to you, then I'm going to order the 50 sachet bag.
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u/Dry-Persimmon-9878 Apr 18 '26
Ooh that must be an interesting flavor profile! I could see Horchata working with a shou pu-erh since some of them can have that sticky rice taste, but with a heavily oxidized Oolong I imagine would work even better.
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u/Anesthesia_STAT Aug 02 '26
I have this one! Ugh, definitely tasty. And yet, Republic of Tea's Peach Blossom Oolong has yet to be unseated as my favorite oolong of all time. Highly, highly recommend, especially in the summer.
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u/Anhellmario Apr 15 '26
Ill try to just to dry rice and cinnamon to my milky oolong tea if that is enough to get this flavor.
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u/giraflor Apr 15 '26
When you make horchata from scratch, you have to blend the rice and cinnamon. I don’t think you’ll get enough of the rice flavor just from adding rice or using genmaicha.
I use horchata concentrate in tea sometimes as a combo milk/sugar replacement.
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u/Anhellmario Apr 15 '26
Good thinking. Then I'll crush the dry rice and the cinnamon. Everything will go in the strainer.
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u/reddits4losers Apr 16 '26
Just popping in to say Salvadoran horchata > Mexican horchata
But I'd totally try it lol
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u/CodeLiving Apr 16 '26
Oolong has a lot of lead.
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u/OpalescentShrooms Apr 16 '26
Also you do realize green tea, oolong, and black tea are all the same thing?
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u/DrEdgarAllanSeuss Apr 15 '26
Ooh, I’m a Harney’s fan, and I’ve never heard of this one! Possibly because I always go for black teas.