If you’ve ever taken a sip of tea and thought, Why does this taste… fake?—chances are, you’ve had a brew loaded with artificial flavors. Many teas on the market rely on lab-made additives to mimic real ingredients, but that’s not how we do things at Blended by Andie. We believe tea should taste like what it actually is—bold, natural, and packed with real flavor, no shortcuts.

What’s the Deal with Artificial Flavors?

Artificial flavors are chemically created compounds designed to mimic the taste of real ingredients. They might make a tea smell like fresh strawberries or rich vanilla, but they’re not coming from actual fruit or vanilla beans. Instead, they’re often derived from petroleum or other synthetic sources. Beyond the questionable origins, these additives can leave a strange aftertaste and mask the true complexity of high-quality tea.

Even "natural flavors" aren’t as pure as they sound. Legally, a “natural flavor” only has to be derived from something found in nature, but that doesn’t mean it’s a straight extract of the ingredient you think you’re tasting. The result? A blend that feels more like a factory formula than a carefully crafted cup.

What We Use Instead

At Blended by Andie, we stick to the real stuff. Every ingredient in our blends comes straight from nature—whole herbs, real spices, dried fruit, and botanicals that carry their own depth and character. Here’s what makes our approach different:

🌿 Whole Ingredients with Bold Flavor

We use real vanilla bean instead of vanilla “flavoring.” We use dried citrus peel instead of lab-made orange essence. We rely on cinnamon bark, cardamom pods, and fresh-cut ginger to bring spice and warmth, rather than artificial spice extracts.

🍓 Dried Fruit, Not Fake Fruit

If a blend calls for fruit, we use the actual thing—freeze-dried raspberries, apple pieces, hibiscus petals for tartness. These ingredients don’t just taste better; they steep into the tea naturally, without that overpowering “candy” taste artificial flavors tend to have.

🌸 Botanicals & Herbs That Shine on Their Own

Chamomile, lavender, rose petals—these ingredients have their own built-in magic. We don’t need to “enhance” their flavors because they’re already packed with aromatic goodness. When blended right, they create complex, layered teas that don’t need synthetic help.

Why It Matters

Tea is meant to be savored, not masked by chemical additives. When you drink a cup made with real ingredients, you’re getting the full experience—earthy, floral, spicy, bright—without anything artificial getting in the way. It’s better for your body, better for the environment, and, most importantly, it tastes the way tea should taste.

So next time you’re choosing a tea, check the ingredients. If you see “natural flavors” or anything you can’t pronounce, ask yourself: Wouldn’t I rather have the real thing?

At Blended by Andie, we keep it real—because tea should be a craft, not a chemistry experiment.