I’d argue that your “mushroom coffee” is actually tea. I would probably stop arguing when we get too close to a soup base. There’s a thin line between savory tea and soup. One day I may get to dance along that line, but for now, let’s talk about discovering the flavors we actually use in our teas.
With anything you need a (soup) base. Whether it be black tea, chamomile, rooibos, or yerba mate, you need a fixed point to work around. We start with traditional teas and botanicals, but then do our best to understand the ingredients and which potential pairings work with our own unique palettes and sense memories…and don’t work. Each time we come up with a new tea we are expanding our own knowledge and understanding of each ingredient at hand.
I’ve said it before, but we have certainly made some bad tea blends. One tea tasted akin to licking the inside of a dusty scotch bottle–horribly unpleasant. However, I have learned something in spite of it. Black cardamom and green cardamom are not interchangeable. Please remember that bit however you must. Write it down, tattoo it on your eyelids, just don’t use the black cardamom in your tea. It is hard for a combination to be good enough to end up in one of our brown or black bags, but once you’re there the blend “pops”, so to speak. It will hit high, it will hit low, and coat your taste buds in a way that it is a full and complete olfactory experience.
Have I answered any questions? I’m certain I may have raised more than I’ve answered, but I hope I’ve at least pointed you in a direction towards an answer. I can’t say there is a right way to make tea, but I can say there is no wrong place you will end up. Sometimes it may be unpleasant, but the important thing is that you’re doing something and that you continue to do things. What flavors do you like? What flavors would you like to learn more about? Start there and cut loose, but always stay bumpy.