Aromatic Journeys: Flavored Teas

Welcome, today's aromatic journey takes us all over the world to explore tea and it's flavorings. What is your preference, Black, Oolong or perhaps a Green Tea? Camellia sinensis is what is most commonly thought of when the word tea is used in language. The leaves come from a small evergreen originating along the forest border of Burma, China and India. In some cases it is referred to as Camellia thea.



The inspiration for this post is via a small cobalt blue bottle hand labeled with the words Honey Rose Elixir by my friend Lisa Camasi. This heavenly elixir was gifted to me a few years ago but got lost in the amongst all the glass spice containers. Just recently I discovered it and have been flavoring my black tea each morning with a few drops.

Generally I drink two cups of black tea in the morning and a few other non-black teas through out the day. Due to financial constraints I have started flavoring and making my own tea, which is quite simple. A cup of tea can be made with all sorts of items, which doesn't necessarily have to have "tea" Camellia sinensis in it. Consider Chai, or as they say in most Indian restaurants Masala tea, which is a blend of Indian spices, honey and milk. Sometimes Chai will have black tea in it but sometimes not. It all depends on the person making it. Here at home in the evenings after dinner when we are getting ready to watch a film I prepare a type of Chai with lots of Tumeric, Vanilla extract, Cardamon and whatever type of milk is handy.



Other popular teas without Camellia sinensis are Yerba Mate and Roobios. Yerba Maté, a traditional drink of my homeland Argentina, is created from the dry evergreen leaves of the sub-tropics in the Amazon. Due to the red berries it is considered the Rainforest holly. The Quechua Indian word "Maté" meaning cup, in reference to the gourd used for drinking the tea, most often in indigenous regions. In Argentina the popular drink is associated with the South American cowboy of the Pampas called the Gaucho.

Rooibos, referred to as Red Bush tea is high in antioxidants like the previously mentioned teas. The are picked while green and turn red during the oxidation process. Grown in the Western Cap Province of South Africa, the tea has a long list of beneficial health properties including strong antioxidant properties and the power to improve the immune system as well as repel aging.



To make your own flavored tea there are a variety of ways to begin. Purchase leaves of Camellia sinensis at a local grocery store that offers it loose or online. For the flavoring allow your imagination to run wild. I like going to international markets or China town to find interesting flavorings. One such item is a tea called "Birdpick" which is bright yellow and has a very strong fruit note. In fact the aroma is almost exact of a really expensive, exotic absolute in botanical perfumery called Boronia, from Australia. Other ways to flavor your tea, as I have been doing lately, are by adding a few drops of a true essential oil to your hot tea or to the leaves. One of my absolute favorite teas is Earl Grey, which can be made very simply by adding a few drops of Bergamot essential oil to loose Camellia sinensis.



As a devotee of all things pure and botanical I encourage you to use real plant materials and flavoring for your adventures in Tealand. Most of the flavored teas on the market are made with synthetic flavorings, even if the company states "natural" on the packaging.

Here is a list of ideas:
Vanilla beans or the extract
Saffron,which pairs really nicely with dried rose petals
Chocolate nibs
Lavender buds, which pairs nicely with Earl Grey tea or Bergamot essential oil
Orange rinds and fresh or dried fruit



If you like your tea sweet, consider supporting your local beekeeper. Local honey can help with allergies and supports your community and the bee population in your area. Other interesting sweetners are Birch sugar, Maple syrup/crystals, Agave nectar and pictured above from my garden, Stevia. Stevia is a shrub related to the Sunflower which is very sweet. In fact when I grew it in my medicinal herb garden my daughter and her playmates would eat almost all the leaves off the plant! I often will add the whole leaf into Sun teas or mix the dried leaves in when blending different ingredients together.

Intending this has expanded your tea horizons a bit. Please join me next month, at this very lovely blog, for another journey into the aromatic world. Au revoir mon ami!

~Roxana of Illuminated Perfume