Aroma of Teas

Peppermint leaves

The leaves of the evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis have yielded a satisfying cup of tea for at least 4700 years.  Emperor Shen Nung sampled some 365 plants in his lifetime to test and record their medical benefits. He is credited with the discovery of tea.

Essential oils in their little bottles became more conveniently and commonly available in pharmacies in the sixteenth century.  Perhaps the first aromatherapy of all didnt involve essential oil at all but tea.  Thats not to say essential oils dont have a long history.  Initially essential oils were used to impart flavour and fragrance and to preserve wine.  Though it has been refined the process of heating plant matter and trapping the aromatics which arise is an ancient one.

Of course essential oils and tea do journey together.  Bergamot essential oil flavours Earl Grey tea, stimulating Peppermint and soothing Chamomile tea and Jasmine are firm favourites.

Refreshing Black tea is drunk by three quarters of the the tea drinking world.  A freshly boiled kettle is perfect for Black English Breakfast tea or teas made from garden herbs and plants.  Black Tea requires and infusion of 2-4 minutes while the garden herbal teas require 10 minutes.

Green Tea attracts ever more attention for its proven health benefits. TIP Allow the kettle to cool somewhat before pouring the water onto the Green tea.  Water at a temperature of 80 degrees is best to be precise.  Leave to infuse for 2-4 minutes.

Besides the grand teas England is fortunate in being well suited to the growing of herbs. A daily cup of fresh tea made from freshly picked Melissa leaves was thought to aid longevity.

So what teas can I make from the garden (with a bit of help from the local supermarket)?  Add to 500ml of boiling water and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

- Fresh mint and nettle Tea. 3 sprigs of mint, 3 young tips of nettle
- Lemon Verbena, Melissa (Lemon balm) and Lavender Tea. 2 sprigs of lemon verbena, 2 sprigs of melissa, 4 young heads of lavender (flowers).
- Lavender and Pineapple Sage Tea. 4 sprigs of pineapple sage, 4 young heads of lavender
- Ginger and Lemon Tea.  Thumb sized piece of ginger freshly peeled and finely sliced. Half a lemon.  Cut and add two slices of lemon and squeeze the juice of the remaining half lemon into the tea.
- Ginger and Honey tea.  Boil the thumb sized piece of ginger freshly peeled and finely sliced in a pan for 5 minutes, add the honey and a slice of lemon and leave for 5 minutes
-Lemongrass and Lemon Tea.  Finely slice the lemongrass stalks into fine rounds.  Add the lemon and boiling water.
- Nettle and Raspberry leaf. 3 young tips of nettle and 3 raspberry leaves or a tablespoon of each as dried leaves. Caution avoid in pregnancy.
- Fennel tea.  1 tablespoon of fennel seeds.
- Elderflower and lemon tea.  2 tablespoons of dried elderflowers. Add 2 slices of lemon.  Honey too if you like.
- Rose bud Tea.  Add 5-6 dried rosebuds.
- Orange blossom Tea.  Add 7-8 Orange blossom flowers.

You can click to look inside and find descriptions of the heath benefits of these teas in Love Bake, Nourish by Amber Rose, 2013 Kyle Books, London