Pondering the Pantry - Herbal Tea

Pondering the Pantry

Herbal Tea from Israel

Many of us drink tea. The styles differ. In the United States the most common is iced tea. Russian style tends to strong and dark. The English sometimes add milk. What is tea? What is the difference between black and herbal teas? A visit to Cérémonie Tea, a startup company (since 2013) in  provided many of the answers.

As starters, some background information. Tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis shrub, most often grown in complex environments with good soil, protection from pedators, trees for shading, and appropriate climate. Key growing areas are Sri Lanka, China, India, and Kenya. Green tea and dark tea come from the same leaf.

If you leave a cut apple or banana on the table, exposure to the air turns it brown. The same is true with the tea lea. Oxidation turns green leaves into brown leaves. In teas produced by Cérémonie steaming is used to stop the oxidation process, a procedure common in the industry.

Herbal tea is a blend of tea leaves and herbs, and each tea “manufacturer” has his own recipe. Many companies produce an “English Breakfast Tea,” often based on Assam. Cérémonie adds a touch of Sri Lankan leaves to improve taste.

Earl Grey, for example, is a blend of Assam tea and bergamot flavouring with a touch of cornflower and lavender leaves. Assam is a sub-category of Camellia sinensis grown in India. Bergamot comes from a citrus plant usually associated with Italy. (Lady Grey was developed by Twining in the 1990s, adding lemon and orange peel extract to provide a less strong taste.) 

Black tea is very much a drink with regional preferences. The Indian style black tea produced by Cérémonie adds cloves, cinnamon, ginger, bergamot, and pepper. Ginger-peach is as its name sounds --- black tea with dried ginger and peach. Even Lipton varies the taste of its “standard” tea according to preferences in the country of sale.

Sencha is a pure green tea that is the most popular tea in Japan, representing about 80 percent of the tea produced in that country. If you want to taste Japanese culture, this can be a good experience. Add jasmine, and it becomes a favorite in China. If you want to feel Moroccan, gunpowder green tea with spearmint is a possibility, but there is a word of warning. No, there is no gunpowder as Cérémonie has assured many callers. It is simply the way the tea leaves unravel when exposed to water. The warning is that Moroccan style tea is most often served with generous amounts of sugar (and calories). There is, of course, no reason not to limit the sugar if that is your preference.

Some Cérémonie “tea” is not tea. Wild Berry and Lemon Grass are herbal infusions. Their advantage is that they contain no caffeine.

There are instructions or preparing tea. It is not a matter of tossing a bag into a mug, pouring on hot water, and slurping away. The tea should be placed into a tea pot. After water is added, the tea should settle for three to five minutes to attain best taste. Only then should it be poured. Add a sweetener to your taste (if at all), stir, then enjoy!

This author’s personal opinion after a tasting session --- Cérémonie is an excellent experience. 

Cérémonie Tea. Rechov Ha’Iztadion 9, Migdal HaEmek, Israel. Phone: +972-9-951-5818.

----------

ShalvaTea, aanother herbal tea, has a very different approach. Particularly during the past two decades an increasing variety of herbal teas has emerged into the market with the promotional benefit of “no caffeine.” Which tea should you buy? Enter David Ross into the sales competition with a very persuasive series of products!

Ross comes with unique credentials. He is background is not tea. He earned an advanced degree in forestry. Fascinated by Israel during a visit as a teenager, Ross came back twelve years later on a graduate fellowship to study the forests of the country and arbor management. Back to the United States to finish his degree, then back again to Israel for further research. The country’s forests are too dense. Could mulch be used more effectively? Why are all benches in KKL parks made from imported wood? Think ecology! Maybe existing new technologies could enable wood to replace steel beams in construction projects.

He traveled throughout Israel, studying forests and trees, but various herbs (many of which he had never seen) began to interest him. Local residents often told Ross that the various herbs, often grown at home, make a good tea.

Curiosity was kindled. Try it! Ross surveyed and tasted commercial brands of herbal teas. He sampled the home-brews that people offered. Something, however, was not right. Something was missing. He again toured Israeli farms, collected ideas, and brought home herbs. He evaluated numerous combinations. Ross asked himself, “What makes sense together?”

Trust nature. Ross wanted to make favour blends of herbs typical to Israeli regions. For example, two species of lavender can be found in the Arava, but using them for herbal has a problem. Botanical preservation prohibits its being picked. So, Ross uses a different species lavender that is specially farm-grown.

More tasting. Feedback from friends. Recipe adjustments. Finally, six herbal tea varieties were chosen, each representing a different region in Israel.

Herbs have their own medicinal effect. Camomile, for example, is known to relax. True, but medicinal effect was not to be Ross’ marketing thrust. Go for taste. Even so, Ross called one blend with herbs typically found in Southern Israel, Arava Calm.

ForesTea, typical of the Carmel region, is a blend of seven herbs, one of which in particular, za’atar (hyssop) provides an interesting taste.

Another unique tea, EinGedi Digestif, has a combination of fennel seed, cactus flower, dandelion, sage, zootah (white-leaved savory), and carob. Fennel seed is well known to help digestion. Set that aside. The taste of the blend is excellent.

If you like licorice and mint, Soothing Elah Valley can be a good choice. Refreshing Galil is a blend of olive leaf, lemongrass, lemon balm, dandelion, and sage.

Last but not least is Jerusalem Sage, a blend of eight herbs of which spearmint gives a nice taste.

There are various considerations in choosing loose or bagged ShalvaTea. Bags are quicker to use, but loose tea allows you to decide the concentration of tea to water that best fits your taste.  The personal choice of this writer is loose --- not so difficult to strain, so leave do not fall into the cup. (In general, be aware that when buying black/green tea in bags, you do not really know what is inside. It well might be low grade tea powder. With loose tea you can see the leaves, but you still have no assurance of quality. Ross explains that he pays to have the same leaves as in loose ground for bags.)

At home keep herbal tea in sealed containers at room temperature and not directly exposed to sunlight. Maximum storage time is no more than two years. If you are preparing loose tea, try one tablespoon per cup of water, less for dense teas. To drink herbal tea, let the tea sit in hot water for three to five minutes, then enjoy. Part of the enjoyment should be the aroma of the herbs.

All loose ShalvaTea is sold in  bio-degradable pouches or in tins. If you buy directly from ShalvaTea (Tel. +972.53.776.3220), mention this for a discount. International shipping is possible.

Objective evaluation: A very good choice. Attractive packaging makes ShalvaTea a nice gift.