Series Note: I’ve decided to write a series that covers all our blends and what inspired them. And this is it. Part II
Many of our teas are the result of several people working together, or about inspiration from elsewhere. I’m going to start today with one that is all about me.
I love “Moroccan Mint” teas, that is green tea and peppermint (or spearmint or other mints) blended.
And there’s no doubt a slice of lemon enhances some of these blends. Or so I’m told. I’m allergic to lemons.
When we owned our teashop, we didn’t have such a blend, and so I considered making one. I had never created a blend before, and so after I mused on it one day at the front counter, Devotea Junior looked it up on the internet.
Excellent.
But, like the well known Dickensian orphan, I wanted more.
We had 64 different herbs on our shelves, and I wanted to get that lemon taste actually in the tea. This offered two options: lemongrass and lemon myrtle.
When you steep either, you get a lemonish taste. But not a lemon taste. It’s just not right. And they also taste different to each other.
Why not mix them? I did.
After some experimentation I found the right mix of green tea, mint, lemon grass and lemon myrtle that became our first ever blend, 1001 Nights. I still drink some every week, and it sells respectably around the globe. Not bad for a first effort.
Our second mint tea came about from a very different story.
Lady Devotea is quite the herbalist. Whilst she knows her stuff medically, she is also an advocate for various natural plants materials that assist for various ailments.
Given how much we all eat in Western countries, a tea that aids digestion was her quest and she formulated a combination of peppermint and ginger to do just that.
At the time I had been experimenting with a white tea that I felt held its own against greens when blended, so I used that research as a basis and Peppermint Plus was born – a blend of Lady Devotea’s herbal formula and the white/green combination I was keen to use.
The name came about as, at the time, we considered a “plus” series of teas that had a herbal medicine slant. We’ve not gone any further down that road, though there is one ready to go.
We decided that the whole making health claims was a minefield. Besides, it just tastes good.
A year or so ago I shot a video on blending, which features that very tea.
Blending Thoughts and Insights
We have a third tea featuring peppermint, which is White Nights, but we will discuss that when this series gets to the White Tea Concoctions.
Meanwhile, 1001 Nights is available in our Australian Store and our US Store.
Peppermint Plus is available in our Australian Store only.
Moroccan Mint was the first green tea blend I ever liked, and I dig the heck out of lemongrass and lemon myrtle. Seems like a winner.
Unfortunately (for you that is) I dislike mint and therefore mint teas.
But I like to know the story behind your creations.
1001 Nights sounds very interesting to me. I will have to make an effort to try it soon. As for blending herbs I think it is wonderful you work with fresh herbs. What a wonderful combination you and wife make to your tea blends.