Really, Lavender?
Lavender in tea? This is not a common occurrence. In Dearing, a rural town in Georgia, is like other places in the southern United States with a small population and few street lights. This town is home to White Hills Farm where they sell a unique lavender infused tea. It is a lavender farm owned by Amy and Patrick Sutter who show that lavender is a versatile plant. Their store consists of lavender bouquets (fresh and dried) culinary herbs, infused salts, vinegars, soaps, salves, infused oils, and teas. The Sutters have several teas available, their Lavender Calamint Rooibos Tisane is the focus of today’s post.
This herbal tea blend has rooibos, Georgia calamint, lavender and rosehips. While the ingredient list is short, for someone new like me, research was definitely necessary. To start off, rooibos means “red bush” or “African red tea” which is a herbal infusion tea from South Africa and caffeine free. Next up, calamint which is a perennial herb with a minty taste (which makes sense since it is apart of the mint family). The lavender used comes from the culinary lavender grown on the farm. Which means it is safe for human consumption. Now, when I first heard about rosehips I thought there was supposed to be a slight rose taste. After doing research I learned they are the fruit of a rose (ordinarily wild dog rose) and used to make a variety of goodies - teas, jellies, syrups and the like.
Many are skeptical when they see lavender as a flavor for drinks or foods. There is nothing wrong with this since it is generally thought of as an aroma, not something a person eats. There are many types of lavenders, such as Spanish lavender, culinary lavender (both are grown at White Hills and also a hybrid), English lavender, etc. Yet lavender is just as relaxing in a tea as it can be in a candle.
As is the case with most hot beverages there’s a homely feeling that comes with it, but because it is caffeine free there is no need to worry about being kept awake all night. The Georgia calamint helps give a slight minty taste on the end which invokes a refreshed feeling. Also the rosehips help to give you a boost of vitamin C, perfect for relaxing before bed or if you might feel under the weather.
A good friend of mine introduced this tea to me when I was starting to stress out with work since it helped her unwind when the same thing was happening to her. Both of us are a bit obsessed with lavender, so I could not wait to try this new tea when she told me about it. The lavender gardens at White Hills are ever growing, but this place is a slice of lavender heaven.
At the moment the best way to get this tea is going directly to the farm, but you can also contact the owners. As of right now they are in the process of building a website, so I'll add it once they post their site. If you are interested their contact information will be listed below.
Amy and Patrick Sutter
Email: arsutter@hotmail.com
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Picture Credit to hagemarugt7 on Pixabay
Picture Credit to gefrorene_wand on Pixabay