Another Flower?

Recently, I spent some time in Las Vegas, Nevada and tried a tea I had no idea existed. A friend of mine invited me to dinner at a Thai restaurant called Naga Thai Dining. The food was scrumptious and while their tea selection small, one immediately caught my eye - chrysanthemum tea. My friend knows about this blog and thought it was an opportunity for me to try something new.

I didn’t know what to expect when I ordered my first cup. Would it be sweet or taste like lawn clippings? I had no idea, but I was slightly underwhelmed when the waitress placed a white teacup in front of me filled with what I can only describe as liquid honey, almost dark gold. I was curious to see if it smelled as floral as my favorite lavender infused teas, but was astonished to find there was only a slight earthy smell to it. I was puzzled. I had no idea what to expect as I took my first sip. A lightly sweet honey candy would not have been my first guess, but that’s what popped into my mind as I drank it. It wasn’t a teeth rotting kind of sweet, but just sweet enough to balance the slight floral taste from the chrysanthemum.

I had yet to try a tea naturally this sweet. It was flavorful, easy on the pallet tea, and had no sweetener added (I asked the waitress twice just to be sure). I thought the sweetness paired nicely with the green curry and pork, with a 3 spicy (on a scale of 1 to 4 spiciness, 4 being extremely hot). It helped cool my mouth throughout the meal and was a perfect palate cleanser.

There was also a feeling of calmness as I continued to drink, It reminded me of my lavender infused teas. With this in mind I felt compelled to do some research. I was flummoxed to learn chrysanthemum tea is not really tea since it does not come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. This makes sense though because the whole dried flower is steeped in hot water not only the leaves.

After some digging, I found this particular herbal tea has been around for centuries in Asia and has many health benefits. One of which is acting as a nerve relaxant by lowering your blood pressure, cooling the body down and reducing inflammation. It also improves heart health, skin care, works as an anti-inflammatory agent, boosts your immune system, helps to prevent osteoporosis, linked with helping eye health, increases your metabolism, and helps prevent chronic illnesses. There have also been claims it improves your ability to focus and think clearer without caffeine.

With this new found knowledge, I couldn’t help but order another cup for dessert.

In Order of Appearance

Picture Credit to wendy-chan on Pixabay

Picture Credit to Myself at Naga Thai Dining