Country of Origin: Africa
Leaf Appearance: dark red, small and needle-like. giant chunks of fruit
Ingredients: honeybush, kava-kava root, dried papaya
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: reddish brown
For those of you that aren’t familiar with Handmade Tea, it is a monthly subscription service. Each shipment includes a brand new blend along with individual tins of the ingredients. Tasting everything separately and then together is a great way to build your palate. This month’s blend was interested because I have never tried kava-kava or dried papaya in a tea. Honeybush is a close cousin of rooibos and I actually prefer because it has a rounder, woodsier flavor. The kava-kava added a subtle earthiness but left an odd tongue tingling sensation. I could not believe how big and juicy the papaya chunks looked. They certainly added fruity sweetness but it wasn’t too over the top. All of the ingredients in this blend complimented each other well. I don’t often reach for herbal teas but this one was very nice.
You can find out more about Handmade Tea here.