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Summer is just around the corner and high temperatures should not discourage you from enjoying your favourite rhoeco herbal tea blend!

At this post, you will find two different ways to prepare an infusion that makes a wonderful treat on hot days.

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COLD-BREW

Cold-brew is an easy, gentle and delicious method to extract the goodness of whole leaf tea and prepare a chilly tisane which releases slowly the true flavours and aromas of the dried herbs. Be sure that you will make a habit out of it!

Just grab a glass bottle, fill it with lukewarm water and float the herbal parts into it. To prepare one glass of water, you should need one to two teaspoons of herbal blend. To get most out of the tisanes, rinse the herbs with boiling water before sinking them into the bottle of water. This is also a good method to sanitise the herbs.

Put the bottle into the refrigerator and let it rest for 8-12 hours. Strain and serve!

Feel free to add sweeteners [organic cane sugar, honey or stevia] if you prefer sweet tastes but be sure you taste your brew first. The cold-brew method seems to extract more of the natural sweetness so chances are you won’t need any!

ICED TEA

Take 6-8 grams of your favourite blend and put it in a cup. Add hot water [95 ºC] until you fill the cup. Steep the blend for 8-10 minutes and then strain out the herbal parts. Add a cup of cold water and then pour the infusion in a glass filled with ice. As the additional water and ice will dilute the flavours, do not hesitate to make an extra strong brew to begin with!

Sweeteners can be added according to your preferences!

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SERVING IDEAS

Fresh or dried citrus fruit: lemon, orange, lime
っPair with almost all herbs, especially the ones with lemony character:
Agros, Sea, Mountain, Lemon verbena, Lemon balm, Mountain tea, Cacao husk tea – Original

Stems of fresh, refreshing herbs: spearmint or mint
っPair with the ones having a fresh aftertaste, enhancing it:
Agros, Cacao husk tea – Mint, Radiance, Τhe outdoors blend

Stems of fresh, more pungent herbs: rosemary, basil, sage
っPair with the ones having earthy character:
Urban, Forest, Rose petals, Lemon Ginger, Chamomile, Bee Dance

Summer berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries
っPair with the ones having sweet or slightly acidic taste:
Forest, Hibiscus green tea, Radiance, Cacao husk tea - Original

Veggies: carrot, celery, cucumber
っPair with the ones having grassy, astringent taste:
Echinacea, Sage, Hibiscus green tea, Nettle, Calendula

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Once you're done steeping, don't toss the material! The high quality of rhoeco herbal tea blends allows a second brew that will be definitely lighter but still a refreshing one! Just leave the herbal parts a bit longer in the water.

Enjoy!

Last November, we were more than delighted to receive an invitation from Dr. Maroula Dimopoulou to introduce rhoeco in her class.

Maroula is a Scientific Associate and Lecturer at the Food Science and Technology section of Aristotle’s University School of Agriculture. She has studied Wine and Vine Sciences at Bordeaux University, one of the most renown institutions in the sector of wine studies.

Leader of the Organoleptic Assessment of Foods lab class, she was very kind to think that her students could taste and evaluate our herbal teas as part of their education regarding the organoleptic assessment.

Each of the students received a questionnaire which had to be filled with organoleptic and macroscopic comments about each herbal tea blend.

Students were taken into private booths where they could observe both the dry herbs and the herbal teas and also taste the tisanes. To avoid blending the different flavours, students were advised to eat a slice of crispbread, a well-known method that neutralizes the palate. As part of the assessment, certain steps were followed:

1. Observe the colour and texture and smell the dry herbs.
2. Before taking a sip from the tisane, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to connect the odour with a memory of yours and try to guess its flavour.
3. Describe the colour of the tisane. Is it clear or blurry? Is it light-coloured or dark-coloured? How would you describe the colour? [red, yellow, green, white, etc]
4. Describe the flavour of the tisane. Take a sip. Try to leave it inside your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing it. Which flavours do you recognise? [bitter, sweet, tart, strong, spicy, etc]. What texture does it leave to your mouth? [subtle, rich, creamy, oily, etc]. Does it feel hydrating?
5. Swallow your sip and describe the aftertaste it leaves into your mouth.

Students had to choose a number of a scale from 1 to 5 in order to define how strong was the flavour, the taste and the aftertaste of the herbal tea. They were also expected to write and define with a few key words the colour, the texture, the smell and the level of drying of the dried herbal parts.

Finally, they could optionally name their favourite herbal tea.

We are very happy to share with you the top comments students made for each of our herbal tea blends:

FOREST: wild berry colour, sweet strong flavour, revitalising hydrating aftertaste, natural, earthy, autumn aromas

URBAN: peachy coloured, slightly spicy taste, bittersweet aftertaste, intense, citrus aromas

MOUNTAIN: honey coloured, meadow taste, slightly tart aftertaste, sweet citrus aromas

SEA: golden colour, breezy taste, sweet, mellow aftertaste, like taking-a-walk-into-a-village aromas

AGROS: yellow coloured with green highlights, slightly sweet, honey taste, lemon, sweet aftertaste, uplifting flower aromas

It was really interesting to see that each herbal tea had its followers. Depending on personal taste, any of our herbal teas can become a favourite!

Students found our whole project really interesting and we were excited to give them information about setting up a company.

Most of all, we are glad that we can become inspiration for them and prove that you can make everything with hard work and love for what you do!