Armenian Tea

Armenian Tea

Armenian Tea – History
For over 7000 years, the tradition of gathering and blending wild herbs and flowers has been an integral part of the daily lives of the Armenian people. Tea-making in Armenia was spiced up with traditions and science and is one of the antiquities of the nation.
3500 years ago, people living in the area of Historical Armenia used to combine wild crafted Quince, Blackberry, Zizifora and Mint leaves and used to mix with Wild Absent as a hot beverage. All these ingredients are historically recognized as Armenian Sacred Herbs and used to grow only in Armenia.


About Herbal Tea production
As Armenia is a mountainous country, the great part of the herbs growing on a hillside is frequently used to make tea. Herbal teas in Armenia are known as wild-crafted since the harvesting, timing, technologies of plant harvesting have been passed on from generation to generation. There are various types of herbs and berries in all the regions of Armenia. Thyme, mint, chamomile, Melissa and Oregano are the most collected herbs.

The Use of Herbs
Thanks to good climate and unique nature more than 3,200 herbs grow in Armenia of which 1,500 are medicinal plants and applicable to be used in food, tea preparation. Many such plants are only to be found in Armenia.
Mountainous herbs are not only used for good flavor but also in medical purposes.
All the tea lovers know that thyme (“urts” in Armenian) is contraindicated in hypotension, because it lowers blood pressure, while mint (“nana” in Armenian) raises it. Thyme tea regulates the body’s metabolism, cleanses the body of the negative properties of alcohol and narcotics and stabilizes blood pressure.
There’s a trick that the consumer can use to insure that they’re buying pure thyme without any additives. The flowers of the herb open more fully when placed in hot water than cold. Also, a bag of thyme tea, once used, produces a more fragrant drink and a more brilliant color the second time around.
Herbal tea is particularly healthy after a heavy meal.

How to prepare herbal tea
Put 200 ml of boiling water on 1 teaspoon of the dried herb or mix of herbs and infuse for in a teapot for 5-7 minutes. Strain the herbs (you can re-steep this mixture at least two more times to be resourceful!), and fill up the remainder of the teapot with water. You can infuse overnight or up to 12 hours! If you infuse for 4 or more hours, though, be sure to remove the berries and herbs from the water, and then store the infused water in the fridge for up to 3 days.