One of my favorite children’s novels is “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, it tells the story of two young children from different worlds who come together in a garden - a secret garden. The garden in this story, set in England - home of tea time, is a magical place where the children go and develop growth in their character and in their connection to the flowers that bloom there. When I think of the garden in this story, I always imagine there being roses, lots of roses in many colors, as they are a symbol of: love, friendship, beauty and life. Which brings me to my recent tea discovery, Organic Persian Plum Rose black tea by Divinitea. I was drawn to this tea initially by the “Persian Plum” with Rose combination, curious about how the flavors would come together to form a friendship in my teacup. Much to my surprise, these two very different flavors bloomed beautifully together and I was transported to my own personal “secret garden”.
A Persian plum is a tart fruit, green on the outside with a deep yellow flesh and is often eaten with salt. The plum and rose in this tea play well together, as the aroma of this tea has a floral yet sweet scent. The rose petals provide a light floral accent to the tart plum which changes the dynamic of the combination, the roses softly sweeten the bitter notes from the plums. The smell of this tea mirrors the main characters of the story, Mary (roses) and Colin (sour plum), who bring out the best in each other when they come together. The scent smells of a beautiful garden full of roses and friendship.
Brewing this tea is like welcoming a friend into your home for tea time on a warm, sunny afternoon. As you sit with this cup, you can see the earth tones of the tea swirling around in your cup and blooming into a beautiful tea flower in your teacup. The taste is very floral, sweet and spicy, as there are notes of rose petals, plum, cardamom and pepper in this tea. The rose petals are the first friend to greet you in this tea, then comes the plum with a big hug and the cardamom and pepper who are all smiles, as they take a seat at your table. I typically add some cream, which brings out more of the floral flavors of this tea, like a floral friend asking “how are you?” and waiting patiently for your response.
The next time you are in the mood to visit a friend in a lovely garden, grow your own personal secret garden by brewing this tea. The smell of roses, plum and spices will put a warm smile on your face, as you greet this tea friend. Sit or stand, the choice is yours, this friendly tea will walk with you anywhere you wish to go and will provide you with lovely companionship at tea time.
Anything that grows has life, tea leaves have life, an essence that speaks to the soul. What is your tea saying to your soul today?
Website: https://www.divinitea.com/product/organic-persian-plum-rose/
Get Your Brew On,
Fairy Teamother
What a lovely post. You describe flavor combinations so vividly. I had no idea Persian plums are eaten with salt, how interesting!