a number of years ago an old friend gifted me with one of the most evocative, delightful teas i had the pleasure of experiencing. it came in a small, silver square tin and inside there was loose black tea and pink rose petals.
i have quite a thing for black tea, as you know, but up until that moment, and the Mariage Freres she would also introduce me to, i was a mere novice, drinking strong bags from England and Ireland, always having a box of Twinings Earl Grey on hand, thinking it was the most flavourful. {little did i know!}
rachel's gift of rose tea came from Takashimaya, an austere Japanese department store on Fifth Avenue in NYC.
a few weeks ago i had the pleasure of sharing the most stunning glass teapot filled with whole rose tisane at bar JULES in san francisco.
all dried roses and rose petals are not created equal. like dried herbs and spices, their aroma is volatile and will not keep for much more than 6 months at the intensity they once had when freshly dried. (and all dried herbs and spices are irradiated in the USA unless specifically stated otherwise. this process wipes out a lot of the flavours/scents you want in dried herbs and spices.)
at bar JULES i noticed a large dark pink Mariage Freres tin and guessed that this was where our lovely pot's roses came from. i thought it quizzical since there's a fantastic source for dried roses and rose petals, in bulk, in san francisco, at Rainbow Grocery. at my last job i had the magical pleasure of using dried rose petal dust mixed with ground cassia cinnamon from a woman named Kathy FitzHenry who has a local company called juliet mae. it went especially well with a moroccan ground almond "crust" i made for a lebne cheesecake.
many people don't love the taste of flavours that hail from flowers because of their inherent perfume qualities. but rose petals and buds are much more subtle than rose water, oil, or even infusing with fresh rose geranium. look at the tea in the photograph. it's so barely pink it could be an illusion.
i might not need to say this but, unfortunately, i feel i must:
never use roses, dried or fresh, that you are not absolutely certain are not sprayed. roses, because they have been bred a million ways, are treated heavily with carcinogenic chemicals. if you are making a rose infusion with pesticide and fungicide laden flowers, you will promptly ingest those chemicals.
one of the most delicious desserts i had the honor to prepare and serve of claudia fleming's when i worked for her at gramercy tavern was a bowl of warmed blackberries with fresh rose petal cream. it was summer, perfectly. scents, color, temperature.
bold and deep, light and heady.
exquisite.
warmed blackberries and rose petal cream? i literally had to close my eyes and imagine...and sigh.
Posted by: cindy | 10 July 2008 at 01:10 AM
Well, I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and have just read this lovely - oh so lovely - post, evocative as always of a sense memory. Beautiful and delightful. I have usurped my usual early morning pleasure, but shall return to sleep happy.
Posted by: Cooking Zuni | 10 July 2008 at 02:49 AM
Have u seen the tea that actually blosssoms into a flower in the pot where it steeps?
Personally I steep loose black tea and for the 3 hours i was able to withstand the "Detox Diet" it was insisted upon that one use a tea called of all things 'smooth move' for you-know-what!
Posted by: Natalie Sztern | 10 July 2008 at 09:07 AM
I'm always deeply mistrustful of Rose-Black tea. The rose flavor is always so strong and I often wonder how they achieve that. I always look at the ingredient lists, and they never have rose oil as an ingredient, but rather natural flavorings. I'm talking about high end companies btw (think MF, or locally Teance). What do you think?
Posted by: Aaron | 10 July 2008 at 11:35 AM
I am a FOOL for the flavor of roses.
Posted by: cookiecrumb | 10 July 2008 at 04:55 PM
We need to have a TEA PARTY!
Posted by: Andrew Mayer | 11 July 2008 at 05:33 PM
I am in love with hibiscus tea at the moment but that last shot is so beautiful I might just change my mind!!
Posted by: tartelette | 12 July 2008 at 11:59 PM
beautiful! I'm relaxed just looking at these beautiful photos.
Posted by: catherine ross | 13 July 2008 at 01:29 PM
was looking for links for Dragon Flower tea, and came across this page...delightful. Rose teas are great. I too enjoy the strong British teas, and have had Earl Grey since I was a teenager. (not going to say how long ago that was)One of my fav combinations is the Earl Grey and as strong a rose tea as i can find,the bergamot and rose compliment each other in a unique way.
Hello Angela, Yes, it's quite fun to mix teas-- I only discovered doing this a few years ago but I do it often now. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, hopefully eggbeater will see more of you from now on... ~ Shuna
Posted by: Angela | 02 August 2008 at 01:29 PM