A friend of mine, who is from Turkey, gave me a package of something called "Mountain Tea" from Greece.
The label says it is "Chripal tea, hand picked from the foot of the Ko mountains."
What is it?
How do I brew it?
What can I expect from it?
Again, thanks in advance. AP
Ko Mountains are in Russia. Chripal tea may be Shripala tea which is drunk in Iran. What does this tea look like, smell like, size of leaves etc.? Shen
It looks very much like basil bolts, a stem, about 8-10 inches (20-25cm) long, with 10-15 clusters of small flowers along its length.
I'm not sure what it smells like, as I have a cold right now, so my smeller is inop at the moment. I think that's why he gave it to me.
While it looks like basil bolts I don't _think_ it smells like basil, because even with my nose in its current condition I think I'd still be able to smell that.
AP
ummm....tulsi, an Ayurvedic tea (holy basil) from India is a form of basil. There are mountains in Thailand, as well, that are sometimes called "Ko..". Can you ask your friend if this is a camellia sinensis (tea) leaf or if it is herbal? Shen
Do a Google search for "mountain tea" Greek, and I think you'll find what you are looking for.
Does it look like this ?
If so, it's the dried leaves and flowers of Sideritis plants. Also known as Shepherds Tea.
Blues
Shen wrote: [snip]
Ah. That would explain why it looks like basil, then.
OK. A Google search for "Ko mountains" came up dry.
It is definitely not Camellia Sinensis.
AP
Here's the link fixed up a bit.
Wow! Thanks, Blues! New to me. You learn something everyday! S
Blues Lyne wrote: [snip]
?
That's the stuff. Thanks!
AP
?
Glad I could help.
Blues
Hello Alan My name is Akis and I am from Greece, The tea you got is sideritis plant we call Mountain tea in Greece. Ko mountains are the mountains of Ko island in Greece and not in Russia. However it's easy to know that when you are Greek. We have two ways of making this herbas tea in Greece.
1) You put it in the tea kettle and bring it to boil, you boil it for two minutes and let it steep for a couple of minutes 2) You bring water to boil and steep the tea for 8-10 minutes. The second one is my prefered method. I like this tea with honey. Although the traditional medicine says that sideritis is very beneficial to your health for everything including the flu research failed to show something extraordinary I hope that helpsAkis / Alan Petrillo :
It's not tea. It's vaguely minty. No caffeine, of course. I kind of like it.
Pull a couple stalks out, put them into the teapot, add boiling water. Steep for a few minutes. Pour.
It's pleasant but not very strong. I want to say the Linnean name is Tillia Europea but I am not positive. It's in the Linden family.
--scott
Hello, Akis.
Ah. Now that makes sense.
(Google Earth can't find it, but I'll take your word for it.)
That's the one I use when making herbal teas as well. I don't really keep a clock on it, I just steep it until it's cool enough to drink.
Just about anything is good with honey, I think.
In my case, I've found it makes me feel warm. It seems to cause something of a flush, and makes my skin feel warm. It may not have helped me get over my cold any faster, but it did make me feel better. It would be interesting to do a more thorough study of its pharmacological effects.
Indeed it does, thank you.
AP
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