I think I need to get a world map so that I can start putting push pins in all the places around the world that have produced tea I've tried. If I had such a map, this week I could add a pin for Latvia! (Click here if your world geography is as rusty as mine and you want to see where Latvia is.)
At Christmas, my friend Nancy surprised me with this wonderful sampler from Lauku Tea. Nancy is a local gift shop owner, and my theory is that this is why she has access to so many neat items, like tea gift sets, that I've never even heard of before! A visit to their website instantly had me enthralled with Lauku Tea and their Ozolini Farm, where "every petal, leaf, berry, and herb is planted, harvested, and packaged by hand." (And it's beautiful too. Get a glimpse here!) The "Latvian Sun" sampler I received contained Brigita's Organic Daylight Blend, Anna's Organic Afternoon Blend, and Evita's Organic Twilight Blend.
Nancy also gave me a ladybug tea towel from Lauku Tea, and since ladybugs are said to bring good luck, I was especially happy to have it!
The sampler itself included an applewood teaspoon carved from the wood of the apples trees that provide leaves and fruit for Lauku's tea blends. How neat is that?
The dried leaves are huge and fresh smelling, and the first tea I tried was Brigita's Organic Daylight Blend, which contains fermented organic apple leaves, organic black currant leaves, dried organic apples, organic meadow clover flowers, organic lemon balm, and organic mountain ash berries.
I steeped the tea for about four minutes, and I was so intrigued by the invigorating, complex flavors of this herbal tea. It had a light natural sweetness, but not like a dessert tea, and I detected a bit of a smoky note, but it was quite a pleasant one. I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to Lauku Tea and look forward to trying the other blends. And I was also delighted to learn that even though the company is in Latvia, shipping to the US for any order is free! Click here to learn more.
I'm glad this tea was delicious, it certainly has an intriguing story.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful gift! I love the ladybug towel and wooden spoon.
ReplyDeleteHere's a shopping alert for you. In the colorful Images catalog, they have teacup checks, a Downton Abbey teapot night light, and personalized teacup notecards designed by Susan Winget (our teacup fabric designer!). colorfulimages.com
I am very glad to hear about the Latvian herbal tea company! I will definitely have to buy some (I see from their website that it is available at some Teaism shops here in DC). I have traveled twice to Latvia's capital city, Riga, and it is a very interesting place. I bought my favorite wool sweater there--it has been getting a lot of use in this very cold winter! They make excellent candies there, too--the brand Laima has been famous for almost a century. But back to the tea company--I see that it is produced by a women-run, single-family farm. I wish them lots of success.
ReplyDelete--from Vernona in DC
The tisane does look beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCute tea towel. It’s neat to try teas from new places.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. 2 THINGS: 20% off first order if you sign up for emails. Very cool. And on there IG page they note: "Did you know there is a single pink rose petal in every bag of Brigita’s Daylight Blend? It's like the grown-up, nature-inspired version of finding the toy in your cereal box! Brigita places the delicately-dried petal in the bags herself as a final symbol of love — love for her farm, love for nature, love for her dear tea drinkers, and love for beauty."
ReplyDeleteVery sweet <3