A cup of rose tea will offer a lovely change from standard black teas. The subtle flower notes combine with the fresh herbiness of rosemary to create a unique drink for regular tea drinkers. The rose and rosemary combine with Darjeeling black tea to create a well balanced drink with wonderful flower notes, malty notes and refreshingly herbaceous taste. This is a great way to mix up your regular tea, either at breakfast or during an afternoon break!

## Why is rose & rosemary a Unique Tea Combination?

Rose and rosemary may not seem like a natural match but they work very well together!

Rose petals are famous for their subtle floral aroma and provide a soft scent. Depending on the type of rose you use and how they are prepared they can have a light natural sweetness.

Rosemary has a stronger herbaceous scent with slight woody and dry notes. It is often used in cooking. It provides a nice contrast to the gentler rose petals!

Together they create a well balanced drink. The rose provides a floral scent whereas the rosemary provides some depth and herbaceous notes. Combined with the black tea, it doesn’t become overpowering with just floral or herbaceous notes.

## What is Darjeeling Black Tea?

The type of tea can play a key role in what your drink will taste like. Darjeeling black tea has a unique scent, gentle and varying taste!

As the name suggests, it is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal. This creates a unique taste due to the high altitude, climate and soil.

According to the Tea Board Of India Darjeeling tea has a unique scent and can have a delicate, mellow taste or can have a brisk, robust taste.

In a floral tea, black tea gives the drink structure. Without the black tea it would have a lighter herbaceous taste. The malty notes pair well with the rose scent to create a well balanced tea.

This is perfect for those who enjoy black teas but want to try some extra floral and herbaceous notes.

## What types of floral tea are available?

There are a few different ways you can make a floral tea. Some are purely made using dried flowers and some combine them with green or black tea.

Rose petal tea can be made using just the edible dried rose petals. This will give you a gentle floral taste and will not contain any natural caffeine from the tea.

Black tea blends use traditional tea leaves. Adding the rose and rosemary will give it a unique scent and taste but the black tea will still contain the natural caffeine.

If you like a traditional tea with a floral twist then you may enjoy this black tea blend. However if you want to avoid caffeine you will need to check the ingredients to see if it contains any black or green teas.

## How does rose tea fit into tea culture?

Floral ingredients are used throughout tea culture. Rose, jasmine or other scented ingredients are added to create unique scents.

India has many regional variations of tea, combining the tea leaves with spices and other ingredients. A popular example is the Kashmiri kahwa. This traditional Kashmiri drink uses green tea, saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and nuts.

This is very different to our rose and rosemary black tea blend. It is well known for being a green tea with warm spiced notes. Traditionally it has been served using a samovar.

Both drinks have different tastes. One has strong floral and herbaceous notes and the other has saffron, spices and green tea. It’s a great way to see how varied the tea culture in India is.

## How to make a scented cup of rose & rosemary tea

How you make your tea can really affect how it tastes. Using the right amount of water and steeping time will create a nice scent.

To make your tea:

Boil 120ml of fresh drinking water.

Place one pyramid tea bag into a clean cup.

Pour the boiling water over the tea bag.

Leave for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the tea bag.

Then taste the tea and add any sugar, honey or milk.

For your first cup try without any milk or sugar to really get the floral rose scent, black tea and dry herbaceous taste.

If you think it is too strong you can shorten the steeping time slightly. If you like a strong black tea then leave it for longer.

A tip is not to squeeze the tea bag. Just remove it and let it sit for a short while.

## Try Kehwah’s Rose Mornings

If you want to try some floral tea blends, the Rose Mornings blend includes Darjeeling black tea, rose and rosemary.

The ingredients have been carefully chosen:

Darjeeling black tea provides a malty base.

Rose provides a floral scent.

Rosemary provides a unique herbaceous finish.

The tea comes in single serve plant based pyramid tea bags. They have been measured so you can easily enjoy this at home or in the office.

As it contains black tea it will contain natural caffeine. We recommend using one tea bag with 120ml of boiling water and leaving to steep for 3-4 minutes.

This is perfect for those who like the traditional black tea taste but want to try something different. With a floral start and herbaceous finish it is an interesting choice.

This is very different to the Rose Kehwah which uses a green tea base with saffron and spices. Checking the ingredients will help you decide which tea you would enjoy most.

## Top tips for choosing a quality floral tea

If you are buying a floral tea blend online there are some things to look out for.

Check the ingredients. Make sure the base tea and ingredients are clearly listed.

Check if it contains caffeine. As it is just rose petals there will be no natural caffeine. However if it contains black or green tea it will contain natural caffeine.

Check the packaging. Single serve tea bags are great to take with you to the office.

Check the brewing instructions. Different teas have different brewing times. By following them you will get the best taste.

Ensure the ingredients are food grade. If you want to make your own floral tea then make sure you use edible rose petals rather than those bought from a normal florist.

These small details can really make a difference to your cup!

## Final Thoughts

A good floral tea blend will have a nice balance. The gentle rose scent, unique herbaceous notes and malty base from the Darjeeling black tea will create a memorable taste.

Whether you enjoy trying different ways to make rose tea, learning about the Indian tea culture or comparing the floral tea to the Kashmiri kahwa there are lots of options to enjoy.

Kehwah’s Rose Mornings is perfect to try as it comes in single serve pyramid tea bags. Just follow the brewing instructions. For your first cup try without any additions to really see how the ingredients work together.

Sometimes a simple change to your usual tea can make your morning feel a little more special!