What is herbal tea?

Herbal tea, or tisane, strictly speaking, is not a ‘tea’ at all.

Technically, a true tea must contain Camellia Sinensis, the evergreen plant from where all true tea varieties come from, from white to black, from Pu’er to Oolong.

Herbal tea, tisane, botanical, or herbal infusions can contain anything herbal but the Camellia Sinensis plant.

The name tisane comes from the Ancient Greek ptisánē, meaning peeled barley, or what we would call pearl barley today. There was the practice of drinking something similar to our barley water for good health and enjoyment.

Previous to that, herbal teas were equally drunk in ancient China and Egypt and various documents refer to this therapeutic practice. This continues to this day if you make use of Ayurvedic medicine from India or Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In Middle English, the word meant a medicinal drink of some sort. It was only in the last century, that the word tisane acquired the modern meaning of herbal tea or infusion.

The vast majority of tisanes do not contain the caffeine compound, so they can be safely consumed before bed or by people sensitive to such stimulants. If that is your case, always check the ingredients of your decoction, avoid cocoa or guarana for instance.

Herbal teas can be consumed hot or cold and be added to other recipes.

Tisanes can be typically divided into six major groups, named after the part of the plant they come from: bark, roots, flowers, leaves, fruit or berry, seeds, or spice.

Let’s take a closer look:

• Roots, such as ginger, liquorice, chicory, dandelion, burdock, echinacea, turmeric, sarsaparilla

• Bark, such as cinnamon, slippery elm, willow, pau d’arco, wild cherry

• Flowers, such as chamomile, lavender, hibiscus, rose, elderflower, red clover

• Leaves, such as rooibos, mint, verbena, lemongrass, nettle, sage, thyme, tulsi, moringa

• Fruit or berry, such as rose hips, citrus peel, strawberry, blueberry, elderberries, raspberries, apple, peach

• Seeds or spice, such as cardamon, caraway, fennel

Extras, and less common, are:

• Mushroom teas, such as chaga, reishi, cordyceps, maitake, lion’s mane

• Moss or lichen teas, such as oakmoss, usnea or beard moss, Iceland moss

Since time immemorial, tisanes have been used for health, wellbeing, and longevity thanks to their medicinal properties.

Here are some examples:

• Calming (chamomile, lavender, verbena)

• Detoxifying (ginger, liquorice root, dandelion)

• Cold-busting (often a mix with lemon verbena, cinnamon, elderflower)

• Anti-inflammatory (blueberry, turmeric, cranberry)

• Digestion (hibiscus, fennel, cardamom)

• Beautifying (bamboo leaf, rose petals, lime flower)

On top of their fragrant smell and delicious taste, the colours also play a part in helping through our senses. No wonder, so many people drink them just for pleasure and to top up their antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients.

I do read tea leaves and herbal teas equally. Get in touch to book your afternoon tea or tea party.

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Tea etiquette: A lesson in table napkins

This seemingly modest piece of cloth can speak volumes about you as soon as you sit at the table.

We will explore together how a British afternoon tea table napkin should be and how you should use it appropriately. Sit comfortably, with good posture and a straight back, hands on the lap, ready to learn.

The English word napkin originates from the Latin mappa, who turned into nappe, or tablecloth in old French, with the added suffix kin, a diminutive used in late Middle English.

The napkin uses and sizes have changed enormously through time, from a huge roll to clean the mouth, teeth and face in ancient times to a wrapping cloth for delicacies to be taken away. Its history is long and frankly astonishing, but here I set out only to give you some practical guidance for your quintessentially British afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea napkins are perfect cloth squares, sized between 12 to 15 inches (30.5cm to 38 cm). 

The clean and crisp square is usually made of cotton, linen or mixed fibre.

Traditionally, they are light in colour. However, depending on the occasion or the decor stronger colours may be used, particularly for a themed afternoon tea or a special celebration where hues could be significant.

A table napkin should be placed on your lap, folded in half with the hem inside, and with the crease folded towards you if you are a gentleman.

However, if you are lady, you want to place your folded napkin with the crease away from you. 

The benefit of the different placement will become apparent in a second. 

Dab your mouth with the napkin, never wipe, bringing the napkin to your mouth. Do not bend down to meet the table napkin, sit comfortably and upright.

The gentleman can gently dab using the inconspicuous side by the crease.

The lady can simply reach for the nearest corner, open it slightly, dabbing with the inside of the napkin. She then closes the napkin again and places it back on her lap. The napkin still looks pristine as the stains are inside.

If you need to take a break, excuse yourself from the table, and leave your napkin on your chair. This signals that you are coming back. Depending on the setting, gently push the chair under the table. 

When you sit down again, place your napkin on your lap as before.

The end of the afternoon tea will be prompted by the host/ess picking their napkin and placing it on the table to their left.

As soon as you are ready, pinch the napkin in the middle and place it on the table to your left too, with the seams toward you. 

The napkin is crumpled but in a somewhat neat way. Note that it touches the table only at the end of the afternoon tea.

I very much work in the traditional British way and proudly host afternoon teas with tea leaf reading. I enjoy it tremendously.

Get in touch to book your full afternoon tea experience!

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