A personal experience of creating Camellia’s Gold Taste Award winning teas – “Happiness Tea” and “Soothing Rose”

Camellia’s Tea House started in 2008 with the idea of creating tea infusions that were both healthy and tasty, but also visually beautiful.  I was a homeopathic practitioner and always had a natural flare and interest in healing herbs and also loved being creative in the kitchen, using aromatic herbs and spices from around the world in my cooking.

Happiness Tea and Soothing Rose teas were born from the idea of wanting to create caffeine-free infusions which themed well with every tea party.  The idea of creating tea free from artificial flavouring and preservatives does not have to be sensible and boring.  Using the best quality wild harvested herbs, flowers and spices allows flavours to do their own talking.

My love for colour and delicate tasting flavours was the inspiration I needed to create Happiness Tea and Soothing Rose teas.  I love the flavour and aroma of rose and wanted to see if a blend of contrasting flavours would work well with the sweet and floral character of rose buds.

To create a blend of tea you need to be clear in your mind which flavour profile you would like to achieve and the sensations or feelings you would like to awaken.  I wanted to create a theme of fun with leaves that showed clarity of colour and vibrancy.  The idea was also to create teas which expressed our values of health and well-being.  A way to achieve happiness and inner calmness is by seeking good health through nutrition and a balanced life style.

Starting with the Happiness Tea, I had a clear idea that I wanted to combine citrus and spice flavours to my delectable rose buds.  Sometimes you have to blend a few times with different quantity of ingredients in order to create the right formula.  The combination of citrus lemon verbena intertwined with sweet spice of fennel and floral rose really hit the spot.

The Soothing Rose tea turned out to be a perfect blend of rose buds combined well with ginger and liquorice to evoke inner calmness and equilibrium of the mind, body and spirit.  Initially the blend did not contain liquorice, but with this added in, it enhanced the therapeutic effect and added a little spicy sweetness to the cup.

Overall I am delighted that both teas have been so popular with our lovely customers and believe that they are truly deserving of their Gold Taste Awards!