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Beautiful Skin

Red clover is such a common sight in our fields during the summer, but did you know it has amazing health benefits? When researching for this piece I was shocked to find that this simple flower can have so many positive effects on our health, particularly when brewed as a tea. Often used fresh in salads, we chose to use dried flowers in our Beautiful Skin tisane, and combined the clover with other summer blooms, dandelion, elderflower and chamomile, knowing this would be the best blend for promoting healthy, clear skin.

Like all of our other bespoke wellness teas, Beautiful Skin benefits the whole body, particularly the respiratory system, but as red clover is said to contain compounds that mimic estrogen, it is particularly good for the skin. It promotes elasticity, reducing the appearance of aging, keeping the skin youthful and supple. Combined with chamomile, a famous anti-inflammatory, dandelion flowers, rich in minerals required for healthy skin function, and nettle, a powerful astringent, this tea is an antioxidant powerhouse, tailored to promote healthy, clear, beautiful skin.

It brews to a light gold, almost clear, and has a delicate, slightly floral flavour. It would be perfect just before bed.

Extravagant Earl Grey

Earl Grey, one of the most widely drunk teas in the world, is given a decadent lift in our bespoke Extravagant Earl Grey. We combine our bergamot infused Chinese black tea with rose flowers, lavender and cornflowers to produce a deliciously floral, aromatic, tea that has a wonderful hint of sweetness.

There are many stories about the origin of the Earl Grey blend, which has been known in England since at least the 1830s. It is assumed to be named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, the British Prime Minister in the 1830s. The most exciting of these stories proclaims that the blend was presented to the Earl by a grateful Chinese diplomat whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey’s men!

This perfumed black tea is very versatile, and as we love experimenting, we chose to add our Extravagant Earl Grey to a cake mix to create a decadent Earl Grey and Lavender sponge layer cake. It’s proving to be extremely popular! Similarly, we have found that this blend of Earl Grey works really well as a latte, both hot and iced. With the pink rose petals and blue cornflowers, this is a beautiful blend to use as a cold brew.

White tea characteristically has a subtle, layered flavour. For this reason, I was a little defensive when I first heard about its use in flavoured blends – surely the tea’s own delicious taste would quickly be swamped by anything mixed in with it?

It turns out that I underestimated its underlying robustness, and the possibility of the tea’s subtler notes making themselves felt over a background of other flavours. At core, white tea – China Pai Mu Tan in particular – has a sweetness to it, and although it lacks most of the astringency of your average green tea, it has plenty of body as well. These characteristics make it an excellent base for a blended tea, so it’s no surprise that Camellia has several of these, each producing a very different overall effect.

White Harmony mixes the Pai Mu Tan (or ‘white peony’) with lavender, rose and chamomile. The distinctive evergreen aroma of lavender is complemented well by the sweetness of the white tea, and the chamomile – mellow and just slightly bitter – contributes to a full and interesting flavour. The rose adds a high, floral note, but it strikes me that despite its composition, the overall impression of this tea is not what I would call flowery – it’s surprisingly down-to-earth. Grounded.

Chamomile and lavender are both known for their relaxing qualities, but at the same time there’s something about the flavour of lavender that seems to focus the mind, and the same can be said about white tea. For me, that balance is what this tea’s about – shucking away the tensions of everyday life, and getting down to what’s really important.

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Tea of the Month – August

What is White Tea?