ZELDA'S TEA NOOK & GIFTS A cozy, intimate, tea house serving specialty teas and desserts	Zelda�s Tea Nook and Gifts  Linda Tarney  Rocky Mountain House, Alberta  1-403-845-5616  linda@zeldasteanook.ca
Home | About Us | Our Teas | Featured Artists/Artisans | Location | Contact Us
Zelda's Teas Black Teas | Green Teas | White Teas | Oolong Teas | Specialty/Rare Teas | Zelda's Own Blends Roobios Tisanes | Herb/Fruit Infusion Tisanes | Mate/Honeybush Tisanes | Tea Accessories

Mate Teas

Maté is a wild shrub from Argentina and a relative of the holly bush. Maté tea contains a stimulant similar to caffeine, although without the jitteriness or addictive tendencies. Many people say Maté contains caffeine, while just as many people swear it is a different version xanthene called Matéine. Reports show that the blends of natural chemicals present in Maté react differently on the central nervous system, as compared to just caffeine or guarana.  These reports suggest Maté will keep you going longer than just caffeine, without the crash associated with drinking coffee or soft drinks.  Not only is Mate tea an excellent alternative to drinking coffee, it also serves as a great appetite suppressant rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  Mate was used as caffeine in Latin America before the advent of coffee.   www.mymateworld.com

Brewing:  Use 1 to 2 heaping teaspoons per cup of boiling water and steep up to 5 minutes.  I have left these in all day and they do not become bitter. 

Roasted Mate

Has a strong roasted taste.  Makes a superb coffee substitute.  Prepare like black tea. 

Ingredients:  Green Yerba mate

Premium:  1

Chai Mate

Combining South America with India. 

Ingredients, Green yerba mate, cardamom, pepper, star anise, cinnamon and cloves.

Premium:  1

Chocolate Macaroon

Combines Chocolate and coconut to taste like a chocolate macaroon!

Ingredients:  Mate roasted rooibos, cocoa bits, barley malt, coconut rasps, cinnamon, cloves, cornflower blossoms, flavouring.

Premium:  1

Green Cancheada Mate

The cup has a mild body with a slightly bitter and wild Brazilian pampas taste. 

Premium:  1

Lemon Flavoured Mate

Tending slightly sweet, this green mate finishes with palate cleansing Egyptian lemon.  Delicious and invigorating.

Premium:    NEW - backordered

Mint Mate

Mate blended with spearmint and a mint medley that soothes your taste buds!

Premium:  1

Honeybush Teas

  The other red tea
Grown on the mountain slopes of the Longkloof District ( Eastern Cape) , South Africa

Honeybush is similar in appearance to Rooibos.  Honeybush flavor is similar to Rooibos but slightly sweeter. Honeybush flowers emit distinct “honey” scent.  In order to produce the sweetest flavor Honeybush plant is harvested during flowering season

Honeybush tea is a delicious tasting beverage that can be served hot or cold.

HEALTH EFFECTS

Honeybush tea is made as a simple herbal infusion. One of its early recognized benefits as a tea substitute is its lack of caffeine, which makes it especially suited for nighttime consumption and for those who experience nervousness and want to avoid ordinary tea. As a result, it had a reputation as a calming beverage, though it may not have any specific sedative properties. It also has a low content of tannins, so it doesn't make a highly astringent tea, which can be a problem with some grades of black or green tea or when ordinary tea is steeped too long.

The traditional use of the tea for treating cough may be explained, in part, by its content of pinitol, a modified sugar (a methyl group replaces hydrogen in one position of glucose; see diagram below) that is similar to inositol. Pinitol, named for its major source, pine trees, is also found in the leaves of several legume plants; it is an expectorant. Pinitol is also of interest for apparent blood-sugar lowering effects (3), as demonstrated in laboratory animal studies (it may increase the effects of insulin), and is being considered as a drug for diabetes. Honeybush also contains flavones, isoflavones, coumestans, luteolin, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, polyphenols, and xanthones (4). These ingredients serve as antioxidants and may help lower blood lipids (5). The isoflavones and coumestans are classified as phytoestrogens, used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms (6), an application for which honeybush has recently been promoted. The flavones and isoflavones of honeybush are similar to those in soy, another leguminous plant, also used in treatment of menopausal symptoms. Luteolin is the primary yellow pigment of the flowers and has been used historically as a dye (most often obtained for this purpose from the plant called Dyer's Weld, Reseda luteola).

Honeybush

Caffeine free, high in antioxidants, has a sweet, slightly astringent flavor with overtones of honey.  Overall flavour has been compared to hot apricot jam or dried fruit mix.

Premium:  1

Honeybush Caramel

South African Honeybush with caramel bits and natural flavoring.

Premium:  1

Honeybush Orange

South African Honeybush with orange peel and natural flavoring.

Premium:  1

Honeybush Vanilla

South African Honeybush with vanilla bean bits and smooth vanilla extract.

Premium:  1