April 11, 2017

One of the highlights of my recent trip back to New Zealand was the day I spent at Zealong Estate. The Zealong Tea Room has been a favorite spot for a long time, nestled among the rows of tea plants, the food is always fantastic and the tea is some of the world's best. 

On this visit, after some tea picking and being treated to one of Zealong’s famous high teas (which included green tea infused chiffon cake, aromatic tea pannacotta and black tea chocolate tart!), I was invited to try Zealong's new botanicals range.

These teas are so super, they deserve their own monogrammed capes.

In true Zealong style, everything has been thoroughly thought through and extremely well executed. The teas look beautiful (especially the lady Gatsby with her red rose petals and the jasmine in the Green Heart); they smell wonderful (that’s what real herbs and spices do); and the botanical ingredients have been carefully selected and combined to be good for your health. Each one has a complex, layer of flavor, and yet are still unmistakably Zealong’s pure tea.

Green Heart: lemongrass, jasmine, ginger, tulsi, kawakawa green tea

This is a wonderful cleansing tea. Lemongrass may prevent growth of some bacteria and yeast and is thought to relieve pain (And if you want to grow your own lemongrass at home HappyDIYhome have some great tips). Ginger is calming and soothing, particularly for the digestive system. The white jasmine flowers look beautiful, give a mellowness to the tea, and they may provide gastrointestinal health benefits, relieve stress and ease joint pain. Tulsi is known as ‘holy basil’ because of its importance in Ayurveda medicine. It is said to balance hormones, reduce fever and relieve headaches among many other things. Kawakawa is a New Zealand herb, commonly found in our Northern coastal areas. It’s a a type of pepper and traditionally used as an anti-inflammatory and to help with digestion.

Fire & Ice: ginger, spearmint, peppermint, manuka black tea

I’m told Zealong’s top finance guy came up with the name ‘Fire & Ice’, and it describes the contrasting warmth of the ginger and manuka with the coolness of the spearmint and peppermint perfectly.

Ginger and mint are both known to settle the stomach, be anti-inflammatory and relax the body and mind. Manuka leaf is not as well-known (or as well researched) as manuka honey but our ancestors traditionally used all the parts of the manuka bush for healing remedies.

Ice Breaker: spearmint, peppermint, kawakawa green tea

This is a really refreshing tea with the liveliness of the spearmint, cooling peppermint and hint of pepper from the kawakawa. Like the others in the botanicals range, this tea is choc full of goodness from the green tea to the added mint and kawakawa. Mint tea is said to be good for digestion, nasal congestion, relieving headaches and your skin (especially acne prone skin). Kawakawa is also thought to be good for digestion, bloating and stomach cramps.

So far this has been the best seller and I'm certainly enjoying my cup while I write this post!

Sweet Amber: Lemon and Ginger

The Sweet Amber tea is a comforting blend of warming ginger and tangy lemon which naturally enhance the sweetness of Zealong's organic black tea. Lemon and ginger is a classic combination for sore throats and when you need rest time with colds and the flu. It's also thought to help with muscle soreness and arthritic pain. If you like it a little sweeter, stir in a teaspoon of manuka honey.

The Zealong Botanicals range are packed in the same premium pyramid bags as their award winning original flavors. Unlike most pyramid tea bags, which are usually made of nylon (plastic petroleum) Zealong's teabags are made of a non-GMO plant based starch so they are free of the synthetic polymer fibers, staples, glues, binding agents and bleaches typically found in pyramid and temple tea bags. Zealong tea bags are safe for you and the planet. 

Zealong is also one of the very few tea companies to hold ISO22000 HACCP certification - the world's highest food safety standards. Their traceability system can identify batch specific teas by day, block and processing method which far exceeds industry standards. They are certified and audited by Swiss Consultancy SGS, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company and they are USDA certified organic.

Zealong was judged top in all categories entered at the 2017 Global Tea Championship in Colorado - so I can truly say, this has been judged the best tea in the US.

If you prefer to shop on Amazon:

Lady Gatsby: Rose, Manuka and Cinnamon Tea on Amazon

Green Heart: Lemon Grass, Jasmine, Tulsi and Kawakawa Tea on Amazon

Fire and Ice: Ginger and Mint Tea on Amazon

Ice Breaker: Mint and Kawakawa Tea on Amazon

Sweet Amber: Lemon and Ginger Tea on Amazon

Disclaimer: The content of this blog post is for general information purposes only and does not constitute, nor does it intend to constitute medical diagnosis or treatment or other professional advice. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regime.