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Product Review



The Curling Leaf Artisan Tea:



I love that our small city has so many entrepreneurs who run small businesses offering unique services and products that highlight the amazing agricultural aspects of this valley. One of these businesses is The Curling Leaf, which offers various herbal loose-leaf tea mixes. (This is actually one of two loose-leaf tea companies - that I know of - that are based here in the Creston valley). Packaged in red, foil lined (not recyclable) paper bags and closed with a strong black, reusable clip – these have a cute label on the front with wonderfully enticing names and a lovely logo, and on the back the label details the ingredients. They’ve also included their contact information on the packaging, which is a nice touch.



One of the ingredients used in some of the tea combinations is rooibos, which I wasn't familiar with and so I did some research online about it. Apparently it is pronounced “roy-boss” and means ‘red bush’. The plant comes from a member of the legume family with needle-like leaves that is common in South Africa. The leaves are what provide the tisane, desirable for tea. It also has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and flavonoids; it contains no caffeine and is low in tannin (which can stain the teeth).  Herbalists claim that this plant can help with anxiety, allergies, gout and digestive issues.



I have had the pleasure of trying 3 different packaged tea mixes lately, serving them to my husband and visiting friends as well.






Heavenly Herbal Tea  - a wonderfully fragrant peppermint and faint rose scent. This tea reminded me a great deal of the tea mix my late mother used to make from her herb gardens. Drinking this brought her memory to the surface and after a good cry (she died nearly 3 years ago) I was able to smile because I have those tea-chats to remember. This is a calming tea – great for stressful moments or for drinking an hour or so prior to bedtime.

Ingredients: chamomile, rooibos, peppermint, calendula, rose petals, natural flavors



Tropical Breeze – This is a rose-colored tea with a wonderful fragrance. Lemon balm happens to be one of my personal favorite tea herbs and also goes well with many Asian dishes, and yet I rarely see it used by others, so it was really interesting to see it listed in the ingredients for this tea blend. Ancients knew this herb as a youthful tonic.

Ingredients: rooibos, pineapple, passionflower, lemon balm, rose petals.



Kootenay Cherry-rose Green - The steam smells wonderful, just like a combination of cherries and roses. I was surprised how large the tiny dehydrated tea ingredients became after dumping the dredges from the teapot in the compost bucket. Ingredients: green tea, dried cherries, rose petals, calendula, natural flavors



To contact this local loose-leaf tea company email: TheCurlingLeaf@gmail.com. The owner, J. MacDonald, also has a blog you might want to check out at: http://justmakeamess.wordpress.com/


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