Chrysanthemum tea.... anyone?

Foobu Gold was in Hongkong last week for a vacation. Before she left Philippines, I asked her a favor if she could observe how people in Hongkong make coffee. Since we're setting up our own coffee shop, HEALTHYLand, I thought probably in the future we can infuse some international coffee blends.

She promised she'll bring home some coffee pasalubong and she did! It wasn't coffee though but tea.

I consider myself a tea drinker but my tea is limited to the bottled green teas and the usual tea bags like jasmine, chamomile, papaya, ampalaya etc. but chrysanthemum tea, as pasalubong, is really something new for me. It made me think, probably every edible plant can be made into tea. Hmmmmm.

Tea is served more than coffee in Hongkong. And tea in Hongkong tastes good,she said. I was excited to try. And I did.

Surprisingly, chrysanthemum tea doesn't taste much like tea. Its sweet and has a mild flavor. Its very aromatic but I can't tell whether its like the smell of the flower since I don't get to smell a chrysanthemum that often..only during All Saints Day and All Souls Day and probably in some occasions like funerals.

Plus its not in a tea bag. Its packed in a foil (just like the flavorings of an instant pancit canton) and its in granules. When dissolved in water the granules disappear and water turns into a dark solution less the dried leaf flavor of other regular teas.

According to research, chrysanthemum tea helps lower blood pressure, helps in the treatment of colds, headache, fever, flu and can even contribute to clear vision and alertness and many more.

Well, all those are given. In a country where tea is not as popular as soft drinks and coffee, there are a lot more to discover about its benefits. Gladly, we now have bottled green teas that set a revolution on tea consumption.