Organic Tea Production Involves the Artistry and Experience of Blending Organic Herbs and Spices

Cardamom plant before harvest - known as the quiet spice, cardamon is the third most expensive spice by weight behind vanilla and saffron.

Cardamon pods (dried) with ground seeds -  cardamon adds smokiness to tea with a cool sensation similar to the herb mint. Some chefs claim undertones of eucalyptus. 

Ginger plant with red blossom - ginger has been highly regarded since ancient times as a culinary delicacy and a medicine.

Ginger root dried and ginger ground - ginger gives off a strong aroma and has a hot taste but also cools like licorice.  Food chemists use contradictory phrases like zesty but warm or biting and sweet.

Cloves - are red flower buds from an evergreen tree.  When dried they resemble primitive nails, hence the Latin name clavus.

Cloves dried - when ground, cloves impart an intense aromatic sweet and bitter taste to their surroundings. They also acts as an astringent inside the mouth similar to that of Nutmeg.

Cinnamon trees - mature trees before cutting and harvesting of bark.  Like tea and pepper, cinnamon was used as a currency.  Its antioxidant properties made it a logical choice for the ancients to use the spice for embalming and meat preservation.  Cinnamon's aroma also masked foul odors.  

Cinnamon tree bark - ready for organic tea processing to be chopped or ground.  Chefs describe cinnamon's complex aroma and taste as woody, sweet and spicy.

Pepper trees - close up of fruit, pepper corns.   Used like tea for currency over 1,000 years ago, pepper and salt are no doubt the favorites.  Salt enhances flavor but pepper is its own spice.   People describe the aroma and taste as a mixture of earthiness, woody and biting.

Pepper corns - dried and ready for processing.  Most chefs agree fresh ground is best.  Embassy House uses fresh coarse ground in our teas.