Kiwi tea lovers are in for a feast for the eyes and the palate as a new Auckland business brings blooming tea balls to their cups.
The handcrafted balls from ‘Blushing Tea’ are created with green tea leaves, woven together with botanicals like jasmine, lily, calendula, marigold and roses.
When hot water is poured over them, the ball opens and a blossoming flower is revealed. Blushing Tea director Nicola Maloney first came across flowering tea more than a decade ago while travelling with her husband in Scotland.
They’d stopped to warm up in a little tavern and found the blooming teas on the menu.
“We spent a couple hours sampling all the green teas and watching them bloom.
“It’s like a wee piece of theatre in your glass. We’d never seen anything like that before.
“It was just such a fun, neat afternoon and we’ve always remembered it.”
Years later, Nicola is bringing the blooming balls to New Zealand so Kiwi tea drinkers can share in the fun.
After rigorously researching tea growers, she settled on a small boutique tea supplier in rural China.
Blushing Tea sells 14 different types of tea balls, with names including ‘Fire Lily’, ‘Pot of Gold’ and ‘Burning Sunrise’.
It also offers sliced fruit tea, with delicious dried-fruit combinations like hibiscus hawthorn, coconut pineapple and lime blackcurrant, which can be enjoyed hot or cold.
“They are all very pretty when they open up,” Nicola says.
“Kiwis love their coffee, but we think they’ll really enjoy the blooming tea experience.
“Instead of just a normal drink, you get art at the same time.
“It brings people together, as you sit down and watch the magic unfold.
“I think we’ve been pretty boring with our teas up until now, so Blushing Tea aims to change things.”
Nicola says the products are perfect for special occasions like birthdays and high teas.
For the perfect brew, she recommends using any clear heat-resistant vessel – a teapot, large teacup, or even a wine glass with a minimum width of 8cm and tall enough to pour boiling water at least 11cm high so the ball has room to unfurl.
Then sit back high, and watch the magic unfold over two to three minutes. Each blooming ball makes 6-10 cups of tea.
The range is offered in select gift stores, and the public and wholesalers can order online at https://www.blushingtea.co.nz/
