Tea in a Jar

One of my favorite tea shops is Verdigris Tea. Unfortunately, it's in Hudson, about an hour away, and that town shuts down at about 3pm on a Saturday, so I don't get there too often. The first time I visited, I discovered what was to become one of my all-time favorite teas, Tea in a Jar. Honestly, if a sample hadn't been on the counter, I would have walked right past it, but I'm glad I didn't.

Tea in a Jar is basically crushed-up aloe vera, papaya, or ginger, with organic sugar, and honey - in a jar. I discovered two flavors I haven't yet tried - pomegranate and citron. The jar directs the drinker to use three heaping teaspoons per cup, add hot water, and enjoy. My favorite is the aloe. At first glance, the stuff looks like lime green jelly, and I thought that three heaping teaspoons would be too sweet, but it really isn't. You can also add one teaspoon to any other tea, like white tea, to add some sweetness and flavor - I haven't tried that yet, but I have a bunch of teas that could use some sweetness. I've already gone through three jars of this stuff, and I love it.

As for the papaya and ginger, they're okay. I'm not too thrilled with the papaya, as it leaves too many chewy bits at the bottom, when all the tea is gone. There's nothing interesting, to me, about the flavor, but papaya is a good digestive, so I guess I could find reasons to finish the jar. The ginger has chewy bits at the end, as well, but I don't mind them, because I like chewing on ginger. The problem with this tea is my own, I admit - I have always used ginger tea for strictly medicinal purposes - upset stomachs, indigestion, etc. - so I'll probably save this one for those times I'll need a shot of ginger.

Overall, they're all good, but it's the aloe vera that will have me driving an hour south of here, just to get two more jars. Oh yeah, the stuff ain't cheap - I paid $12.95 per jar - but if you like tea, and want to try something different, it's definitely worth it.