Friday, April 15, 2005

Tea flower oil

Remember this picture of a tea tree flower?



A reader asked why nobody is making tea with the petals? My educated guess is that they age too quickly and wouldn't stand the high heat during the tea process.

However, as the petals fall, the core of the flower matures in something like a round nut. The tea farmers do harvest these nuts to make... tea flower oil!

I bought some 10 days ago and first tasted it uncooked on a mixed vegetable salad. Humm... Its taste is quite strong and reminds me of hazelnut. It even overshadowed the taste of first cold pressed olive oil, as I mixed both together! At 20 USD the bottle, I paid much more than even imported olive oil, but given its concentration, I think I've got my money's worth.

In the meantime, I heard that tea oil is often used by Chinese women during their Yue-ze, the first month after giving birth. It is believed to bring many health benefits, just like tea.

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