Madagascar Almond Spice

The Island State of Madagascar, situated off the coast of Africa, is the fourth largest island in the world. Although the island does not actually grow almonds commercially, almonds have been traded through her ports for centuries. During the Middle Ages, Madagascar became an important trading hub, servicing traders who plied their trade between Europe, most notably Portugal, Africa, and India. Spices, fabrics, pottery, metal-ware, just about anything imaginable has been traded through the island - even slaves before the trade was abolished. As mentioned, almonds were one of the goods that were commonly traded. Most of these came from various agricultural centers in Africa and made their way to Northern Europe where the nut featured prominently in Medieval cooking from Spain all the way to England.

We’ve taken a cue from the Middle Ages and decided to feature the almond in this wonderfully nutty herbal tea. Blended in with our all-natural almond pieces you’ll find dried pieces of Rosehip, Apple, Thistle flowers, and Cinnamon that create a sweet fruity melange with a slightly bitter nutty undertone and touch of hot spice. This tea is fabulous served hot on cold winter days or ice cold over a tall glass of ice on steamy summer afternoons. A true caffeine free delight - from Madagascar with love!

(to make 1 liter/quart): Place 12-15 teaspoons of Madagascar Almond Spice into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].