Founder Valentin, grew up in Prespa where tea was always flowing plenty in his household. As a child, he would go into the mountain peaks to collect the mountain tea and other herbs, which his family had been planting and growing in rocky terrains in high altitudes of 3000ft – 7500ft for over 10 years. Since moving to the U.S., Valentin wanted to bring this memorable tea to U.S. tea consumers. Thus Activitea was born. They sent me their Mountian Tea to share with you, here are my thoughts:
Mountain Tea
This is actually my second time looking at this type of herb, so I was fascinated to see the possible differences between leaf quality and indicators of how it was harvested. Looking at the leaves, I noticed whole leaf flowers and stems, that were quite fuzzy and hairy. They were actually almost grey/white in color for the stems but with bright green and yellow flowers. I made it in a large pot so I could fully see the beautiful leaves. Once steeped, the flowers turn a brighter green and looked like they were freshly harvested. The aroma was very similar to catnip, as expected. It was quite herbal like, but was quite fresh and strong. As time progressed, I also noticed a slight creamy note as well.
The color of the brewed tea is a bright yellow color and is quite clear. I drank this with my mom before bed, and I noted back that I slept very well (which could be unrelated, but thought I would mention it). The taste was very light and crisp but held a very smooth and mellow feeling as well. Each sip was quite pleasant and had almost floral and sweet undertones to it. The sweetness itself really only appeared in the middle of each sip to the end of it, which was quite an interesting feeling to it. Overall, the taste is very consistent with catnip, but my mom also said it reminded her a bit of chamomile. Besides taste, it also invoked some cooling sensation in my mouth. As I finished it, I noticed some lingering notes of herbs and slight sweetness. It was quite interesting to taste and completely focus on this one herb again, I was surprised by how much complexity it offered.
Pricing: This tea is currently priced at $14.99 for 1.8 ounces (currently on sale for $11.99 at time of posting) or $18.99 for 2.65 ounces (Currently on sale for $15.99 at time of posting).
Packaging: This tea comes in a large tea canister (that I will most definitely reuse). Inside the canister, the tea is in a plastic-like bag which helps preserve the tea.
Sourcing: This tea is sourced from the company Shepherd’s Tea, as they are stated as the first to import this herb straight from its sourcing origin. This tea comes from the Ohrid – Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve.
What do you think? Are you open to trying this mountian tea and further into the culture that it brings in each cup? Happy Brewing!
-Danielle