Greek Saffron Herbal Tea with Honey, Orange and Selected Herbs

I love saffron, but only recently – when I bought a couple of grams from the Iran Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo – did I realize one can infuse and drink it as an herbal tea. Nicely warming and soothing, especially with a spoonful of honey or yellow sugar. Reputedly good for feminine complaints. Permeates the entire kitchen, the charm of saffron being that it smells like nothing much very penetratingly. The Krocus Kozanis box conveys the scent even unopened in the grocery store, through the plastic wrap.

Greek saffron, according to the paper slip, has been in production since Minoan Crete (1600 BC) and is recognized as the best quality in the world. In my experience, every spice-producing country claims theirs to be the best, and Greeks claim everything of theirs to be the best and the oldest – but this stuff does punch above its weight. There’s a floweriness to it that makes one think of a living plant rather than a dry spice, and it’s not even whole stamens. Possibly the herbs and honey (boy is it honey-tastic) in the traditional recipe bring out the fragrance.

(Incidentally, the non-bookmark-friendly Flash doohickey on the Krocus Kozanis web site gives the following recipe for iced saffron fruit tea from scratch:

1/4g saffron
1 cup thyme honey
1 litre ice-cold water
3-4 slices lemon
5-6 slices orange
5-6 slices apple (unpeeled)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 spearmint twigs, well rinsed

Soak saffron in a cup of warm water for a few hours. Remove from water and place in a sizeable glass jug with the thyme honey and ice-cold water. [Ed.— it makes no sense to me to discard the first infusion, but that’s what it says.] Stir well to dissolve honey and taste for desired sweetness. Add the orange, apple, and lemon slices to the jug. Add lemon juice and a few ice cubes. Finally, add the spearmint twigs and stir well.)

4.70$CAN for ten teabags is pricey, but saffron always is – and one bag should be good for several infusions, if my experience with the from-scratch version counts for anything.

Sipdown! Many thanks to MissB for sending me some of this unique tea. I can tell you that I quite like it, but I am having trouble articulating why. The problem is that I’ve never had saffron before so my palate can’t ID it and distinguish it from the other flavors. The honey flavor is very tastily strong here. There’s also a sage-like note that I think might be the saffron, and a slight tartness that lingers on the tongue. Although I don’t feel the need to instantly hunt it down and buy 10 boxes, this is certainly a blend I wouldn’t mind having in stock (especially at the office on days when I need a soothing moment).

I wanted some caffeine free tea after I got back from a wine wednesday at a friend’s place. I picked this one because parts of the packaging are written in greek and I kind of love foreign things. I also love Greek things, like especially their food but also their mythology. And also, you know, thanks for geometry and democracy and all that. But I digress. I’ve never had a saffron tea, but I do enjoy it in rice and paella! To me the citrus notes stand out in this tea but there is an “otherness” lurking in the background that mellows everything out. I guess this is what saffron tea tastes like? I’m not a huge fan of citrus, but I am enjoying this tisane. Thanks for the very interesting addition, Miss B!

This tea is shockingly delicious. I’ve had it six times now (again, huge backlog) and every single time it’s blown me away. It’s sweet and gentle, and very surprising as to the flavor. It’s a hard one to describe, other than to say I associate this flavor with other saffron teas I’ve had in the past – however this is by far the best. This will be a staple in my cupboard now.