Sweet Margaret

I wish I understood what this tea was made of, or, even how to describe it.

Bought it in the Bahamas while there for 10 weeks. Recommended to me by a butcher on Exuma as a “local tea”, and I thought – awesome! They grow tea here? How cool is that?

Now, I’m not entirely sure they grow the tea on Exuma, in the Bahamas, or wherever this is produced. Honestly? I couldn’t find anything, anywhere. It’s par for the course there, so I just accepted I had this weird, tea with no ingredient list and perhaps would make me really, uh, excited. (Yep, that was on the box, as was that it’s a diuretic and stomach soother).

So. The flavor. On Exuma, I HATED this. Couldn’t drink it. So foul.

Now, that might have been the quality of the water (salty, “brackish”).. so I had to try it when I was back to my somewhat normal life. Read: where the water is palatable.

The Montreal version of this tea is… calming. Bland. No real flavor. I steeped it for quite a while – if it’s actual tea, I thought it would get bitter. It didn’t, although I do taste tannin.

Does my stomach still hurt? Well… it’s a bit upset now (after drinking it). Do I fell… uh… energized in the adult way? Sure. A bit? Maybe. Diuretic? Yea, but no more than any other tea.

So, do I recommend? A novelty, perhaps. Maybe I didn’t make it right – although there were no instructions. Maybe I don’t understand. Or maybe, like the rest of the Bahamas, I just need to take a chill pill and stop complaining. Slow down.

Okay, I can do that.