Teatulia’s Tulsi Infusion is very different from any other tea or tisane that I have tasted. Inexplicably, for me the scent of the brewed liquor is evocative of childhood summers and corn on the cob oozing with butter. This is a little odd because the tea does not taste anything like corn or butter or sunshine. The taste is difficult to describe as I can’t think of anything more reasonable to compare it to, but I really enjoyed its silky, warm flavor.
This tea’s fascinating flavor comes from just two ingredients: black tea from Teatulia’s gardens in Northern Bangladesh and organically grown holy basil. The flavors of the black tea and the holy basil mesh with an unexpected synchronicity, resulting in a brew that tastes like neither of them individually. The tea is silken on the tongue and leaves a nice round lingering feel in the mouth. This is a tea that I would recommend to anyone with an adventurous palate.
Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), also called Tulsi, is an important herb in Ayurvedic medicine, used in the treatment of a broad range of ailments. Tulsi is also extremely important within Hindu tradition as a sacred plant incarnation of the Divine.
What distinguishes Tulsi from other basils is its peerless religious significance. Tulsi is Divinity. It is regarded not merely as a utilitarian God-send, as most sacred plants are viewed to be, but as an incarnation of the Goddess Herself. Thus, when one bows before Tulsi, one bows before the Goddess. Of course, denominations differ in their approach. Generally, worshipers of Vishnu will envision Tulsi as Lakshmi or Vrinda; devotees of Rama may view Tulsi as Sita; while Krishna bhaktas revere Her as Vrinda, Radha or Rukmani.
– excerpted from this article on Hinduism Today.
The lovely image below is of the Prayer House at Tetulia Guest Estate in Bangladesh, taken from Teatulia’s photostream on Flickr.
January 15, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Holy Basil Batman!
January 16, 2009 at 12:01 pm
A beautiful tea house!
I am intrigued by this basil tea. I might trying steeping basil with my next cup of black tea…
January 16, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Georgia – It would certainly be quite interesting to infuse some basil with your tea, although I’m going to guess that the basil you have access to is Italian Basil (Ocimum basilicum), which has a very different flavor than the Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) that Teatulia uses in this tea. Italian Basil and Thai Basil are closer to each other and much more easily procured. Holy Basil appears to be very hard to find in the United States.
February 18, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Hmm that sounds interesting. Ive been drinking tea for sometime now, most of the time black tea and ive never thought of adding but sounds delightful. For the past few months, ive been ordering the black tea flight from http://www.needcaffeine.com and so far its been pretty solid. Im not sure how it would compare price-wise to a teas like this one, but worth checking out nonetheless
June 10, 2009 at 1:07 am
great tips. I enjoyed reading this