We can’t help ourselves—we find citrus fruits to be so ap-peel-ing. And citrus teas? They’re simply the zest! But why do we love them so? Read on for some juicy info on citrus and why we use this famous fruit in our tea blends.
The Scoop on Citrus
It is said that most of the citrus that we eat—such as oranges, bergamot, grapefruits, clementines and lemons—are hybrids bred between three parent species. This means that while each plant has its own flavour and slightly different appearance, they also share many similarities.
Citrus fruits are loved for their tart, zesty and refreshing flavours and are famous for adding a delicious complexity to many dishes. When working with flavour elements, acidity can help balance both sweetness and heat. We often use different types of citrus for this purpose in our teas, as well as to add a sensational liveliness to the mouthfeel of every sip.
Flavour Notes
While oranges can provide a deep and sweet pop of flavour to a cup of tea, lemons can add a higher note with more tartness, and pomelo can add a sweet pithy note that supports other flavours well.
Choosing the right citrus is an important task in blending the perfect cup of tea and always comes down to one thing: tasting, tasting and more tasting! We can honestly say we’re not complaining about that job!
Vitamin Citrus
You’ve probably heard that citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. Citrus became renowned for this benefit because of the part it played in preventing and curing scurvy, a disease resulting from a deficiency in vitamin C that was once common among people without access to fresh fruits and vegetables. For this reason, though citrus is thought to have originated in Southeast Asia, it quickly spread around the globe by those traveling on ships.
While other fruits and vegetables have been identified as having a higher vitamin C content, citrus fruits are still beloved among folks fighting colds. This is probably because of their delicious flavour, as well as how accessible they have become.
One of the things that makes citrus so delicious is a high aromatic oil content. Compounds such as terpenes, flavonoids, carotenes and coumarins are found in the rind and throughout the fruit. Not only are these elements responsible for flavour, but many are famous for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. This is one of the reasons citrus is such a common ingredient in cleaning products and has become so popular in the health and wellness world in cleansing and cold fighting blends.
What to Sip
For a refreshing cup of iced tea, enjoy sipping some of our favourite citrus blends this season, such as Sunny C, Strawberry Lemonade or Pink Flamingo. If you’re as inspired by citrus as we are after reading this, you can even add an extra splash of zest to your cup by making an iced tea lemonade.
If you prefer hot citrus teas, we recommend Blood Orange Boost or Organic Earl Grey for your morning cuppa, or Organic Lemon Lullaby before bed.
Explore More Citrus
If all this talk of sweet and tangy flavours and health-boosting benefits has got you thirsty, we’ve got you covered. Explore our selection of citrus teas, or browse the blog for zesty recipes.
