Green Olive Tea, sounds disgusting doesn’t it? When in fact its actually rather delicious! That’s because there is most definitely no green olives in it. Instead its green tea with only the leaves of the olive tree (and a few other special ingredients .. I’ve locked in peppermint but not sure on the rest). This beautiful tea is from Necessiteas, handmade in Jarrahdale and available for purchase at the Kalamunda Farmers Market on Sunday mornings.

Olive Leaf is especially good for you, especially in terms of  immunity (fighting cold and flu), cardiovascular health and antioxidant free radical fighting but also inflammation, anti-viral/bacterial and energy boosting . I don’t know about you but the taking of olive leaf extract in liquid form is just never going to be a sustainable part of my daily routine, and not just because I’m really bad at routine but also because  its just not delicious.

I was unable to find any resource which compared the benefits of extract versus tea, however I’d wager that the concentration of oleanoic acid in tea is lower than extract. I’ll keep an eye out for it.

Nevertheless, whilst I do look out for things that are good for me and is super healthy, I will not force something into my diet which is not enjoyable. This tea is wonderful.

Its a smooth blend which is refreshing without being sharp. The olive leaf gives it an earthy flavour which is not overpowering or bitter, sometimes thick leaved plants make for very tannin strong tea.   I find it to be more comforting than straight peppermint or green tea, its well rounded.

It benefits from a quick first rinse before brewing, I tend to do this to all green teas after finding it takes out some of the bitterness (definitely not necessary for white tea). All you need to do is pour  a small amount of boiled water over the leaves, throw that water out, and then continue filling your cup. Its probably not necessary for everyone but if you find green tea sometimes a little strong its worth a go.

A wonderful tea which is well worth checking out!