AAlia

Martin sent me a whole bag of whole linden from his town in the Czech Republic! I love that it’s in a fold-over style paper bag. Minimal waste! There’s a thoughtful touch to the bag, too. Attached is a small square of clear plastic with a sample of what’s inside!

I’ve been sipping this while dogsitting, needing something soothing for the evenings. At my house, the TV is on from dinner time to bedtime. I don’t watch TV myself, unless with Kiki (Tournament of Champions, Clarice and Big Sky have been the few shows that I participate in watching). It’s strange being in a silent house, even if I am familiar with my work father’s home. The dog makes dog noises and sometimes I play music on my laptop, but other than that it’s mostly silence. I hear everything in the evenings. Every tick-tock of the clocks, every cycling of the hot tub outside, every time the shower head in my bathroom mysteriously drains even though I took a shower in the morning. I’m spooking myself out. That’s where this tea comes in to play. As soon as I get the heebie-jeebies, I brew a cup of this.

The leaves are so delicate and the flowers small. They’re an entangled mess in the bag so bits often end up all over the counter trying to get some out. It might annoy somebody else, but I find it stupidly amusing and enjoy the puzzle. Since there’s like 3 or so leaves to each stem, I have to crumple them and break the wiry stems to get them to fit into my steeper basket.

I have given an awful lot of preamble for the following:

This is the one of the best linden teas I’ve had. It isn’t as syrupy as my other favorite from Dammann Frères, nor is it as intense. But not everything beautiful has to be flashy and French. Pure, sweet and simple.

Thank you so much Martin. This is the most intimate and thoughtful tea I have ever received <3

Before haiku day is over -

Covid Vaccine Two
Why are you kicking my butt?
Time to have some tea.

So Thursday I decided it would be a great idea to exercise extra and ended up with really sore pecs and shoulders. Friday I got my second vaccine. Friday night I am feeling great. Saturday morning, arm is sore but feel good so I make breakfast, clean the bathtub, fold and store the winter linens…

Right before lunch was the uh-oh. Aching, headachy, so cooooooold.

A long time ago I read the linden is good for fevers but only recently found out from derk’s note it is good for the old schnozzola, the schnoz, the snoot, the stuffy nose. And I am having issues with stuffiness today which could be from the shot and could be from the gallons of pollen dumped on us lately.

I put on sweats and laid in the sun trying to get warm and took a cup of this out with me.

I didn’t know it was going to taste good. I expected medicinal and maybe something akin to chamomile, but it was really sweet and smooth and had a distinct light honey taste.

I don’t know if it was the tea or I was just starting to get better, but I felt like eating at last after I drank it.

Thank you, Martin, for sending it to derk, and thank you, derk, for sending it to me!

I bought this tea especially for derk, but I saved some funny amount (I think about 1 gram maybe?) to brew sometime. Tilia cordata, a Czech national tree, is about 30 meters (98 ft 5 inch) tall deciduous tree. And its flowers and leaf is used in traditional Slavic medicine against cold. And as I feel like having a cold today, I decided to brew it.

Those leaves (ehm, rather the flowers!) are super fluffy and best looking ones I ever saw for a linden! They are whole, and as they declare on their website, it’s from single tree on their farm which is 140 years old!

What I am to supposed to say about the tea? It’s linden. Tastes good. Kind of honey-ish. Fresh. Mouth coating and throat-coating. Warming.

ashmanra, I hope derk will send a little to you as well! It is so light yet so flavourful and strong!

The pictures are acurate.