Product Overview
Sweet and lightly spicy. Memories of fresh cinnamon on warm buttered toast.
Luxury Ingredients: Cinnamon
Small Batch Blended and Packed in: Canada
Tea(s) From: Vietnam
Region(s): Mekong Delta
Antioxidant Level: Low
Caffeine Content: None - Caffeine Free Herb
Shelf Life: 2 years.
Long Description
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S):MEKONG CINNAMON
Small Batch Blended and Packed in Canada. HACCP Certified.
INGREDIENTS FROM:Vietnam
REGION(S):Mekong Delta
Shipping Port(s): Ho Chi Minh City
GRADE(S):1st Grade
GROWING ALTITUDES:1 – 500 feet above sea level
CUP CHARACTERISTICS:Sweet and lightly spicy. Memories of fresh cinnamon on warm buttered toast.
INFUSION:Tending light ochre Luxury
INGREDIENTS:Cinnamon
INFORMATION:
At an estimated 4880 kilometers long, The Mekong River is generally regarded as the 10th longest In the world. The river gets its start 4500 meters above sea level in the Tibetan Plateau and winds and twists its way through Yunnan Province in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia until it drains into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Bordering the river for almost its entire length is some of the world's most fertile terrain. Thousands of rice paddies, groves of tropical fruit and cinnamon farms, among others, line the banks, drawing on its fresh water for irrigation and nutrient rich soil.
Now, we don't mean to alarm you, but some claim the river's power to help things grow is due in part to the presence of an honest to goodness dragon that lives in the river's murky depths 620 km east of Bangkok. A dragon!? Yes, a dragon. His name is Naga and is in many respects Viet Nam's answer to the Loch ness Monster. Like the beast of Loch ness, Naga's image has turned up in countless photographs and home movies, even making an appearance on a postcard, hoisted by of a group of American GIs. But wait, it gets even stranger.
The most famous visible manifestation of Naga's power is the fireballs that have risen from the river since time began. These glowing pinkish orbs float up into the night sky during the late autumn full moon at the end of Buddhist Lent. Locals believe they are burped out by the dragon and thus far; science has been unable to prove otherwise. Over the years thousands of these fireballs have been seen by scores of people fueling the dragon's myth and proving positive the river's awesome power.
Is it the result of Naga that the Mekong riverbank happens to provide the perfect conditions for growing cinnamon? Could be. All we know for sure is that Mekong Cinnamon exhibits the perfect balance of sweet and heat, making it an excellent addition to our teas.
Naturally dried using an age-old sun drying technique, Mekong Cinnamon can be used to create your own tea and herbal blends, or as a natural additive to brewed tea for a sweetly scented treat. May the power of Naga be with you. Personalize your tea service with these tasty tea ideas:
Naga's Fireball. (Loose tea blend)
1/4 lb pure Ceylon tea
4 tablespoons dried orange pieces and orange peel
1 tablespoon ground Mekong Cinnamon (include a few larger pieces of cinnamon in the blend for visual effect.)
Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a drum or large bowl and place in jars or tins. (Adjust ingredients for larger quantities.)
Mekong Fire Cinnamon Iced Tea
To prepare this sweetly heated iced tea, simply infuse a few pieces of Mekong Cinnamon along with a very strong pot of tea.
Pour over ice, garnish with fresh lemon and serve. Mekong Cinnamon has countless other uses. Experiment and come up with some fabulous recipes of your own!
Hot tea brewing method: Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of herbal tea for each 7-9oz/200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 5-10 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time, the better the flavor as more fruit and herb flavor is extracted). Garnish and sweeten to taste.
SERVING THIS AS ICED TEA IS GENERALLY NOT RECOMMENDED.
HOWEVER, SHOULD YOU WISH TO BREW IT ANYWAY, PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:
ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher):
(to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of herbal tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves or removing the tea bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.
(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.)
ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of herbal tea into a teapot for each serving required. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the tea. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the leaves or removing the tea bags. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving. Sweeten and/or add lemon to taste. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted. (Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!)
FOOD SAFETY ADVISORY:
We strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today's water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses.
IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 100C/212F.
MINIMUM BREWING TEMPERATURE: 90C/194F.
