Montebello Apple Spice (Caffeine Free Herb and Fruit Tea)
Cup Characteristics: A taste reminiscent of juicy autumn apples caress a cup with sweet and piquant spice notes. Mild cinnamon finish.
Ingredients (Loose Tea): Luxury dried hibiscus, Apple, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, Cardamom, Pepper, Stevia, Natural flavors.
Ingredients (Tea Bag Tea): Luxury dried hibiscus, Rosehip, Apple, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, Cardamom, Cornflower petals, Pepper, Natural flavors.
Tea Story:
What do you picture in your mind's eye when you think of Quebec? Voyageurs? Le Bonhomme de Carnaval? Maple Syrup? You'd be right on every count. Well, we're pleased to add something new to the list, Montebello Apple Spice Herb n' Fruit tea. In the same way that Maple Syrup is the signature flavor of Canadian Winter, sweet apples delicately spiced with cinnamon are without question one of the best-loved flavors of autumn. If you take a drive down any of the country roads in the region of Petite Nation where Montebello is situated and knock on the door of any farmhouse, you're sure to be greeted by the wonderful aroma of a freshly baked pie.
Apples have been grown in Petite Nation since shortly after the first Europeans arrived in the early 19th Century. The first apple pie probably followed not long afterwards. In the centuries since then, thousands of visitors have come to know the pleasure of hoisting forkful after forkful of the spicy apple treat. In fact, rumor has it that Ronald Reagan was a great fan during his stay at Chateau Montebello during the 1981 G7 summit.
So how did we go about capturing the essence of this Quebecois delicacy? It wasn't easy. It took many days in the tasting room gorging on pie in order to determine the exact combination of cinnamon, ginger and other assorted spices – we suffer for our art! We think we succeeded. Brew a pot and experience the cup's depth of character. Note the sweet layers of apple offset by touches of burnt cinnamon and hot ginger. Now, the next time someone asks what you picture when you think of Quebec, what are you gonna say?
For a summer time drink Montebello Apple Spice iced is hard to beat. It is refreshing and thirst quenching and not overly sweet. For formal times garnish the glass with a strawberry and a sprig of mint - for non-formal times pour it into your glass and enjoy it gulp after gulp! If you have small children use the Montebello Apple Spice tea to make popsicles - they taste great and contain very little sugar.
By virtue of the fact that these blends do not contain any tea and are a special blend of fruits and herbs - they are caffeine free! An additional benefit is that these 'teas' contain Vitamin C. What could be better - a healthy drink that tastes GREAT!
To make the perfect cup of Fairmont Tea: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Use 1 ½ -2 teaspoons of Montebello Apple Spice luxury loose tea or 1 tea bag of Montebello Apple Spice luxury tea for each 10 ounce/300 ml serving required. Pour boiling water into teapot. Cover and let steep for 5-7 minutes to desired strength - the longer the steeping time the more flavorful Montebello Apple Spice becomes. Consume 'straight-up', there is no need to add sugar or milk!
To make the perfect cup of Fairmont Iced Tea: Do Not Pour Hot Liquid directly into a Glass Pitcher
(to make 1 liter/quart): Place 12-15 teaspoons of Montebello Apple Spice luxury loose tea or 6-8 tea bags of Montebello Apple Spice luxury tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Steep 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Strain the tea into the pitcher. Add ice and top-up with cold water. Garnish. Sugar is not needed. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.