Rose Petals in Tea?

I have long been using and experimenting with edible rose petals in my Creamed Raw Honey...but only recently, when I procured a lovely hand operated food processor, have I been able to make the domestic leap of faith and bring the naturally scented buds into my everyday life!

Rose petals in tea? OH YES!


Looks just like a Puerh! 

I'm awaiting my black tea on special order, and I've been getting a little restless. So, I broke down and bought some Lipton Black Pearl* to tide me over till my Chinese black teas arrive!

A thought stuck me: I do have all those lovely rose petals waiting for the springtime flow of honey to begin, why not try it in my tea?...Hmmm.

If Tea Masters can do it, well why not Alicha McHugh? (Subtle irony there...) Voila! I LOVED it and you can too! Here's how...

There is a delicate balance between the black tea's need for boiling water to compel it's flavors forth, and a dried rose petal's release of bitterness in too hot a water temperature. THUS, you must do two things. Test the water temperature for exactness (this is part of the art of tea and delight of exactness, so no eye rolling, please!) Between 190 and 195. OR you might boil the water, pour it over your black tea and then a few moments later, drop in 1 & 1/2 tsps. of processed rose petals...I mean processed as in granulated but not to a powder.

Secondly, any inherent bitterness from the rose petals can be easily dismissed with a bit of my very own Rosenilla (locally, of course) or NuStevia or such and a touch of milk. I would shy away from Almond/ and Soy milks...I don't think the rose would mesh well...but that is, after all, my vantage point!

Keep steep time to whatever you enjoy for the black tea you've chosen. Like herbals, the rose petals will be fine with a longer steep time.

*As roses are not for the dainty or subtle, I'd start with a non-descript, simple but heavy black tea that can handle cream, regardless of creaming or not...therefore, I wouldn't like a "Breakfast Tea" proper, or a Scottish Breakfast, but perhaps an Earl Grey...Hmmm, grapefruits and roses? (Nose wrinkling)

Either way, if you are game, please share your DUEing adventures with Roses and Teas in the comments below! Love hearing from you!