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What Is Rose Tea?

Helena Reimer
Helena Reimer

Rose tea is made from the buds, petals, and hips of the rose plant. It is a favorable flower tea that can be enjoyed either hot or cold by itself or along with many other ingredients. The tea is a good source for antioxidants and other nutrients, such as vitamins A and C and citric acid. Relief from emotional problems, mental stress, and physical ailments are some of the benefits of rose-infused tea.

Rosebud tea is made from fresh or dried buds before the rose has a chance to bloom, and rose hip tea is made from the pods after the rose bloom has fallen off. The petals are used to make a rich tea as well as for making rosewater, which is a by-product of extracting the oil. As with the petals, rosewater can also be used to make a delicious rose tea.

A red rose.
A red rose.

It is very easy to make rose tea as the tea is simply placed within a tea ball and into the teapot along with hot water for steeping. If a tea ball is not available, the loose tea can be placed directly into the container and later strained with a fine sieve. Ten minutes is generally a fair amount of time for the hot water to extract the flavor and nutrients; however, it can be steeped longer for a stronger flavor. The same method is used for freshly picked buds or petals, which can be chopped before steeping in order to release the flavor.

Rose tea is very high in antioxidants.
Rose tea is very high in antioxidants.

Iced rose tea is made in the same manner except that less water is used to extract the tea flavor. This is because extra cold water and ice is added to the tea after it has steeped and cooled down. A few ingredients that can be added to the tea include orange juice, milk, and a sweetener of choice. It is also great when steeped along with black tea or another herbal tea.

Less water is used to make iced rose tea than regular rose tea.
Less water is used to make iced rose tea than regular rose tea.

Some of the benefits of this tea are due to the number of antioxidants that are present. The antioxidants work at eliminating toxins from the body and also stop the harmful effects of free radicals. Rose tea is often taken for relief from the symptoms of colds, infections, and stomach ulcers. It also helps with anxiety and depression, which is partially due to its sedative effect.

Discussion Comments

bear78

I love rose tea but I have a very bad reaction to it when I have it. I feel nauseated, as if I have the stomach flu, but it only happens when I have rose tea and goes away afterward.

I have family members and friends who have rose tea regularly and don't experience anything like this. I haven't really looked into it but I think that I have some sort of sensitivity or maybe even an allergic reaction to rose tea. I'm thinking about contacting the company who makes it and telling them about my symptoms. Maybe they might figure out what might be causing it.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

serenesurface

Rose tea is a very popular tea in China. I lived in China for two years as an English teacher. The Chinese drink rose tea often for its medicinal properties. I was told to have several cups a day when I caught a bad cold. The taste was a little different for me at first but I got used to it quickly. It smells really great too.

I also had a Chinese dessert soup with rose tea once. It was just rose tea with berries and seeds. I had never had such a light and refreshing dessert in my life. I brought many boxes of rose tea with me from China and I'm on the last box. I hope I can get the same kind in Asian stores because I'm so used to having it now.

ddljohn

I have tasted rose water, rose jam and rose syrup before but I never had rose tea. I have seen rose water used in some Middle Eastern dessert recipes. Rose syrup is also popular in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It it is a condensed syrup with rose flavor and sugar that's sold in bottles. People buy it and mix with cold water to make rose sherbet, which is really popular in the summer time.

I don't know why rose tea isn't as popular as some of these other uses.

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    • A red rose.
      By: Nikolai Sorokin
      A red rose.
    • Rose tea is very high in antioxidants.
      By: NataliTerr
      Rose tea is very high in antioxidants.
    • Less water is used to make iced rose tea than regular rose tea.
      By: okinawakasawa
      Less water is used to make iced rose tea than regular rose tea.
    • Loose rose tea can be put directly in a teapot.
      By: volff
      Loose rose tea can be put directly in a teapot.
    • Rose tea is said to alleviate emotional problems and mental stress.
      By: spotmatikphoto
      Rose tea is said to alleviate emotional problems and mental stress.