How we prepare our Culinary Lavender
Following on from last month’s newsletter, let’s take you behind the scenes and share how we prepare our Culinary Lavender for tea, baking, cooking, desserts, and cocktails.
To ensure the best flavour and quality, we harvest the lavender florets by hand before they are fully open. The stems are then taken to our drying room, where they are hung for around three weeks, or until they reach the ideal level of dryness.
Quality is paramount, so we send samples to an independent testing laboratory in Christchurch to measure water activity. For culinary use, the lavender must have a water activity reading below 0.8. Once we receive confirmation that our lavender meets this standard, it is then ready for processing.
The dried buds are carefully rubbed from the stems, placed into large containers, and stored in the freezer to maintain freshness and consistency.
From there, the Culinary Lavender is packaged into food-grade bags and small pottles, ready for sale in our shop and online.
This season we are introducing three lavender tea blends, each offering its own unique flavour and experience. We’ll see which varieties prove most popular and look to expand the range over time.
Lavender ‘Blanc’ Tea
French aficionados will know that Blanc means White. Our Lavender ‘Blanc’ Tea is made from our own Blue Mountain White (BMW) lavender, planted on the farm in 2021.
BMW lavender has a soft, sweet aroma with delicate citrus notes. It is delightful served with a slice of lemon or a sprig of lemon balm. It also pairs beautifully with chamomile, creating a gentle, soothing brew that’s perfect for winding down before bedtime.
Lavender Violet Intrigue & Chamomile ‘Reverie’ Tea
‘Reverie’ Tea combines our award-winning Violet Intrigue lavender with calming chamomile.
Grown on our farm since 2015, Violet Intrigue has earned numerous awards across New Zealand, Australia and the United States. It also happens to be my personal favourite lavender oil.
We chose the name ‘Reverie’ because it evokes a peaceful, dreamlike state, the kind of gentle daydream you might drift into while enjoying a calming cup of tea. Blended with chamomile, often referred to as the queen of relaxing teas, this tea offers a beautiful sense of calm and makes a wonderful choice for a peaceful moment during the day.
Lavender ‘Hidcote & Hibiscus’ Infusion
This vibrant infusion combines the soothing aroma of lavender with the bright, tangy character of hibiscus, creating a beautifully balanced blend that brews into a delicate blush-pink cup.
If you’re looking for a calming morning or afternoon pick-me-up, this is the tea for you.
Our Hidcote lavender has been grown on the farm since 2021. Renowned worldwide for its culinary qualities, Hidcote is celebrated for its classic lavender flavour. The hibiscus in this blend is sourced locally through Claridge Botanicals NZ.
Whether you’re looking for a relaxing evening tea, a peaceful daytime brew, or a refreshing afternoon lift, we hope you’ll find a favourite among our new lavender tea collection.
Not being a coffee drinker, tea is important to me and having a variety of teas for different moments in the day is what I personally enjoy. We hope you also enjoy a range of teas.
See you next month x