Woodland Fairy Tea – Magical Raspberry, Apple & Herbal Tea

There are places in the forests beyond Santa's Village where Huatua says one should never walk too quickly.

Not because they are dangerous.

Because you might miss something.

Woodland Fairy Tea is one of the oldest herbal recipes kept at The North Pole Tea Shop, a wonderfully fragrant infusion of fruits, herbs and flowers traditionally associated with the hidden folk of the forest.

Its origins are uncertain.

Huatua claims the recipe was brought to the Tea Shop generations ago by an Elven herbalist who disappeared into the northern woods for seven days and returned insisting that only a single afternoon had passed.

He also returned carrying a small bundle of plants.

The resulting recipe has been prepared ever since.

Apple has occupied a special place in European myth and folklore for centuries, associated with enchantment, knowledge and mysterious otherworldly places. Lemon verbena and lemongrass bring their bright fragrance to the blend and have long been valued in herbal traditions, later acquiring associations with cleansing and purification.

Then come the flowers.

Brilliant hibiscus brings colour and a touch of the exotic, while delicate cornflower petals recall old European traditions of love, devotion and the secrets of the countryside. Finally, pieces of raspberry and lemon weave through the infusion, creating a wonderfully fruity, fresh and slightly tart cup.

Yet Huatua maintains that the ingredients have another purpose.

Among the old North Pole herbalists, Woodland Fairy Tea is known as a Noticing Tea.

Not a potion for summoning fairies—Huatua is quite firm about that. Fairies seldom appreciate being summoned.

Instead, it is traditionally brewed when the world has begun to feel a little too ordinary.

Take it somewhere quiet. Allow the leaves and flowers to steep. Sit beside an open window or beneath the trees and drink slowly.

Afterwards, you may notice the sunlight behaving strangely amongst the leaves.

You may hear something moving where nothing appears to be.

You may discover a tiny circle of mushrooms that you are quite certain wasn't there yesterday.

And should you glimpse a little golden light disappearing between the trees...

Huatua strongly recommends that you finish your tea before following it.

From The North Pole Tea Shop

Ingredients: Apple Pieces, Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Hibiscus, Lemon Pieces, Raspberry Pieces, Cornflower Petals & Natural Flavours
Character: Fruity, Floral, Bright & Enchanting
North Pole Tradition: A traditional herbal Noticing Tea, prepared for those wishing to rediscover the quieter magic of the natural world
Prepared by: Huatua, The North Pole Tea Shop, Santa's Village