Thank you to Nichole for sending me a few bags of this to try! It had been on my wishlist for some time so I’m pretty excited to be able to try it now.
This smells incredible, very fresh but also woodsy. I’m definitely picking up on some citrus and pine. I was expecting long, green needles but it looks like everything has been ground to a powder inside the bags. I steeped this for a full 10 minutes and when I pulled the bag from the water I was left with a golden liquid, almost honey-colored, but also a pretty thick film on the surface. My husband tried this and said it tasted like pickles (???) but I think it’s pretty nice. I can still smell the citrus and pine and the taste is very light, almost a little watered. While it isn’t as amazing as I thought it might be, I am still enjoying it. I’m sure would be a hit ice-cold so I think I’ll try that next.
Flavors: Citrus, Pine
Preparation
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Flavors: Pickle
Yes! We need that one added to the list for sure! I’ve actually had a tea once before that tasted like pickles so I get where he’s coming from. :)
Pine needle is supposed to be very good for you and the immune system. I read that the water should be under boiling to avoid destroying the beneficial ingredients, while longer steep time brings them out more.
I’ve never had Douglas fir, but the local pine tree needles are tasty. I imagine that the vinegar taste is probably the pine acidity, perhaps when coupled with a dill-like fir flavor, reminisces of pickle…
teatortoise, I will try this next time at a lower temperature. How long of a steep time would you suggest? I’ll have to tell my husband about your explanation for the pickle flavor. He’ll appreciate the reasoning. :)
Just a guess, though!
For pine needles I steep for about ten to fifteen minutes, for more taste and nutrients/vitamins/substances etc. Just lightly simmering it. Depends how broken it is, and a little longer if it is fresh—which it isn’t here.
Do you simmer over a steady heat for the full 15 minutes or do you only start with barely simmering water and let it rest off the heat? I started with boiling water and let it steep for ten minutes off the heat so maybe that’s where I went wrong here.
I let it get pretty hot first, but below boiling, because it only takes a second of boiling to do away with the good stuff. Then I simmer it low for about ten minutes.
Flavors: Pickle
Yes! We need that one added to the list for sure! I’ve actually had a tea once before that tasted like pickles so I get where he’s coming from. :)
Pine needle is supposed to be very good for you and the immune system. I read that the water should be under boiling to avoid destroying the beneficial ingredients, while longer steep time brings them out more.
I’ve never had Douglas fir, but the local pine tree needles are tasty. I imagine that the vinegar taste is probably the pine acidity, perhaps when coupled with a dill-like fir flavor, reminisces of pickle…
teatortoise, I will try this next time at a lower temperature. How long of a steep time would you suggest? I’ll have to tell my husband about your explanation for the pickle flavor. He’ll appreciate the reasoning. :)
Just a guess, though!
For pine needles I steep for about ten to fifteen minutes, for more taste and nutrients/vitamins/substances etc. Just lightly simmering it. Depends how broken it is, and a little longer if it is fresh—which it isn’t here.
Do you simmer over a steady heat for the full 15 minutes or do you only start with barely simmering water and let it rest off the heat? I started with boiling water and let it steep for ten minutes off the heat so maybe that’s where I went wrong here.
I let it get pretty hot first, but below boiling, because it only takes a second of boiling to do away with the good stuff. Then I simmer it low for about ten minutes.