Bergamot Flower Tea
Bergarnot is native to north america and was used to make an infusion by the oswego indians hence the name oswego tea.
Bergamot flower tea. Be forewarned that different varieties. Oswego tea made from wild bergamot flowers and leaves was the favorite choice of americans who turned to native plants to make their tea after losing access to british teas as a result of the boston tea party. The plant grows in dense clusters with striking red flowers that bloom on 3 foot high stems in mid to late summer. Bergamot grows in us.
Red bergamot monarda didyma and pink bergamot monarda fistulosa both also called bee balm brighten up any garden with their showy flowers. Bergamot oil is a popular addition often found in earl grey tea however it comes from the bergamot orange which is not the same as this flower. Both leaves and flowers. Oswego tea was embraced as a beverage by the early american settlers who after the boston tea party in 1773 boycotted indian tea which was traded by the english.
The tea leaves are either sprayed with bergamot extract or essential oil or mixed with dried. Monarda commonly called bee balm or bergamot is also known by the names oswego tea and horsemint. Monarda didyma is a perennial native to eastern north america and canada and grows naturally from quebec to georgia and west from ontario to minnesota and down. This tea has several medicinal benefits and is consumed by people with health issues like cough cold sinusitis etc.
Often called bergamot these bee pleasing additions to your garden emit a lovely scent similar to the unrelated bergamot fruit used to flavor earl grey tea. Also known as oswego tea or bee balm bergamot tea is quite popular with native american indians. Bergamot tea is obtained by brewing leaves of the bergamot herb. Wild bergamot was considered a medicinal plant by many native americans including the menominee the ojibwe and the winnebago ho chunk.
Bergamot tea however its as a tea that the perennial excels although despite its membership in the mint family the taste is quite unlike that of its commoner kin. It is also known as scarlet bee balm oswego tea and crimson bee balm. When american colonists boycotted british tea they turned to oswego tea the beverage brewed by the oswego nation from bee balm monarda didyma.