Mountain tea
Greek mountain tea: what it is and how to brew it
The ironwort of the Pindus mountains, how it is grown and harvested, and how to get a fragrant cup every time.
Greek mountain tea is probably the best-loved herbal drink in Greece. It is not “tea” in the strict sense (it does not come from Camellia sinensis). It is the dried stems, leaves and flowers of ironwort (Sideritis), an aromatic plant that grows in the mountains of Greece and the Balkans.
A mountain plant
Several species of Sideritis grow in Greece, each on its own range. In the Pindus we find Sideritis raeseri, while further north Sideritis scardica is the common one. Ironwort likes high, sunny, stony ground. It usually grows above 1,000 metres, where summers are cool and winters are hard.
Mesolouri, where our farm is, sits at 1,020 metres. That altitude matters: the higher up, the more slowly the plant ripens and the stronger its aroma.
Cultivated, not picked from the wild
For years mountain tea was gathered from the wild. Overharvesting has sharply reduced wild populations on several mountains, and collecting wild mountain tea for sale has been banned in Greece since 1981. That is why we grow ours in our own fields, organically, so the wild plant is protected and we know exactly what goes into your cup.
Ironwort is harvested once a year, when the stems are covered in small yellow flowers; in the mountains that is usually in summer. The stems are dried in the shade to keep their colour and aroma, then tied in bunches or cut finely for the tea bags.
How to brew a good cup
There is no single “right” way, but this is ours:
- Amount: one sprig, or one teaspoon of cut tea, per cup. Use a little more for a stronger taste.
- Water: freshly boiled. For a softer aroma, let it cool for a minute first.
- Cover: cover the cup or the pot so the aromatic oils stay in the drink instead of escaping with the steam.
- Time: 5 to 10 minutes. The longer it steeps, the deeper the colour and flavour.
- Serve: strain, and add honey, a slice of lemon or a cinnamon stick if you like.
In Greek villages many people simmer the herb in the water for a few minutes instead. Try both and keep the one you like.
Iced
In summer, make a jug of mountain tea, let it cool and keep it in the fridge with lemon and a few mint leaves. You can also cold-brew it: sprigs in cold water, in the fridge, for about 12 hours.
What the science says
Ironwort has a long tradition of use in Greece. The European Medicines Agency’s Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (EMA/HMPC) has assessed Sideritis herba (including S. scardica and S. raeseri) as a traditional herbal product for herbal tea. That means its use rests mainly on long-standing tradition, not on clinical trials. Our products are food, not medicine: we enjoy them for their taste and aroma.