There's nothing quite as satisfying as a nice hot cup of tea on a chilly autumn night, and the local tea connoisseurs at Olive Leaf Tea Company do it the right way. The fair trade and organic tea blends feature as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, starting with the olive leaves, which provide a great antioxidant boost for your system. Owned by locals Joe and Tasha Mehl, the tea for them is as much about health benefits and fair practices as it is about tasting great. Joe Mehl also provides all the unique and colorful artwork for the tea packages. His favorite tea is the Honeybush Cacao.
See also: Make Your Own Chai Tea Concentrate, Thanks to Pinterest
Price: $9 per bag (makes 20 cups)
Vendor: Olive Leaf Tea Company
Where to Pick It Up: Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market, open Saturday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.; and Bodega 420, Open daily from 8:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.
What Else to Grab: Lemon Rose Tea, Dandelion Tea
The red tea blend in the Honeybush Cacao starts with the local organic olive leaves and South African honeybush tea, which also touts antioxidant properties as well as Vitamin C. The tea then gets a flavor boost from Ecuadorian cacao, Indian vanilla bean, and toasted almonds sourced from California. This one-of-a-kind, tasty tea blend is loose leaf, as are all of Olive Leaf's teas, so you will have to have a diffuser handy if you want to enjoy it without getting leaves in your teeth. However, seeing how herbal flavors have become hot in both the culinary and mixology worlds, we're surprised we haven't seen these boutique and flavorful teas used in more local restaurants.
