Purple Gentian
Smell - very faint, almost sweet
Directly in mouth - I refrained from spitting it out! Bitter with a slant toward acidic. It reminded me of chewing on licorice root. The flavor is somewhat "roundish" and is concentrating on the back of my tongue, as expected by the outdated map of the tongue.
As a tea - More smooth, but still quite bitter. More of the sensation was experienced on the tip of my tongue.
Silk Tassel
Smell - virtually none
Directly in mouth - Flavorless
As a tea - Has the smell of a good green tea. A very nice taste with just a tinge of bitterness on the tip of my tongue. I would drink this as a tea happily.
Oregon Grape
Smell - dusty, non-distinct
Directly in mouth - Similar to putting cream of tartar in your mouth with a slight earthy flavor.
As a tea - Not good nor bad. So non-distinct that I won't be using this.
Hops
Smell - Fresh and green
Directly in mouth - Almost citrus-y, but mainly mild
As a tea - Not pleasantly bitter - how did this stuff end up in beer?! Nothing unique about it.
So...a few comments from the anal herb nerd:
ReplyDelete- it's not a tea unless it's the tea plant. You're making herbal infusions in water.
- not everything extracts in water. Some things extract dramatically different (tastes, vitamins, medicinal qualities) in oil or alcohol or vinegar. Some you need hot water, some cold. Etc.
- you may want to research the properties of these plants before you use them too much. Silk tassel, for example, is a very strong uterine muscle relaxer. Not a big deal for you, but dangerous for a pregnant woman. Good if you're having a crampy period though. :)
Thanks anal herb nerd. I'll be sure to warn any pregnant gluttons who come to the dinner. I've been in close consultation with Bear Creek Herbs throughout this project to make sure that they know how I am going to use the herbs, and their comment was that at the small level at which I'm using it, there should be no issues...but wait...I think my uterus is opening up! Ahhkkk!
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