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Our Valentine's Day edition of an easy-to-make, light dessert that's impossible to mess up and will definitely put you into the V-mood.
Our Valentine's Day edition of an easy-to-make, light dessert that's impossible to mess up and will definitely put you into the V-mood. Our heart desired some romance, so we enhanced the flavour of the mousse with powdered rose petals and topped it with whole pinkish ones.
ingredients
- 300g dark chocolate [we used 70% cacao] finely chopped
- 150ml milk 1.5%
- 400g Greek yogurt 2%
- 1tsp powdered rhoeco rose petals [use a grinder or a mortar]
- rhoeco rose petals [whole or powdered] and sea salt for the topping
instructions
Place the chopped chocolate pieces into a medium bowl. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat and immediately pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes and then stir with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth mixture. Add the teaspoon of powdered rose petals and the yogurt to the chocolate mixture and fold with a spatula until fully incorporated.
Divide into 6 cups and chill for at least 1-2 hours. Serve cold, topped with rhoeco organic rose petals and sea salt.
notes
The absence of raw eggs makes this alternative mousse recipe pregnancy-safe while allowing the rose-flavoured dark chocolate to stand out and tickle your taste buds.
An easy-to-make sugarless recipe that will add a little bit of Christmas sparkle either to your breakfast or to your holidays’ festive menu as a delicious and healthy dessert for the whole family.
An easy-to-make sugarless recipe that will add a little bit of Christmas sparkle either to your breakfast or to your holidays’ festive menu as a delicious and healthy dessert for the whole family.
ingredients
- 3 pears [we used the Abate Fetel variety]
- 3 cups of water
- 6-8g of the rhoeco Christmas herbal tea blend
*tip: feel free to use the herbal parts from your last brew
- optionally: honey [add as much according to your preference], cinnamon
instructions
Peel the pears, leaving the stems. In a medium saucepan add the water, the pears, and the herbal tea blend and heat on medium. Once it starts boiling, decrease heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the pears are tender. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for approximately 15 minutes. You can serve either warm or cold with as much of the aromatic liquor as you like. Optionally, spice things up and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
notes
The recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and nut free.
If you resist and not eat them all, make sure you keep the pears with some of the aromatic liquor and store in fridge. Alternatively, enjoy a cup of the leftover liquor while warm. It’s just another cup of your favourite Christmas blend, enriched with the natural sweetness of pears [and honey].
Keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Chamomile is one of the most renowned and loved herbs worldwide. Its name comes from the Greek word χαμαίμηλον (khamaimēlon), which means "earth apple"...
chamomile tea basics
Chamomile is one of the most renowned and loved herbs worldwide.
Its name comes from the Greek word χαμαίμηλον (khamaimēlon), which means "earth apple" describing its growth close to earth and the apple-like fragrance of the flowers which are very attractive to the lovely bees. Noble only in its name, it holds many beneficial properties, with Chamomile traditional medicinals dating back in ancient times, used extensively in Greece, Egypt, and by Romans and has been one of the most popular medicinal herbs ever since!
This daisy-like flowering chamomile plant belongs to the Asteraceae family which also includes the famous for its immune boost, echinacea and highly antioxidant calendula. The most common types of chamomile are the German chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and the Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). It is generally considered that German chamomile tea holds more beneficial components for health treatments due to its chemical composition compared to the Roman and Egyptian chamomile tea, and it is an indigenous species of Greece and the one you find at rhoeco products.
Nowadays, it is grown in many different countries around the world where the different microclimate gives interesting variations in the plant species composition. Greece with its special climatic conditions offers a delicate chamomile with a mild taste, rich fruity aroma and high percentage of essential oils.
health benefits of organic chamomile tea
It is mainly the dried chamomile flowers that carry numerous terpenoids, flavonoids, and antioxidants including apigenin, chamazulene, bisabolol and luteolin which contribute to the medicinal character and general benefits of chamomile tea. Health benefits of chamomile include anti-inflammatory properties, a highly soothing effect in menstrual disorders, and it has also been reported to lower blood sugar levels, stress and anxiety and of minor stomach discomfort. Combined with other herbs like licorice and hibiscus, chamomile tea can provide a highly antioxidant tisane.
Despite the many different preparations of chamomile having been developed over the years including essential oils, creams, ointments, and poultices, the most popular is in the form of herbal tea consumed widely. Organic chamomile tea is also considered safe to be consumed by children. In very rare occasions, comforting chamomile tea has been reported to have side effects to people who are allergic to the daisy family and especially to ragweed and chrysanthemum, belonging to this plant family.
Chamomile tea unlike black tea or even green tea, is naturally caffeine free, and holds important calming properties helping to a better sleep so it is the perfect before bedtime tea. It also reduces anxiety and stress levels so try drinking chamomile tea daily for a few weeks and delve into the lasting effect on the level of anxiety feeling.
For tea drinkers who are into more intense flavours, to enhance the calmative effect, you can drink chamomile tea adding to your whole chamomile flowers a few whole leaves of organic peppermint, lemongrass, lemon balm and lavender.
You can also find our organic chamomile as one of the main ingredients in SEA organic herbal tea blend along with lavender, lemon balm and tilia, making a tisane of exceptional calming effect and relaxing properties.
If you are into experimenting, try making a chamomile latte which is the ultimate soothing beverage to choose!
why rhoeco organic chamomile?
Here at rhoeco, specialising in herbal teas, we source this golden treasure, from small holder organic farms in Greece sampling each season the new harvest. At our certified facilities, we make a meticulous hand sorting ensuring that we only pack the finest and most fragrant and pure organic chamomile flowers offering you the chance to create the most balanced and flavourfoul tisane with a natural sweetness.
We insist on the highest quality and vote for whole parts that allow herbs unfurl and release their best aromas and taste. In most cases, a tea company like Twinings, Bigelow, or Yogi tea use chamomile teabags which include tea in the form of powder. Our loose leaf chamomile is of very high quality, non GMO, certified organic (EU & USDA standards), gluten free, with no preservatives or artificial flavours making rhoeco one of the best chamomile tea brands in the market.
testimonials about our pure chamomile tea [via The Future Kept beloved stockist of conscious items]
Rachel P. - "The loose chamomile tea is the best I’ve found."
Charlotte P. - "Great flavour."
Erica C. - "Real dried chamomile heads just as it should be. Bought it for my girl as evening before bedtime drink."
how to make chamomile tea
The best way to prepare your chamomile tisane is the infusion. For 1 cup [170ml] put 2tsp/1g into a utensil. Add hot water [95ºC], cover it with a lid and let it rest for 7'. Strain and serve.
Our monovarietal chamomile comes in a 40g pouch giving you the chance to prepare and enjoy 40 cups of tea.
what does chamomile tea taste like?
Rhoeco chamomile herbal tea, a best seller from our monovarietal range, is a brew from fine organic chamomile flowers, giving a floral taste tisane with jasmine aromas characterised by mild sweet and herbal notes and a velvet and creamy mouth, leaving a sense of relaxation.
Maybe the first that comes in mind when one hears chamomile is a hot alleviating tisane, but chamomile is also delicious when prepared as iced tea. Follow our cold brew instructions and enjoy a naturally sweet and mellow refreshing beverage during the hot summer days. It is also an excellent condiment for your sweet and savoury plates with chamomile pudding to have stolen our hearts and have become our new comfort delicacy already!
miscellaneous
- Chamomile organic seeds are also included in the seed mix found on our 'drink it, plant it' packages giving you the chance to discover and explore the majesty of growing on your own this beautiful herb.
- Chamomile is an excellent companion plant! Grow it with cabbage family, beans, onions and mint and it will make them most tasty and robust.
- Beneficial insects and pollinators are very attracted to the flowers of chamomile so make sure you add a few plants to your garden to increase biodiversity.
- Grow chamomile in full sun to help it thrive.
- In the famous tale of Peter Rabbit, the young rabbit suffers indigestion after eating the yummy vegetables of Mr. MacGregor’s garden. To cure the indigestion, his experienced mother treats Peter with a cup of chamomile tea before putting him to bed.
- Chamomile is also mentioned in Shakespeare's Henry IV For though the camomile, the more it is trodden on, the faster it grows, so youth, the more it is wasted, the sooner it wears.
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rhoeco cooks | chamomile pudding
Having practised immensely our tasting palates with numerous herbs and spices, we all three love to create recipes including our favourite ones. Chamomile could not be missing as its mellow, yet distinctive aroma and taste bring a sense of cosiness to our hearts.
This pudding, difficult to resist, can be consumed straight from the pan or, for those who can wait, freeze it for a few hours to get a light and refreshing dessert. Either way, you cannot go wrong, trust us!
ingredients
- 400ml almond milk
- 80g brown sugar
- 4 organic eggs
- 30g corn starch
- 2 tbs rhoeco organic chamomile
- chamomile buds and toasted sesame seeds for decorating
instructions
Steep the 2 tbs of rhoeco organic chamomile into the almond milk overnight. The next day sieve and put half the almond milk into a pan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and simmer. In a different bowl, beat the rest of the milk, the eggs and the corn-starch. Just before the milk on the stove boils, add the mixture and stir until it gets thick over medium heat. Serve in small bowls adding toasted sesame seeds and chamomile buds on top. You can indulge right away or let the pudding cool in the fridge for a few hours.
In case you're looking for your next weekend cooking date, we have a refreshing idea for you. Pick your favourite rhoeco herbal tea, try these very-easy-to-make herbal tea popsicles and give your afternoon sweet cravings the healthy glow-up they deserve!
In case you're looking for your next weekend cooking date, we have a refreshing idea for you. Pick your favourite rhoeco herbal tea, try these very-easy-to-make herbal tea popsicles and give your afternoon sweet cravings the healthy glow-up they deserve!
ingredients
Popsicle with milk
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk
- 1tbs honey
- 1tsp rhoeco lemon verbena leaves smashed to dust
Popsicle with herbal infusion & yogurt
- ½ cup rhoeco chamomile tea
- ½ cup strained low fat yogurt
- 1tbs honey
Just the herbal infusion & honey
instructions
Mix all ingredients. Pour mixture into ice-pop molds, insert a wooden stick into each pop; then freeze for at 6 hours [or until frozen] and enjoy!
tips
Cold or hot-brew the tea twice as strong as you normally would.
If you're hot-brewing, let the tea to cool down before you mix the ingredients into it.
If you're making option 1 or 2 [with the milk, or yogurt] and you want the popsicles to appear swirled or marbled, stop mixing before the color of the mixture is uniform.
To remove the popsicles from the molds, run the molds under warm water for a few seconds and the popsicles should slide right out. And hey, now is the right moment to decorate them with fresh or dried herbs. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Christmas is all about spending time with our beloved ones feeling cozy and cherised in a magical and unique way! It is also another opportunity to express our gratitude to the treasured somebodies for their presence in our lives. And this is exactly why, every year we are in quest of the perfect present.
Christmas is all about spending time with our beloved ones feeling cozy and cherised in a magical and unique way! It is also another opportunity to express our gratitude to the treasured somebodies for their presence in our lives. And this is exactly why, every year we are in quest of the perfect present.
The most precious gifts though, are not the objects themselves. The true essence lies in the moments they create.
Year after year, there is a growing interest in the origin and methods of the purchased goods. We become more conscious consumers, making thoughtful choices upon realisation of what is that matters the most in the end. We recognise our personal responsibility towards the environmental protection and the ecological footprint caused by the reckless purchase of goods. In most cases, goods that we do not even need - a sad reality found to its highest extent during the festive season.
It is that time of the year now that we have the chance to reconsider our habits and start making mindful choices.
With that in mind, this Christmas we embrace the “it matters” concept and motivate you to choose consciously your gifts. Because it matters how your gifts are made and what they give back - to you, your beloved ones and the environment.
With the purchase of every rhoeco, seek and get for free our festive postcards. Express your warmest wishes and create memorable moments around a teapot filled with delightfully smelling rhoeco tisane, because such moments is what matters.
Happy & conscious holidays,
rhoeco team
xx
Woohoo! We're absolutely thrilled to announce that our FOREST herbal tea blend is one of the winners at this year's Great Taste Awards!
Woohoo! We're absolutely thrilled to announce that our FOREST herbal tea blend is one of the winners at this year's Great Taste Awards!
Following your prompts, we decided to enter Great Taste Awards with one of your favourite rhoeco blends and yes! FOREST triumphed and got a huge star.
Here's some of judges comments: "Beautifully presented, lovely whole leaves that have been well handled. Gentle sage on the nose, the infusion has a delicious true sage flavour, backed up by the other flavours of fennel and sideritis. It is a very pleasant nuanced infusion and a clever blending of what could be an overpowering herb."
Great Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards. You can find more information, here - https://bit.ly/1Cm7jnb
Hard work pays off - Thank you all!
15 - 25 March @ T.A.F | the art foundation.
We proudly participate!
Sustainable Food Movement in Greece, it's all, oh so souvenir to me and T.A.F. / the art foundation are pleased to present the project It Grows on You - A project dedicated to sustainability and sustainable development aiming to bring out the work of young creators, entrepreneurs, professionals and actors.
We proudly participate!
15 - 25 March 2018, T.A.F | the art foundation
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Info:
Address | Normanou 5, 10555 Monastiraki, Athens
Opening hours | Mon-Sat 12.00-21.00, Sun12.00-19.00
Free entry
Summer is just around the corner and high temperatures should not discourage you from enjoying your favourite rhoeco herbal tea blend!
At this post, you will find two different ways to prepare an infusion that makes a wonderful treat on hot days.
Summer is just around the corner and high temperatures should not discourage you from enjoying your favourite rhoeco herbal tea blend!
At this post, you will find two different ways to prepare an infusion that makes a wonderful treat on hot days.
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COLD-BREW
Cold-brew is an easy, gentle and delicious method to extract the goodness of whole leaf tea and prepare a chilly tisane which releases slowly the true flavours and aromas of the dried herbs. Be sure that you will make a habit out of it!
Just grab a glass bottle, fill it with lukewarm water and float the herbal parts into it. To prepare one glass of water, you should need one to two teaspoons of herbal blend. To get most out of the tisanes, rinse the herbs with boiling water before sinking them into the bottle of water. This is also a good method to sanitise the herbs.
Put the bottle into the refrigerator and let it rest for 8-12 hours. Strain and serve!
Feel free to add sweeteners [organic cane sugar, honey or stevia] if you prefer sweet tastes but be sure you taste your brew first. The cold-brew method seems to extract more of the natural sweetness so chances are you won’t need any!
ICED TEA
Take 6-8 grams of your favourite blend and put it in a cup. Add hot water [95 ºC] until you fill the cup. Steep the blend for 8-10 minutes and then strain out the herbal parts. Add a cup of cold water and then pour the infusion in a glass filled with ice. As the additional water and ice will dilute the flavours, do not hesitate to make an extra strong brew to begin with!
Sweeteners can be added according to your preferences!
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You can also add ice cubes and/or a stem of spearmint, rosemary, lavender or any other herb into your glass. You can also experiment and add lemon slices or other fruits.
Once you're done steeping, don't toss the material! The high quality of rhoeco herbal tea blends allows a second brew that will be definitely lighter but still a refreshing one! Just leave the herbal parts a bit longer in the water.
Enjoy!
Rhoeco is participating in the 2nd Gourmet Olive & Delicacies Exhibition, on May 5, 6 and 7, 2017, at Lab’Attoir.
About a year ago, the 1st Gourmet Olive & Delicacies Exhibition took place in the recently refurbished building of the old municipal slaughterhouse of Thessaloniki, LAB'ATTOIR.
It was the premier event in the industry of artisan olive oil, olive-oil based and other gourmet products, as well as olive oil-based personal care products. Top retail, food service & wholesale buyers were gathered to discover new gastronomic products from the best producers in Greece and abroad.
We had the chance to attend several conferences and seminars hosted by the exhibition as well as to watch interesting presentations regarding the food industry and the entrepreneurship.
Their aim is to support and facilitate small and medium-size producers of fine foods and promote the benefits of consuming high quality products so we couldn’t help becoming part of it!
This year, rhoeco is participating in the 2nd Gourmet Olive & Delicacies Exhibition, on May 5, 6 and 7, 2017, at LAB'ATTOIR, waiting to meet you, introduce you and serve you our high quality, ecological products.
See you there!
Find more information about the exhibition, here: http://bit.ly/1rBtPtd
Last November, we were more than delighted to receive an invitation from Dr. Maroula Dimopoulou to introduce rhoeco in her class.
Last November, we were more than delighted to receive an invitation from Dr. Maroula Dimopoulou to introduce rhoeco in her class.
Maroula is a Scientific Associate and Lecturer at the Food Science and Technology section of Aristotle’s University School of Agriculture. She has studied Wine and Vine Sciences at Bordeaux University, one of the most renown institutions in the sector of wine studies.
Leader of the Organoleptic Assessment of Foods lab class, she was very kind to think that her students could taste and evaluate our herbal teas as part of their education regarding the organoleptic assessment.
Each of the students received a questionnaire which had to be filled with organoleptic and macroscopic comments about each herbal tea blend.
Students were taken into private booths where they could observe both the dry herbs and the herbal teas and also taste the tisanes. To avoid blending the different flavours, students were advised to eat a slice of crispbread, a well-known method that neutralizes the palate. As part of the assessment, certain steps were followed:
- Observe the colour and texture and smell the dry herbs.
- Before taking a sip from the tisane, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to connect the odour with a memory of yours and try to guess its flavour.
- Describe the colour of the tisane. Is it clear or blurry? Is it light-coloured or dark-coloured? How would you describe the colour? [red, yellow, green, white, etc]
- Describe the flavour of the tisane. Take a sip. Try to leave it inside your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing it. Which flavours do you recognise? [bitter, sweet, tart, strong, spicy, etc]. What texture does it leave to your mouth? [subtle, rich, creamy, oily, etc]. Does it feel hydrating?
- Swallow your sip and describe the aftertaste it leaves into your mouth.
Students had to choose a number of a scale from 1 to 5 in order to define how strong was the flavour, the taste and the aftertaste of the herbal tea. They were also expected to write and define with a few key words the colour, the texture, the smell and the level of drying of the dried herbal parts.
Finally, they could optionally name their favourite herbal tea.
We are very happy to share with you the top comments students made for each of our herbal tea blends:
FOREST: wild berry colour, sweet strong flavour, revitalising hydrating aftertaste, natural, earthy, autumn aromas
URBAN: peachy coloured, slightly spicy taste, bittersweet aftertaste, intense, citrus aromas
MOUNTAIN: honey coloured, meadow taste, slightly tart aftertaste, sweet citrus aromas
SEA: golden colour, breezy taste, sweet, mellow aftertaste, like taking-a-walk-into-a-village aromas
AGROS: yellow coloured with green highlights, slightly sweet, honey taste, lemon, sweet aftertaste, uplifting flower aromas
It was really interesting to see that each herbal tea had its followers. Depending on personal taste, any of our herbal teas can become a favourite!
Students found our whole project really interesting and we were excited to give them information about setting up a company.
Most of all, we are glad that we can become inspiration for them and prove that you can make everything with hard work and love for what you do!
