Did you know that the first roses bloomed more than 35 million years ago? Cleopatra herself had her rooms filled with rose petals so all would be haunted by the scent. While the origins of roses have been traced to the Middle East, roses are now cultivated worldwide. Napoleon’s wife, Josephine had a collection of roses at the Château de Malmaison with a garden full of different species that the renowned painter and botanist Pierre-Joseph Redouté famously painted.

We love roses, for their beauty, their scent, but also their medicinal benefits. In fact, the "Damask rose" or rosa damascena is most favoured for use in perfumery and is one of the few species that boasts high levels of antioxidants and Vitamin C. Specifically useful in beauty products, the rose also goes a long way in food and drink. 

That is why rose teas have been prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 5,000 years. Surprisingly, the antioxidant activity of rose tea is equal to or greater than those of green tea. Among the many benefits are helping digestion, soothing the body and calming the mind. It can also be used as a natural treatment for women during their menstrual cycle.  

Unfortunately, genetic modification has made most cut roses lose their scent to have a longer wearing rose that can withstand the long journey to the market place. But, since we harvest our roses from a local farm that grows natural Damask roses, our roses have a beautiful scent that perfumes our warehouse every week. The Autumn/Winter harvest is the longest growing season for the Damask rose which is a multiple flowering plant. We take advantage of this season by harvesting every week and using the blooms to distill rose water or dry rose tea. 

Rose petals contain natural antioxidants known to repair cellular damage, neutralize free radicals, protect you from disease and contribute to improving skin and hair health. Rose tea will help with...

To enjoy this native detoxifying caffeine free tea, steep a whole rose in hot water, and watch it blossom. You may re-steep up to 4 times to get the best out of each blossom. 

The rose tea tastes great alone, can be added to red or green tea, or flavoured with cinnamon. We take it with Chinese red tea and a dash of saffron, order your Estekana Red Tea at GB Café, Bahrain.