Herbal teas easily available?

Yildiz

Considering the size of the average guide book ...its amazing how many questions they dont answer!

Because of a longterm health problem (epilepsy) I avoid caffeine and additive containing drinks ... tea, coffee and all the fizzy stuff. Im a very thirsty person, and even more so in hot and sticky weather ...so I drink alot of water and herbal teas (limeflower, mint, camomile, sage, etc etc etc) These are actually very refreshing in hot weather. BUT will I find these in India? I will be in Cochin, Kannur and Mysore areas ..... Are herbal teas likely to be available in cafes/restaurants and/or easily available to buy in shops?

Of course I can pack alot in my baggage .... but space is limited! Its crazy to take them with me if they are easily available out there.

rangss

Available in shops...doubtful if all restuarants serve herbal tea...I buy my regular supply from FoodWorld.

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federica

Hi Yildiz,

unfortunately herbal teas are not common at all. Tea in Kerala means black tea with milk and sugar, and "black tea" is without milk. You can get herbal teabags in some supermarkets, but I have never seen any herbal teas in normal restaurants... I have no idea how long you will be travelling, but carrying lots of teabags in Kerala is not the best option because of the humidity. They will get spoilt very fast.

I am also a lover of herbal teas, so what I recommend:
You can buy fresh peppermint leaves on the markets. So you get a very tasty peppermint tea.
You can also buy fennel seeds almost everywhere for fennel tea.
Another option would be ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces.... very tasty with sugar and lemon juice.
Just look around in the markets for other herbs and be creative....

You can get hot water in almost every restaurant, sometimes you have to ask, but people drink plein hot water quite often. And in case you don't get any tea, I can recommend this too. It sounds strange and i have never done this before my stay in India, but it's perfect for the hot and humid climate of Kerala... and it's free...

Yildiz

Thanks very much for this advice. I will be in India for a month ....teabags would normally keep that long ok ........but I have no experience of Kerala humidity !! I would never have thought of this affecting them.

I will take some for first few days and then explore markets as you suggest. Yes why not hot water? Maybe with a squeeze of lemon juice?

Thanks again Yıldız

Lily

We procure herbal tea from Aarohi, near Mukteshwar.

You can contact them at

aarohi2000@vsnl.net

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Lily

john.sw

The Himalaya shop in MG Road, Ernakulam, Cochin, sells herbal teas.

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lotus blossom

i generally take a bunch of tea bags with me. i drink yogi teas (they are very tasty and organic with so many varities), which come individually wrapped so stay fresh in all sorts of conditions. and they easily fit into a pocket of my luggage, loose and out of the box.

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Sama

if you have favorite herbal teas, I would bring them. How much space can tea bags take up? Personally, I drink enough tea daily to float a battleship and for my next trip I'm bringing my favorite teas with me (some days got burnt out on all the chai....)

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Yildiz

Thanks for all the replies. Ive decided to bring along a fair amount of my favorites .............I'm going to pack them in plastic tight top tubs (eg as you buy ice cream etc for freezer) and hope this will protect against humidity.

Yıldız