manzanita berry cider · $7

Caffeine free · 20 unbleached tea bags per box

In the days before corn syrup-laden sodas, settlers of the 19th century brewed their own refreshing drinks from locally gathered wild herbs, and Manzanita berry was a favorite throughout the West. From New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo mountains north to Idaho’s Salmon River country, wherever Manzanita grew, it was beloved for its delicious summer fruit. The tea was called “cider” because of its tasty apple-like flavor (the word manzanita is Spanish for “little apple”) and was inspired by Native Americans, who liked to infuse the berries in cold mountain water. A light touch of mulling spices lends a festive holiday feel to this tea, which was traditionally brewed during the autumn to winter months. This long-forgotten Western tea is now yours for the tasting. $7

out of stock until summer 2008