Oats in your tea?
Share
"A tisane of lavender, chamomile and oats. Works wonders for an anxious mind."
This little bit of wisdom comes from Mrs. Brody, the cook at Darnalay Castle, after she stumbles upon a very stressed out Letty Monro in the latter half of my recently published novel, Swept Into the Storm. Tisane is simply an old word for herbal tea, and the blend mentioned here is based on a reference I found in an old Scottish remedy book.
Chamomile and lavender, sure, but oats? In tea? Is this just another example of the Scotts using oats for anything and everything, or is it actually good?
I had to find out.
I should mention that I drink a lot of tea. In recent years I've taken to growing as many tea herbs as I can in my garden, then harvesting and drying them for winter use. I'm used to experimenting with different blends, and this one was just too intriguing not to try.
My first attempt used raw steel cut oats (as shown in the picture above), and it was... fine. The earthy flavor of the oats tempered the perfumy-ness of the lavendar and the slight bitterness of the chamomile, and made for an enjoyable and relaxing brew.
Then I tried toasting the oats, and WOW. It was (and I'm not exaggerating,) the best, most balanced herbal tea I've ever had. The oats took on a roasted, sweet, nutty flavor that perfectly complemented the aromatic, floral notes of the herbs. I drank a whole pot before bed, and slept like a baby.
So yeah, the Scots were onto something. I may just have to sow some oats in next year's garden.