Orchids are some of Mother Nature’s most cheerful creations. For many of us, they create joy merely by gracing our living spaces or our gardens. Nevertheless it must be said that other than their loveliness, orchids have little practicality for human beings, with the single exception of that estimable orchid that give us our vanilla flavoring.

If you had lived around eighty to 100 years ago, though, you perhaps would have had occasion to sample a wonderful tea created from the leaves of an uncommon orchid. The drink, commonly called Faham tea, achieved some celebrity in France in the early part of the 20th century. To be specific, it was brewed from the pungent leaves of the Angraecum fragrans orchid (also recorded as the Jumella fragrans).

The rare orchid was a native to the Reunion Island off the coast of Africa. An epiphytal species known  to the locals as “faham,” its usage as tea is credited to Reunion’s indigenous people, who are are said to have been the first to discover how tasty it was.

An article in a horticultual magazine of 1924 observed that so-called Faham tea had been sold in France, where many consumers were drinking it as a substitute for “Chinese” (i.e., regular) tea. “Every work on botany of any importance similarly places it in the foremost rank of the beneficial productions of  this favored clime (Reunion),” the writer says. “One of our most illustrious writers George Sand eulogizes it in the midst of the fine description of the Island of Bourbon.” Bourbon was an earlier name for Reunion Island, incidentally.

The orchid involved was known to grow very high on the mountain slopes of the island, deep inside virtually inaccessible forests. The difficulties attendant on gathering a sufficient amount of the plant meant that Faham tea, as a commercially viable item, was doomed to failure. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the tea’s tastiness, it was for the most part forgotten by mid- 20th century.

Most of us won’t ever learn what Faham tea tastes like. But, if you happen to be lucky enough to be growing a specimen or two of the right kind of orchid, you could sacrifice a handful of leaves and actually make some up for yourself. To brew the tea, you first bring water to a boil in a tea kettle. Then you put in some dried orchid leaves (about as much per cup as you would regular tea) to the water, turning off the heat and permitting it to steep for a few minutes.

A flyer from the 1920s extolling Faham tea avers:

It can be used as a substitute for tea on all occasions, as it combines its tonic and digestive qualities free from the sleepless effect. It possesses an aroma of great delicacy capable of being rendered more or less pungent according to the quantity used, and it gives forth a most agreeable perfume. After being drank, it leaves a lasting fragrance in the mouth, and in a closed room the odor of it can be recognized long after.

This beverage has the further advantage over tea, which requires to be drank at the time of making, in that it can be reserved for a future occasion if requisite, and may either be taken cold or made hot again. Milk or spirits in small quantities, especially rum, serve to develope its aroma and lending it additional delicacy or greater strength render it a delicious drink. Lastly this valuable plant is made use of to flavor custards and ices to which it communicates its delicate fragrance.

Sounds delightful. Faham tea, anyone?

Now, if you think you would like to try your hand at growing orchids, suitable for tea or otherwise, you will require accurate information.

Today there is an abudance of good, accurate information available for anyone who would like to grow orchids. The most complete guidebook to contemporary orchid gardening, I have found, is Orchid Care Expert by a Mr. Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded from the Internet. Howard’s wonderful guide constitutes a complete education all to itself. And, it’s suitable for those just starting out as well as more seasoned orchid growers. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets site, which features an ever-expanding database of information on all facets of orchid care.

Hawaiian Coffee

Kona Coffee is considered to be one of the purest coffees in the world. Only grown on the big island of Hawaii, in the Kona growing region. Kona coffee requires a special amount of sunlight and water that only Hawaii’s warm climate can give.  The coffee is harvested by hand ensuring only the best beans. The ripe berries are red when they are ready to be picked, they are then dried, pulped to remove the outside skin and hulled before being sorted by a machine into different grades depending on their size. The biggest beans are more expensive because they are said to be the most flavorful.  After the sorting, they are roasted and sealed in a can to preserve freshness, and are ready to be sold all over the world.

History

Samuel Ruggles was the first man to introduce Kona coffee to Hawaii in 1828. Although at the time it was known as arabica coffee, it later became known as Kona coffee after growing so well in the Kona region that was home to thick volcanic soil that made for perfect conditions for growing coffee of all kinds. After many different cultures had experienced the rich and flavorful Kona coffee, its popularity grew immensely, and became one of the greatest economic developments of the 1880s. Farmers experienced ups and downs during WWII, but the sales slowly progressed afterward and have been booming ever since. Most people consider this rare and delectable coffee to be one of the finest, and certainly the most expensive coffee of the past few decades, and this statement is probably true, even Mark Twain wrote about it saying “I think Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other be it grown where it may.”

Buying Kona Coffee

It is important to pay close attention to labels when buying Kona coffee some companies say that their coffee is the purest and finest, but some of the time this is not the case.  Some of these coffees only contain a very small amount of the actual Kona coffee, they are usually blended with some sort of  South American coffee. For this reason, be sure to buy 100% Kona beans from a true Hawaiian market. Online is usually the best way to find Kona beans because most cannot find them in a regular market, and they are usually fresh and can be shipped in just a matter of days.

Grades of Kona Coffee

Kona beans come in many different grades, like Extra fancy, Fancy, Kona #1, Prime, Kona#1 Peaberry, and Kona Peaberry prime. Kona beans are usually graded by size with some farmers saying that bigger is usually better, others say that it does not affect the end taste of the coffee. One of the most important parts involved in making the coffee taste well is the harvesting and processing part of the job i.e. hat is where only the best Kona beans are picked and processed leaving only the finest to be sealed and shipped. It is better to buy whole Kona beans rather then ground, because of freshness, the whole Kona beans will last for months, while the ground will only last about one month at the most. Kona coffee has been around for hundreds of years and has no sign of slowing down in popularity. It is sure to go on being the best coffee of the age.