While avocado leaf tea might sound like a niche category, its smooth taste, naturally caffeine-free credentials, interesting nutritional qualities, and the fact it’s not taking up extra land (it’s from trees already grown for fruit) make it an intriguing new option in the category (which now includes coffee leaf tea), says Wibbenmeyer, who was speaking to FoodNavigator-USA at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy Food Show.
“It’s like a green tea, but it’s got a buttery finish. There’s no bitterness, no astringency.”
The award-winning tea – which is sold in biodegradable teabags – is currently available online and in around 50 boutique stores, says Wibbenmeyer, who says he discovered a long tradition of drinking avocado leaf tea in Central America.
“It has been boiled and drunk for centuries as a home medicinal remedy, so Aztec, Mayan, Central American cultures would pick four or five leaves, boil it for about 20 minutes and let it sit, and it releases this beautiful red rustic flavor…
“It took us about six months of R&D to try to get it into a single serving bag and still release that beautiful red rustic flavor.”
