When envisioning an olive grove, I – like many of you – immediately think about the beautiful fruit of the olive trees and the flavorful extra virgin olive oil that will soon be arriving from the Northern or Southern hemisphere harvests. However, in 2018, my vision expanded when I was introduced to Stone & Grove. Until then, I never thought about what the entirety of the tree could provide: from the trunk, the branches, and most importantly, the leaves.
At Stone & Grove in North-West Victoria, Australia, their history and heritage started with olives. Their beautiful olive tree groves spread out into the distance, providing not only olives, but plenty of olive leaves to harvest. What began as an effort to reduce its olive leaf waste, Stone & Grove has transformed into a producer of fine crafted olive leaf teas.
While using the traditional Japanese process of green tea production, Stone & Grove provides a selection of olive leaf teas created by their master tea blender. At Olive Lucy, we have the privilege of carrying their traditional Olive Leaf Tea, Detox, Energy, Immunity, and Women’s Health wellness teas. Each are hand-crafted, all natural and filled with flavor. Most are caffeine free, except for the Energy Olive Leaf Tea.
Most of us have read and heard about the wellness benefits and antioxidant properties that olives and extra virgin olive oil provide. But did you know that the olive leaves themselves are rich in antioxidants? Stone & Grove’s Olive Leaf Tea contains 20 to 40 mg of Olive Leaf Antioxidants per cup. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, antioxidants assist in preventing or delaying cell damage over time. While not directly related to the prevention of all diseases, antioxidants are still very healthy for the body. In each olive leaf tea product there is a high concentration of Oleuropein and Hyroxytyrosol antioxidants in particular. Their richness in antioxidants makes them particularly favorable to those seeking a cup of daily wellness.
Olive Leaf Tea’s increasing popularity has caught the attention of many tea lovers and olive lovers alike. Stone & Grove knows this and strives to make each blend of olive leaf tea complementary and benefiting the healthy lifestyle of its patrons. Its bitter citrus smell and taste reminds us of Extra Virgin Olive Oils’ aroma and flavor.
We brought these teas to Olive Lucy because they are, like most of our other store products, high quality, unique, delicious and healthful. We offer an assortment of high-quality olive products, including our premium extra virgin olive oils, jarred olives and olive tapenade, but this is an opportunity to bring you another part of the olive tree to try. If you want to try something very different than the teas you can get at your regular grocery store, then you are in for a tantalizing treat.
Refreshing, tasteful, relaxing and lovely are words that come to mind when I drink a good cup of tea. When it is a tea that I know comes from a place of the heart, like a cup of Stone & Grove Olive Leaf Tea, it makes me feel more in tune with the traditions of drinking tea. We don’t always take such a simple act as being familiar, yet when you delve deeper into the world of tea it permeates throughout life. There is an appreciation for all it does. From parents giving their children lemon and honey teas for sore throats to hosts serving black teas at parties with coffees and desserts, from brewing fresh chamomile to help us relax after long days at work, to partaking in long standing traditions such as tea time or tea ceremonies. Tea provides both healing and pleasure. Stone & Grove is a product that inspires that tradition with their teas that feel like home. From tree to table, Olive Lucy gladly offers their product.
