Sea buckthorn is a unique berry. It is loved or hated, but anyone who has tried her at least once will not be indifferent to her. It has a reputation for being unimaginably useful, with a piercingly sour taste of berries, about the "joys" of harvesting which many know firsthand.

But the most memorable feature of sea buckthorn is a complex, very specific, difficult-to-explain aroma, fruity, with a very characteristic oily and even slightly rancid aspect.

What is the secret of the unique aroma of sea buckthorn?

Oddly enough, there are quite a large number of scientific papers that tell about the research of the aroma of sea buckthorn. One of the first is an article by German scientists dated 1984. They have identified about 60 key components that determine the aroma of sea buckthorn.

Among the key odorants, several esters are noted, primarily ethylcaproate, which makes the main contribution to the formation of odor. In its pure form, this ester has a smell reminiscent of pineapple and green banana, which partly explains the common nickname of sea buckthorn "Siberian pineapple".

They also noted some strangeness - isoamyl acetate, the most common ester of isoamyl alcohol in nature, is completely absent in the aroma of sea buckthorn, although other esters of isoamyl spirit, as they say, are in the assortment. Esters of leaf alcohol, cis-3-hexenol are mentioned, they give the fragrance a green tint and herbiness.

In addition, they found a certain amount of terpenes (limonene, ocimene), free lower alcohols and phenols, carbonyl compounds, and carboxylic acids, which, apparently, give the smell of sea buckthorn a characteristic sourness and oiliness.

Methods of sea buckthorn tea brewing.

Sea buckthorn tea, the recipe of which is especially relevant in the cold season, is one of the favorite warming drinks for many. You can brew it from sea buckthorn leaves, fresh, frozen, dried berries, or using all kinds of preparations with her participation.

Tea from "Siberian pineapple" is usually prepared in two ways:

Intact sea buckthorn berries are added to tea. It is often prepared based on brewed black tea, adding additional ingredients to taste in each cup. A fragrant mixture can be made from both fresh and frozen sea buckthorn berries.

• The berries are pressed, making a pomace, after which they are also brewed. Often, after cooking sea buckthorn jam without seeds or other desserts of this kind, a lot of sea buckthorn pomace remains idle, which can be effectively used to make compote or healthy tea. It is brewed together with leafy black tea in a teapot, supplemented if desired with other herbs and additives.

Why does sea buckthorn berry tea not smell, but sea buckthorn pomace tea has such a specific aroma?

The answer to this question is quite simple: the unique aroma of sea buckthorn pomace tea is given by a bone, which is the main source of a specific smell.

The fact is that during the processing of berries, the bone of sea buckthorn is broken and the aroma comes out, while the whole berry retains all the flavor inside, even when brewed at high temperatures.

Recipe for sea buckthorn tea with rosemary.

Ingredients:

Fresh or frozen sea buckthorn – 1 lb;

honey – 1 tablespoon;

rosemary - 2-3 sprigs;

water – 0,2 gl.

Preparation:

• It is necessary to compress sea buckthorn berries, pour boiling water, adding rosemary sprigs.
• Leave the tea to infuse under the lid.
• Sea buckthorn tea with rosemary is a recipe that is sweetened with honey before serving.

In addition to rosemary twigs, the composition can be supplemented with star anise, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon stick. Fragrant mint, which can be taken fresh or dried, will not be superfluous.

Recipe for fragrant tea with sea buckthorn pomace.

Ingredients:

• sea buckthorn pomace – 1 cup;
• honey or sugar - to taste; black tea – 2 tablespoons;
• water – 0,2 gal.

Preparation

• The kettle is rinsed with boiling water, tea, and sea buckthorn pomace are put into it.
• Pour everything with water heated to boiling and let it stand under the lid for 10 minutes.
• Sea buckthorn cake tea is served, sweetened with honey.

Have a nice tea party!