Freeze Dried Strawberry Pieces

Fabulous! Intact Strawberry flavor stirs memories of country Pick-Your-Own berry farms.

• Information

  INGREDIENTS: Freeze dried strawberry pieces

  INGREDIENTS FROM: China

  REGION(S): Shandong Province

  GROWING ALTITUDES: 300 - 1000 feet above sea level

  GRADE(S): 1st Grade New Crop

  MANUFACTURE TYPE(S): Freeze dried

  ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: Low

  CAFFEINE LEVEL: None - Caffeine Free

  KOSHER: Yes
  

  VEGETARIAN: Yes

  VEGAN: Yes

  ARTISANAL NOTES: Small batch blended and packed in Canada

  INFUSION: Tending pink

  
  

• Description

  Do you love strawberries? Most people do. They?re sweet, juicy and bite-sized. What?s not to love? Karl Linnaeus, famed Swedish botanist and "father of taxonomy" certainly had a thing for them. For a brief period of time between 1707 and 1708 he ate nothing but in a bid to prove that Strawberries were perfectly edible. His gastronomical experiment was to counter an old belief held in some parts of Europe that because strawberries grew along the ground, and were likely crawled upon by snakes and toads; they were not fit for human consumption. The notion was concocted and written down in the 12th century by an abbess, or leader of a convent, named Saint Hildegard von Binger. Many Europeans at the time were rather, ahem, shall we say, "unsophisticated" and Hildegard's writings, put down as they were on paper, were as good as carved in stone.
  
  Speaking of odd European beliefs, in some parts of Bavaria, strawberries were considered an essential component in cattle and dairy farming. It seems the Bavarian farmers believed the elves who lived in the woods surrounding the fields helped their cows produce healthy calves and a dependable supply of milk. The farmers, in an effort to attract and appease the elves would tie small baskets of strawberries around the horns of grazing cattle as a gift of thanks. Even very, very early Europeans jumped on the strawberry loving bandwagon. The ancient Romans believed that strawberries were a symbol of the goddess Venus and that if you shared a large "double strawberry" with someone you were destined to fall in love with that person forever. Over the years this proved highly problematic for many Roman cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc.
  Now, not all Europeans loved strawberries. Henry VIII hated them. His second wife Ann Boleyn is said to have had a strawberry shaped birthmark on her neck. He disliked it so much he had her beheaded. There were also the charges of adultery and treason but that's another story. (Popular belief holds that she was innocent of all charges anyway. And don't worry, Henry VIII got his too.) Well, we at Metropolitan Tea love strawberries. We're particularly enamored with these freeze dried strawberry pieces. Why? In our minds anything that can be custom blended to create all-natural tea and herbal creations gets a big thumbs up. They're sweet and packed with strawberry flavor - give your customers something new to fall in love with!

  
  

• Allergen Declaration
  

  Allergens controlled by robust HACCP and GMP manufacturing protocols.
  SCROLL SIDEWAYS OR USE SLIDER AT THE BOTTOM TO VIEW FULL CHART

  PRODUCT NAME: Freeze Dried Strawberry Pieces

  PRODUCT TYPE: Loose - Herbal Tea

  KNOWN OR CLAIMED SOURCES OF FOOD ALLERGIES AND INTOLERANCES	Present in the product	Present in the same manufacturing factory
  Tree Nuts and Derivatives of Tree Nuts	No	Yes
  Almonds	No	Yes
  Brazil Nuts	No	No
  Cashews	No	No
  Chestnuts	No	No
  Coconut	No	Yes
  Hazelnut	No	No
  Hickory	No	No
  Macadamia	No	No
  Pecan	No	No
  Pine	No	No
  Pistachio	No	No
  Walnut	No	Yes
  Peanuts and Derivatives of Peanuts	No	No
  Peanuts	No	No
  Peanut Oil	No	No
  Sesame Seeds and Derivatives of Sesame Seeds	No	No
  Sesame Seeds	No	No
  Sesame Oil, refined	No	No
  Wheat and Derivatives of Wheat	No	Yes
  Wheat Starch Hydrolysates	No	Yes
  Egg and Derivatives of Eggs	No	No
  Milk, Dairy and Derivatives of Dairy	No	No
  Soybeans and Derivatives of Soybeans	No	Yes
  Soy Oil/Soybean Oil	No	No
  Soy Lecithin	No	Yes
  Crustaceans and Derivatives of Crustaceans	No	No
  Abalone	No	No
  Clam	No	No
  Crab	No	No
  Crayfish	No	No
  Cuttlefish	No	No
  King Prawn	No	No
  Krill	No	No
  Lobster	No	No
  Mussels	No	No
  Oysters	No	No
  Scallop	No	No
  Shrimp	No	No
  Snail	No	No
  Squid	No	No
  Fish and Derivatives of Fish	No	No
  Anchovies	No	No
  Bonito	No	No
  Coal Fish	No	No
  Mackerel	No	No
  Perch/Tilapia	No	No
  Salmon	No	No
  Cod	No	No
  Tuna	No	No
  White Fish	No	No
  Fish, unspecified	No	No
  Mustard and Derivatives of Mustard	No	No
  Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfites at concentrations of more than 10mg/kg expressed as S02	No	Yes
  Gluten and Derivatives of Gluten	No	Yes
  Gluten from Barley	No	No
  Gluten from Kamut	No	No
  Gluten from Oat	No	No
  Gluten from Rye	No	No
  Gluten from Spelt	No	No
  Gluten from Triticale	No	No
  Gluten from Wheat	No	Yes
  Celery and Products thereof	No	No
  Lupin and Products thereof	No	No

   Column 'Present in the product' indicates the allergens that may be found in the product, from addition or cross contamination. Column 'Present in the same manufacturing plant' indicates whether any allergens are present in the factory.

• Steeping Instructions

  
  

  PRODUCT TYPE: Loose - Herbal Tea

  IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 100ºC/212ºF

  TEA CUP	8oz (237ml)	10oz (296ml)	12oz (355ml)
  AMOUNT	1 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon"	1 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon"	1.5 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon"
  MILD	3-5 min	3-5 min	3-5 min
  MEDIUM	4-5 min	4-5 min	4-5 min
  STRONG	6-7 min	6-7 min	6-7 min

   

  TEA POT	18oz (532ml)	36oz (1064ml)	48oz (1419ml)
  AMOUNT	2 heaping teaspoons of "The Perfect Measure Spoon"	1 heaping teaspoon of "Pot of Perfect Tea Spoon"	2 heaping teaspoons of "Pot of Perfect Tea Spoon"
  MILD	3-5 min	3-5 min	3-5 min
  MEDIUM	4-5 min	4-5 min	4-5 min
  STRONG	6-7 min	6-7 min	6-7 min

   

  MILK	SUGAR	LEMON	MINT
  NO	NO	NO	NO

  ANTIOXIDANT BENEFIT: For a greater antioxidant benefit brew longer and use more tea.

  FOOD SAFETY ADVISORY: We strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today's water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses.

• Epic Iced Tea Instructions

  Tea isn't just served hot!  Iced tea is one of the most refreshing and natural thirst quenchers around the world.  Here is our suggested method of brewing the best iced tea.

  ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):

  1. Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher.
  2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea.
  3. Steep for 5 minutes.
  4. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water.
  5. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the bags.
  6. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
  7. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase
  8. the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.

  Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.

  ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):
  

  1. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea or 1 tea bag into a teapot for each serving required.
  2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the tea.
  3. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
  4. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags.
  5. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving.
  6. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.

  Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.

  HERB & FRUIT ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):

  1. Place 12 slightly heaping teaspoons of herb & fruit blend or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher.
  2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the herb & fruit blend.
  3. Steep for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water.
  5. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the tea bags.
  6. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
  7. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced herb & fruit tea is to increase the strength of hot brew since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.

  
  HERB & FRUIT ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):
  

  1. Place 2 slightly heaping teaspoons of herb & fruit blend or 1 tea bag into a teapot for each serving required.
  2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the herb & fruit blend.
  3. Cover and let steep for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags.
  5. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
  6. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed herb & fruit tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.