Greek Mountain Tea (Sideritis): Taste, Brewing and Tradition

A cup of golden Greek mountain tea beside a plate of dried Sideritis stems and leaves

Ask for a cup of tea in a Greek mountain village and you will probably not get black tea. You will get tsai tou vounou, mountain tea: a handful of dried stems with silvery-green leaves and pale yellow flower spikes, steeped until the water turns golden. For many Greeks, us included, it is the smell of a grandmother's kitchen on a winter evening, and of a village kafeneio after a long walk.

In this guide we look at what Greek mountain tea is, what it tastes like, how to brew it at home and the traditions that surround it.

What is Greek mountain tea?

Greek mountain tea is the dried flowering stems of Sideritis, a group of hardy plants from the mint family that grow on rocky, sunny slopes in the mountains of the Mediterranean, often above 1,000 metres. Despite the name, it is not "tea" in the botanical sense: it contains no leaves of the tea plant, which makes it a herbal infusion and naturally caffeine-free.

Greece is home to several species, and many regions are proud of their own. Sideritis scardica grows on Mount Olympus and in the mountains of northern Greece, Sideritis raeseri across the mountains of the mainland, Sideritis clandestina in the Peloponnese, and on Crete people gather Sideritis syriaca, which the islanders call malotira. In villages you will often hear it named after the mountain it comes from: tea from Olympus, from Parnassus, from Taygetos.

Today, a growing share of Greek mountain tea is cultivated in mountain regions rather than picked in the wild, which takes pressure off the wild plants.

What does Greek mountain tea taste like?

Greek mountain tea is a quiet cup rather than a dramatic one. Expect:

A light, clean herbal flavour, somewhere between sage, chamomile and fresh hay.
Soft floral notes from the flower spikes, and a gentle, honey-like sweetness.
Hardly any bitterness, even if it steeps a little longer than planned.
A golden to amber colour that deepens the longer it brews.

Because it is so mellow, it is easy to drink at any time of day, and it pairs beautifully with simple things: a slice of lemon, a spoon of thyme honey, a piece of honey cake or a few walnuts.

How to brew Greek mountain tea

In a mug or teapot

Amount: 2–3 g per 250 ml, about 1.5–2 teaspoons, or a small handful of stems broken into pieces.
Water: freshly boiled, 100 °C.
Time: 8–10 minutes, with a lid or saucer on the cup to keep the aroma in.
To finish: a slice of lemon or a little honey, if you like, the way it is usually served in Greece.

The village way: simmered in a pot

In many Greek homes mountain tea is not steeped but simmered. Put a small bundle of stems in a pot of cold water, bring it slowly to the boil, let it simmer for two or three minutes and then rest, covered, for a few more. Strain it into glasses or cups. This gives a deeper, rounder flavour and a beautiful amber colour, and it is a lovely way to make a pot for several people.

Iced, for summer

Brew it a little stronger than usual, let it cool, then pour it over ice with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint. A spoon of honey stirred in while it is still warm makes a simple Greek summer drink.

The stems can usually be steeped a second time, for a lighter second pot.

Mountain tea in Greek daily life

Mountain tea is woven into everyday life in Greece in a way that few other herbs are:

Summer harvest. The plants are gathered in high summer, when they are in flower, then tied in bunches and hung to dry in the shade.
Market bundles. At the weekly laiki, the street markets, you will find mountain tea sold in paper-wrapped bundles, next to oregano, thyme and chamomile.
The kafeneio. In mountain villages, a glass of mountain tea with honey is as much part of the village café as a Greek coffee.
Hospitality. A pot simmering on the stove for visitors on a cold evening is one of the most familiar images of a Greek winter.

It is also easy to confuse with another Greek classic, faskomilo. Faskomilo is Greek sage, a different plant with a stronger, more resinous taste. Both are often served side by side, but they are not the same thing.

Greek mountain tea at Holy Tea

Our blends are imagined by Greeks in Amsterdam and made in Greece, so mountain tea had to be part of the range.

Greek Mountain Tea (Sideritis): pure Greek mountain tea, whole dried stems, nothing added. Available in 20 g (€2.90) and 40 g (€5.20).
Olympos Secret: our herbal blend with Greek mountain tea, lemon verbena, sage, thyme, fennel and a touch of lemon and lime.
Aether of Crete: not a mountain tea, but from the same landscape: an herbal infusion with Cretan dittany, sage and citrus.

Looking for where to buy Greek mountain tea in the Netherlands? You can order it in our online shop and we send it from Amsterdam.

Make it a monthly ritual: the Herbal Tea Club

If you enjoy mountain tea, you will probably like our other Greek-inspired herbal blends too. In the Herbal Tea Club you receive three of our 50 g caffeine-free herbal blends every month, plus a 15 g surprise tea, about 55 cups in total, through the letterbox. It costs €24.90 a month, the first month is €21.90, delivery is free in the Netherlands and €4 to Belgium and Germany, and you can switch club, pause or skip whenever you like.

Prefer a tea for every moment of your working day, or tea for your whole office? Compare all our tea plans and find the one that suits you.