HistoricalUses

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, manuka tea was made in a boiling pot known as a kohua. Small stones ( taikowhatu ) were heated over hot coals and added to the water filled vessel to bring it to the boil. Fresh manuka sprigs were then added to the vessel to steep.

In the adjacent picture a hue gourd is used as the kohua and small volcanic stones (from Whakaari and Tongariro) are used to heat the water. A big Kia Ora to Tohunga Darby Tuhaka of Paeroa for crafting this tea kit for us and showing us how to make manuka tea the ancient way.

When Captain James Cook first visited Mercury Bay in 1769 he was introduced to the benefits of manuka tea by local māori, using it to keep his crew healthy and to ward off the ravages of scurvy. Cook wrote: “…the leaves were used by many of us as a tea which has a very agreeable bitter taste and flavour when they are recent but lose some of both when they are dried”

Later on Cook began to brew beer made from manuka and rimu sprigs. The crew took well to it. His “inspissated juice of wort and molasses” kept his crew in high spirits. Cook thought it was “healthful and a fair substitute for vegetables” as well as “exceedingly palatable and esteemed by every one on board” (from The Life of Captain James Cook By J. C. Beaglehole). Early settlers used manuka tea extensively as a substitute for tea from Asia. In addition to its unique taste, it was also believed to ward off colds and viruses.

Today mānuka tea continues to be a popular New Zealand herbal tea and is available in a dried, loose leaf format from many retailers.