During the fall months, the cider presses and filling lines run almost constantly in our factory. But during the hot, slow summer months the smell of cider has long gone and the processing lines lie still and quiet. In years past, it remained like this until the autumn picked apples began to come in by the truckload. Today, as the balmy Maryland summer boils outside our factory walls, we are putting our filling lines to good use filling a new trend in beverages: all-natural, gourmet iced teas.
On this particularly humid summer day, we had the pleasure of brewing with PALO Tea Company, based out of Manhattan, NY. They brought with them a blend of 16 wild-crafted herbs and roots that they brewed to create their PALO Mamajuana iced tea.
The recipe for this tea was born out of the ancient practice of blending specific medicinal roots and herbs pioneered by Taino Indians of the Dominican Republic centuries ago. The tonics the Taino brewed were intended to be therapeutic, vitality-enhancing drinks that derived their efficacy from the purity and power of expertly blended natural ingredients. PALO Mamajuana tea returns to this practice, crafting Natural Vitality Tea that provides sustained energy and balance without caffeine. Sweetened with raw organic agave nectar and evaporated cane juice it is a pure, low calorie beverage that refreshes and restores.
The story behind PALO is one of true witness of the power of their product. The owner, founder, and recipe creator Kenyatta experienced the restorative effects of mamajuana tonics in his own life and began to craft his own tailored version of the brew. He began to share it with his friends and eventually, through trial and error, produced the recipe you can taste in every PALO Mamajuana bottle. He joined with his business partner Kelvin, and today they are producing bottled iced tea that can be found in over 100 locations in the North East.
The company released PALO Mamajuana in January of 2011 and hopes to create new flavors such as an unsweetened version of the original flavor, as well as a mango, pineapple, and other fruit flavors.
For more information on PALO tea and how to purchase some for yourself visit DrinkPALO.com.
McCutcheon’s truly enjoyed brewing with PALO. We are planning on coming out with our own line of Iced Teas in the near future. But until then, we are brewing up a storm processing and bottling iced teas for independent companies. Here are some photos of the PALO brewing experience at McCutcheon’s Apple Products.
