National Park Teas - Grand Canyon
Blender's Notes:
"In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it." -Theodore Roosevelt on the Grand Canyon
Like many of the other lands designated as a national park, the Grand Canyon was in danger of becoming stripped of its resources by human settlers, miners, and businessmen eager to exploit its beauty. President Harrison named the land a Forest Preserve, but this still allowed mining and lumbering with a permit. When Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in the early 1900s, he expressed his wish to keep it pristine for future generations. Under the Antiquities Act, President Roosevelt declared the land a National Monument in 1908. It was not until 1919; that the Grand Canyon was officially named the 17th national park. In 1929, the same year Simpson & Vail was incorporated, Polly Mead Patraw became the first female Park ranger in Grand Canyon and the second female ranger-naturalist in the whole US Park Service (the first being Claire Hodges at Yosemite). She even wore the same uniform as the male rangers. While paving the way for future female rangers, Patraw made countless contributions to the research and literature on plant and flower life in the Southwest.
Desert heat and the canyons elevation create a harsh environment for anything to grow, but over 1700 forms of flora still call the Grand Canyon home. Cacti, of course, being the most common. Prickly pear cacti, which served as the inspiration for this blend, can be seen scattered throughout the canyon and on the rim. This blend has a sweet taste, from the prickly pear flavoring, in addition to an earthy, desert accent from the eleuthero root and pau d'arco. The resulting blend is perfectly representative of the majesty and splendor of the Canyon.
Ingredients: Black teas, prickly pear flavor, eleuthero root, pau d'arco, and red cornflower petals.
Brew tea at 212º - steep for 3 minutes.
4 Ounces of loose tea makes approximately 50 cups of tea.
Simpson & Vail donates 10% of all tea sales in this line to help preserve our beautiful National Parks. The percentage from the Grand Canyon Tea sales goes to the Grand Canyon Conservancy the official non-profit of the park. The non-profit raises private funds, operates retail shops within the park, and provides premier guided educational programs about the natural and cultural history of the region. Supporters fund projects including trails and historic building preservation, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat.