The Unique Ingredient You May Find When Drinking Tea In Australia

Even though Australia hasn't been under British rule for over 120 years, there is still a lot of British influence on the Land Down Under. For one, Australia has a robust tea culture largely thanks to its British colonial roots. When the Brits first settled in Australia in the late 1700s, they couldn't live without their tea and biscuits, but at the time, the continent did not have any commercial tea plantations. So the British began importing tea from the U.K., China, and India because it was a lot cheaper than growing and packaging locally. But in 1878, this changed forever when Alfred Bushell founded an Australian-based tea plantation and became the first commercial tea seller. You can still find the Bushells brand in Australian grocery stores today. 

With the emergence of local growers and processors came one unique, inherently Australian ingredient: Eucalyptus. Turns out, koalas are not the only beings in Australia with a taste for eucalyptus. Eucalyptus trees or gum trees make up ¾ of Australia's tree population, so it makes sense that tea enthusiasts turned to the herbaceous leaves when experimenting with tea flavors. 

The practice of using eucalyptus leaves for medicinal purposes is attributed to Indigenous Australians and dates back long before any British colonizers arrived. However, entrepreneur James Inglis is largely credited for making sure Billy tea was synonymous with Australian culture. Billy tea was brewed with loose-leaf gum leaves, which gave the tea a stronger, fresher tea flavor. Although billy cans are no longer used to brew tea, and Billy tea is largely a thing of the past, the Australian Tea Center is bringing back gum-infused teas. 

Gum leaves are known for their medicinal properties such as clearing up respiratory bugs, soothing colds, and even helping with pain management. These beneficial properties are what made these gum-infused teas so popular in the first place, but now with standardized healthcare, not as many people are turning to tea to cure their colds. You may have heard that it's dangerous to consume eucalyptus leaves, but don't worry; the amount used in tea is far below what's considered toxic. So if you're craving a cup of loose-leaf tea packed full of outback flair, make sure to visit an Australian coffee shop that specializes in preserving traditional tea brewing methods.