Herb Journal: Cota (Navajo Tea, Indian Tea, Greenthread)

Cota: I almost want to issue a sincere apology to whoever thinks that cota is so great. I know that it is the tea of several native american tribes in the Southwest and people drink it like its water, or coffee, and they just love it so much. To that I have to say, I just dont get it. Not that it's terrible, it's not. but its definitely not my cup of tea. It just isn't all that. There are a lot of teas that I would rather drink on a daily basis than this one, that have a wonderful aroma, taste and sensuality. So, cota, the tea is orange. That in and of itself makes me laugh, don't ask me why. Out of all of the plants that we have seen, I just thought that cota was the weirdest  looking one, and that is certainly not a bad thing in my book, but it stands out, these long long long stems, like giraffes, with a tiny head on top. How do they survive, these spaghetti like plants, they are so strange. But they do, and are the pleasure of the Hopi's, Navajo's and who knows however many other native tribes. I find it to be more or less devoid of flavor. Perhaps this is why I find it so bizarre. Before I discovered that the reason I never found myself interested in tea before was because it had never been made correctly, and as a result, I just found it something of a waste of time, in terms of taste.. it was just some hot water, with a tiny bit of almost imperceptible flavor, that i didn't even find so delicious in the slightest, and therefore, just a waste of my time. I might as well just drink hot water. And I dont like to do this, so I just stuck to things that brought me more pleasure, and that felt like I was accomplishing something reasonable by drinking it (if only sensory, but that is a big part of our pleasure in life). Cota in other terms, is very drying, that is the sensation that I have. If I need an antiviral, cancer preventive or bactericide, I think I will defer to lemon balm, red clover, and any number of antibacterial teas that i actually find some reward in imbibing. So, I tossed the rest of the cup, I have never been able to drink a full cup of this tea. But you are an interesting looking little plant, I have to say, Cota, like the little plant that could..