Mount Pelion has been a mountain of herbs for as long as anyone here can remember. Its slopes — green, steep, and folded between chestnut forest and the Aegean — grow wild sage, oregano, thyme, mint, chamomile, and the plant Greeks treasure above all the others: tsai tou vounou, the tea of the mountain. At our small stone guesthouse above the Damouchari cove, we pick and dry these herbs ourselves, and every guest who arrives is welcomed with a fresh pot of our own mountain tea. This is the plant that fills that pot, the others that grow around the house, what each one is good for, and how to brew the tea yourself when you are home and missing the hillside.
If you take only one thing from this page, take this: Greek mountain tea is caffeine-free, gently floral, and easy to make — simmer the dried stems for a few minutes, let them steep, and drink it any time of day. Everything below is the longer, more pleasant version of that answer.
Why Pelion is a mountain of herbs
Pelion sits where mountain and sea press right up against each other. You can swim in the morning and walk through cool chestnut forest by afternoon, and that range — from the warm, salt-bright coast to the high, damp ridges above — is exactly what so many wild herbs love. Aromatic Mediterranean plants thrive on sun-baked, well-drained slopes, while mountain tea in particular favors high, rocky ground, usually above roughly 1,000 metres. On a single hillside you can find plants that want very different things, which is why the basket comes back full no matter the season.
In mythology Pelion was the home of Chiron, the wise centaur who taught the healing arts and knew every plant on the mountain. That is a story, of course, but it points at something real: people here have gathered, dried, and brewed these herbs for healing and for pleasure for a very long time. When we hand you a cup on the terrace, we are passing along a habit far older than the house.
Meet the plants around the house
These are the herbs you will see — and smell — within a short walk of our courtyard and herb garden.
Greek mountain tea (Sideritis). The star. Greeks call it tsai tou vounou, “tea of the mountain,” and Sideritis is its botanical name. It grows as silvery, fuzzy stems topped with small yellow flowers, and the whole plant — stem, leaves, and flower — is dried and brewed together. The flavor is earthy and floral with faint notes of citrus and mint. It is naturally caffeine-free, which is why it has always been the everyday drink here, suitable from breakfast to bedtime.
Sage (faskomilo). Soft grey-green leaves with a warm, slightly camphor scent. Greeks have long brewed sage as a soothing tea, and it appears in our spa oils too. It flowers in late spring.
Oregano (rigani). The smell of a Greek summer. It grows wild and dense on the sunnier banks, flowering through summer, and is at its most fragrant just as the tiny flowers open — the moment we like to cut it for drying.
Thyme (thymari). Low, tough, and intensely aromatic, thyme covers the dry stony ground and hums with bees in early summer. Pelion thyme honey is famous for good reason.
Mint and chamomile. Mint runs along the damper edges of the garden, bright and cooling, while chamomile opens its small daisy-like flowers in spring. Both make gentle evening infusions, alone or blended with a little mountain tea.
Our little ritual: from hillside to teapot
The welcome pot you are handed on arrival did not come from a shop. Here is its short life story.
We gather through the warm months, going up to the higher ground for the mountain tea when it flowers in summer and cutting the other herbs at their peak — usually in the morning, after the dew has lifted but before the midday heat pulls the oils out of the leaves. We cut whole stems rather than stripping leaves, tie them into small loose bunches, and hang them upside down in a shaded, airy room. Shade matters: direct sun bleaches the color and weakens the aroma. After a couple of weeks the bunches are dry and brittle, and we store them whole in cloth and glass, breaking off what we need.
Then there is the pot itself. When you arrive, dusty from the mountain road, we steep a pot of this year’s tea and bring it to the terrace. It is a small thing, but it is how this house says hello — and it is the truest expression of where you have come to stay. If the plants and their old stories interest you, we write more about them through the seasons in our journal, and in summer we are happy to take curious guests along on an early foraging walk.
How to brew Greek mountain tea at home
The good news for anyone who falls for it here: it is one of the simplest teas in the world to make, and dried mountain tea travels and keeps well.
Use roughly one dried stem (or about a teaspoon of broken leaves and flowers) per cup. Two ways work:
- The everyday way. Bring water almost to the boil, add the herb, and simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Take it off the heat, cover, and let it steep another 5 minutes. Strain and serve.
- The traditional village way. Some households boil it longer, simmering on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes for a deeper, stronger brew.
A 5-minute steep gives a light, golden cup; longer gives more body. It needs nothing, but Greeks often add a little honey — Pelion’s, ideally — and a slice of lemon. In summer, make a cold version: pour the brewed tea into a jug, or steep the herb in cold water, and leave it in the fridge for about 12 hours for a clear, refreshing iced tea.
A few practical notes. Because it is caffeine-free, you can drink it last thing at night without trouble. Stored dry and out of the light, the bunches keep their aroma for many months — well past the season you tasted them.
How we drink it through the day
Mountain tea is not a fixed recipe so much as a habit, and the habit changes with the hours. First thing, before a walk, we like it plain and golden — light enough not to sit heavily before a climb. In the afternoon, back from the coves, a stronger pot with a spoon of thyme honey is the reward for sun and salt. And because it carries no caffeine, the last pot of the day is the easiest of all: many guests take a cup out to the terrace at dusk, when the light goes off the sea and the cicadas finally quiet, and find it settles them straight into the slow rhythm the mountain wants from you. We will often blend in a little mint or chamomile in the evening for exactly that reason. None of this is precise, and that is the point — you learn the plant by living with it for a few days, which is really all the ritual is.
From the hillside to the spa
The same plants that fill the teapot also fill our small sea-view treatment room. We press oils from herbs grown on the hillside for the massages, and the mountain tea returns one more time as a herbal steam — the smell of the hot, damp mountain tea is, several guests have told us, the part they remember longest. The spa takes one guest at a time and should be booked ahead. It is the most direct way we know to feel the mountain on your skin as well as taste it in your cup.
Frequently asked questions
What is Greek mountain tea? It is an herbal infusion made from the dried Sideritis plant, known in Greek as tsai tou vounou, “tea of the mountain.” The whole flowering stem is brewed. It has been drunk in Greece for centuries, both as an everyday drink and as a traditional remedy.
Does it have caffeine? No. Greek mountain tea is naturally caffeine-free, which is why it can be enjoyed in the morning, the afternoon, or right before bed.
What does it taste like? Mild and pleasant — earthy and floral, with subtle hints of citrus and mint. It is far gentler than black or green tea and is lovely with a little honey and lemon.
When are the herbs in season? Spring brings chamomile and sage; summer is the height of oregano, thyme, and the mountain tea, which we gather from the higher slopes when it flowers. We dry through the warm months so there is always tea on hand.
Can guests join a foraging walk? In the warmer months, yes — we are happy to take curious guests on an early morning gather when we head up for the herbs. Just ask when you arrive, or mention it when you book.
Come and taste it for yourself — there are only eight rooms, and summer fills early. Send us your dates and we’ll have a pot waiting. Curious about the spa? Read about our herbal treatments, or follow the plants through the year in our journal.