Drinking Tea Tree Oil

May 12, 2023 7:29 AM

Okay, I'm not actually going to drink tea tree oil, but how can eat or drink that aroma (minus the poisoning part)?

I have an overwhelming urge to consume the aroma of Dr. Bronners Tea Tree soap even though it says "don't drink soap!" right on the bottle. I have Tea Tree Therapy toothpaste, which also gives me the same urge. (I hope it goes without saying that I have not and will not consume the soap or toothpaste in an unnatural fashion). I think you can put drops of tea tree oil in water, but consuming much more of it at least is toxic, so.... haven't tried that.

I'd really like to eat or drink something that has that deep, dank, chemically, astringent(?) tea tree aroma/flavor. Any ideas?

Things that come close:
- the smell of gasoline (obv not consumable)
- black seed oil (consumable, tastes like gasoline and garlic, very wild experience)
- lapsang souchang tea (not super close, but in the neighborhood)
- smoky scotch (depends on the specific scotch, some Islay's you can really bury your nose in)

If you have any other ideas I'd love to hear them! The more specific the better!

posted by so fucking future to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

Best answer: There are tea tree oil infused toothpicks you can I guess chew on a bit.
posted by Sassyfras at 7:38 AM on May 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Juniper berries? Ti tree smells resinous and herbaceous to me so maybe young conifer cones would be good?
posted by fiercekitten at 7:43 AM on May 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

My friend!! Make an appointment with your doctor and ask about getting blood work done. This sounds a lot like pica. The obsession with smells that you wish you could eat is sometimes indicative of a major blood deficiency, frequently iron or calcium. Not to take away from your glorious obsession, but make sure your body isn’t also trying to tell you something needs fixed.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:43 AM on May 12, 2023 [19 favorites]

Best answer: How do you feel about birch root beer, wintergreen and chlorofyll flavoured things?
posted by Iteki at 7:44 AM on May 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I'd look for pine jelly or syrup.
posted by kitcat at 7:46 AM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There's also a tea tree mouthwash that I've used in the past, obviously don't drink it, but it's pretty close to ingestion.
posted by jeremias at 7:57 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Eucalyptus oil based throat lozenges should have similar aromatics. Have you tried Fisherman's Friend pastilles? There may be a flavour that is suitable.


And if you consume alcohol Finnish "Fisu" (basically fisherman's friend lozenges dissolved in vodka) is for me hideous but probably intense in the way you are looking for. Terve made from pine tar is another Finnish schnapps that is intense and woody. You could also look at Fernet Branca varieties and maybe Riga Balsam is worth trying?

If it is a bodily craving / pica Manuka honey is made from nectar from tea tree blossoms so that might give you the compounds you are after.
posted by pipstar at 8:12 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Thrills gum is violet-flower flavored, so it'd perfumey, soapy, and herbaceous
Rosemary, infused in oil then drizzled on food
Cloves in your tea
Oil of oregano
Try mixing oil of oregano with rosewater - might taste tea tree-ish
Herbal cough drops?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:13 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Maybe some Malört?
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 8:23 AM on May 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I once had tea tree tea. I believe my roommate brought some tea bags back to the US from Australia. It was excellent, but I haven’t been able to find it since, and it’s a hard thing to Google. Maybe someone here will know where to find some?
posted by Winnie the Proust at 8:27 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Adding to the juniper, Gordon's gin is very juniper forward.
It's both cheap and simple as gins go, but that may be perfect in this case.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:28 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: If you drink alcohol, mastika is very pine-y and herbaceous. You can drink it by itself as a cordial or make it into a mixed drink.
posted by stellaluna at 8:35 AM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Have you tried absinthe, grappa, or some of the more intense gins?
posted by musicinmybrain at 8:38 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: You can also get candy flavored with mastic, if that would work better for you than alcohol.
posted by darchildre at 9:34 AM on May 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I've had tea tree honey - not this one, but looks similar.

Searching for this, I also found tea tree tooth tablets and homemade tea tree beer.

Also maybe Olbas pastilles - clove oil, eucalyptus, juniper berry and cajuput.

Like Winnie the Proust, I've also had tea tree tea bags, and similarly these came from Australia and I've not come across them elsewhere.
posted by paduasoy at 9:48 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Juniper Ridge makes both essential oils and tea, so they might be a good match for you!

(Side note on the Fisherman’s Friend: menthol can be drying and ultimately damaging to the lining of your throat, so be judicious in how many you treat yourself to in the long term.)
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 10:10 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: For another alcoholic option, Krampus Herbal Liqueur has a very pronounced herbal taste and aroma. I love it, but one friend said it smelled and tasted (?!) like Sea Breeze facial astringent.
posted by xedrik at 11:34 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Maybe try steeping some dulse seaweed. It's high in iodine and has a bunch of other very unusual flavor profiles.
posted by Text TK at 11:40 AM on May 12, 2023

Best answer: Based on the answers here, Spruce Gum?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:56 AM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: In New Zealand, tea tree is known as Manuka. Here is an example of tea available to purchase.
posted by poxandplague at 1:20 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Ricola Original Herb cough drops are not as aggressive as Fisherman's Friend, although you still don't want to overdo the menthol. They're my go-to when I'm craving sharp/bitter flavor and it's not appropriate to dip into an amaro (Montenegro is in the right nose family, I think, but there are lots of kinds to play with and I feel like Fernet group is more like the punch in the palate that's comparable to the smell of tea tree oil).
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:22 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Pine nuts (pignolas) have a flavour that the smell of tea tree oil kind of reminds me of.
posted by heatherlogan at 5:14 PM on May 12, 2023

You can make your own tea tree toothpicks by soaking regular toothpicks in the essential oil. But please be careful when chewing as swallowing small splinters on the reg is not super awesome for your insides. So chew gently or just suck on them. Don't, like, go overboard and go through 20 a day and you should be fine. If it's upsetting your stomach, either cut down how many you use or dilute the tea tree oil in grapeseed or olive oil.
posted by ananci at 7:14 PM on May 12, 2023

I’m thinking of spruce tips and flavor of spruce. Brewing stores will have spruce extract. I like beer with spruce and I’ve had ice cream that had it and was divine. If you search for recipes, you might see something you like.
posted by amanda at 8:59 PM on May 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Retsina is a resin-flavoured wine from Greece. I find the pine element interesting, but not so much that I want to drink this wine regularly. You may like it. Any good wine store will have a couple for you to choose from.
posted by amusebuche at 12:44 AM on May 13, 2023

You visit New Zealand, go to the Nelson region, and pop into the Mussel Inn and order a Captain Cooker.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:12 AM on May 13, 2023

(I have drunk Captain Cooker several times and while not unpleasant, it has a distinct medicinal note).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:13 AM on May 13, 2023

Fernet Branca
posted by hortense at 2:57 AM on May 13, 2023