Maubi and Bush Tea

Maubi is made by steeping the bark of the maubi tree with ginger, spices and sometimes anise, sweetening it and letting it ferment for a day or two so it turns lightly fizzy. The result is bitter in a way that takes getting used to, and every maker's is different because the recipes are family property. Alongside it sits the wider bush tea tradition: soursop leaf, lemongrass, worrywine, inflammation bush and dozens more, steeped and taken for particular complaints, with knowledge passed down through households and sold in dried bundles at markets and at Agrifest.

What you actually see

• Maubi - fermented bark drink, bitter and lightly fizzy.
• Bush tea bundles - dried plants sold by name at markets.
• Soursop and lemongrass - the two most common teas.
• Agrifest - where the bush tea sellers gather each February.

When to go

Year-round. Roadside coolers sell maubi through the day. Agrifest in February is the best single place to meet the bush tea sellers and ask about what they carry.

Honest expectations

Maubi is genuinely bitter and most visitors do not enjoy their first one; buy a small cup. Bush tea is folk practice rather than medicine, some plants interact with prescribed drugs, and nothing here substitutes for a doctor. Home-fermented maubi varies in strength and hygiene.

Nearby

Roadside stands across all three islands; markets in Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie.