Tarragon

Why we love this botanical

T arragon has a pronounced, fine-anise-like aroma with green, slightly peppery tones. The narrow leaves immediately evoke associations with French cuisine: elegant, culinary, and slightly creamy in perception. In infusions, tarragon provides a refined, herbal clarity with a soft, aromatic underlayer.

During steeping, the anise-like scent comes forward, followed by a warm, green spiciness and a dry, precise aftertaste. Tarragon gives blends a gastronomic signature and connects citrus, flowers, and roots into a mature flavor profile. The herb requires careful dosing to preserve its elegant character.

Habitat & Origin

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) originates from Central Asia and is nowadays mainly cultivated in sunny, airy plots in Europe. In early summer, young shoots are harvested when the leaf is rich in estragole and anethole. Maison Tisane selects tarragon based on leaf elasticity, pure anise scent, and minimal discoloration for an elegant, culinarily aromatic infusion.

Active compounds

Tarragon contains estragole, anethole, and refined green terpenes that together form the elegant, anise-like signature. The light herbal depth provides a soft, almost creamy aromatic underlayer. In blends, tarragon brings a culinarily refined clarity — anise-soft, green, and precise — ideal for fresh, light, and gastronomic compositions.

The Artemisia dracunclus, pure and in full growth

Ayurvedic approach

Tarragon is placed in Ayurveda with the warm, aromatic kitchen herbs that activate Kapha and give Vata light direction, while Pitta is approached with softness due to the anise profile. In French culinary tradition, tarragon was considered the 'royal herb of spring sauces', a symbol of elegance and precision. That gastronomic heritage gives the leaf its refined role in infusions. Energetically, tarragon feels like warm wind along herb beds — clear, aromatic, and subtly uplifting.

Thermal energy (Virya) light heating

Pitta

Increasing

Increasing Balancing

Effect: light increasing

Vata

Balancing

Increasing Balancing

Effect: light balancing

Kapha

Balancing

Increasing Balancing

Effect: strong balancing

Flavour profile & Blending

Intensity

Strong

Accessibility

Accessible

Character

vegetal, lingering

Role in the blend

Strong herb (2.5–5%): contributes noticeably to the flavour profile and should be dosed with care.

The indicated percentage refers to the approximate weight proportion of this herb within the total blend, but it can of course be adjusted to give the herb a more dominant or more subtle role.

Tarragon supports blends with a pronounced, elegant anise-like aroma profile that orders both fresh and warm herbs. It lifts lemon verbena and mint to a higher aromatic register and gives dill and fennel a deeper, culinary coherence. In combination with rose petals or elderflower, a surprisingly light, gastronomic perfume is created. Tarragon structures blends by adding tension between savory, fresh, and floral tones, making the whole feel refined, dynamic, and culinary.

Tarragon pairs beautifully with soft cheeses, lemon pastries, light cream sauce, roasted chicken, potato gratin, and asparagus. The anise-like perfume brings tension to creamy preparations and gives vegetables elegance. With desserts like lemon meringue or almond cake, tarragon adds a culinary, aromatic nuance that makes the whole more refined.

More flavour details

Selection guide (aroma directions)

Intensity

Freshness

Citrus

Fruity

Floral

Spicy / Herbal

Earthy / Woody

Food pairing (structure)

Sweetness

Sourness

Bitterness

Astringency

Body

Aftertaste length

Sharpness / Pungency

Blending notes: vegetal (7/10), resinous (3/10)

Experience Tarragon

Discover the versatility of this botanical in our blends, or use it as the foundation for your own creation in our Blendstudio.

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Ancient Herb

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Why we love this botanical