I have never been a tea drinker. Coffee has always been my hot beverage of choice. And still is first thing in the morning.
I have always appreciated the benefits of herbal tea, even though I may not have appreciated the taste. Green tea, I’m looking at you. Yuk!
I like lemon and ginger tea, and peppermint and enjoy a cup of these, especially if my stomach is feeling upset or my IBS is problematic.
I keep talking about herbal teas, but I think the proper name for tea made from herbs is tisane. Please tell me if you know. For ease and familiarity, I will call them herbal teas in this blog post.
Home Grown Herbs
When I really started gardening and thinking about growing perennial plants (plant once and keep growing), herbs were the first thing to come to mind.
At our previous home, the original garden in front of the house experienced partial shade. Many herbs thrive in partial shade, so I added to those already growing – sage, oregano, rosemary and lemon balm, and mint in a large pot. I added pineapple sage, lavender, thyme, lemon thyme, and marjoram.
I also grew nasturtiums all over the garden and lemongrass in a large pot.
I have tried different herbs as a tea, both on their own and individually, to get a sense of their flavour. I also select different herbs because of their medicinal benefits, but I have a lot to learn.
You can buy dried herbs and create your blend that way. This might be a great way to develop your tea blend, and then grow herbs to suit. If you don’t have a lot of space, most herbs will happily grow in pots. In fact, you should grow lemon balm and mint in pots anyway, as they can take over a garden.
The blend I make most mornings from freshly picked leaves is listed below.
- Sage and/or Pineapple Sage
- Lemon Balm
- Mint (common mint, spearmint, and/or peppermint)
- Nasturtium flowers
On occasion, I add lavender flowers, oregano, lemon thyme, or rosemary.
I especially like anything lemony, so the lemon balm is a good foundation, as is the mint. Sometimes I add fresh or frozen ginger slices.
Making a Herbal Tea Blend
Finding the herbs you like can be trial and error.
Some herbs I don’t like on their own, so that’s why I use lemon balm, mint or pineapple sage as a foundation. I found I particularly like these flavours and they mask the flavour of other herbs I like for medicinal reasons, but not for taste.
I pick young, unblemished leaves or tips – for two people I pick around 5-8 leaves/stalks of each herb.
I give them a quick rinse, add them to a teapot with an infuser, add hot boiled water and let it steep for approximately 5 – 10 minutes.
I like punchy flavours rather than subtle, delicate flavours. I have found this amount of leaf gives a good flavour. But I suggest experimenting and finding what works for you.
Dried or Fresh Herbs?
I thought fresh would be better than dried until I mixed up my blend the other day and tried it.
Dried is just as good if not better.
During spring and summer and into early autumn, I use fresh herbs. I love picking them each morning during my garden walk and coming inside to make tea. It has become an enjoyable daily ritual.
But from mid-autumn until mid-spring, I use dried herbs. In preparation, I harvest a lot of herbs and hang them to dry or dry on low heat in the dehydrator. I store the herbs in jars. I also harvest a lot of nasturtium flowers to dry as well.
Harvest most of these herbs by cutting back the stems just before they flower. Hang them in a dry, warm place that has good air circulation. I have the perfect room, dark when the blind is down to keep out direct sunlight.
I have hooks in the ceiling where I hang herb bunches. I don’t worry about dust in this room but if you are worried, poke a hole through a large paper bag, push the stems of the herbs through, tie your string to the stems on the outside of the bag and hang so the bag covers the herbs.
Once the herbs are dry, I store them in airtight jars.
I use the dehydrator for flowers and some herbs using a low heat of 45°C to 55°C, starting for a couple of hours, checking and adjusting the time as I need to.
My Favourite Herbal Tea Blend
To make my perfect tea blend I added:
- 1 cup Lemon Balm
- 1 cup Mint
- 1/2 cup Pineapple Sage
- 1/2 cup Sage
- 1/3 cup Nasturtium flowers
I also have dried chamomile flowers, rosemary and ginger on hand that I can add if I want.
Over time I will add to my herb garden and play with more plants and flavours – maybe rosehips, calendula, bergamot, anise hyssop and more. Do you have any suggestions?
And of course, a delicious cup of homegrown herbal tea tastes even better served in a pretty cup. Enjoy!
With love
Cindy x