How To Brew Herbal Tea
Sure, you’ve made a cup of tea before: boil some water, add a tea bag, leave it in the water for 3 minutes, and then sip. Yet, if you want to make your own teas for healing (rather than just for flavor), here are some tips. But first, let’s look at the difference between tea and herbal tea.
What is Tea?
The dried leaves we call tea – black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong – are all from one plant, which is Camellia sinensis. Different harvesting, drying, fermenting, and processing methods contribute to whether the tea becomes black, green, white, and so on.
But there is a whole other world of tea beyond that one plant that can is enjoyable. Herbal tea includes an endless variety of plants (excluding Camellia sinensis). Herbal teas can vary in flavor, color, medicinal action, and potency.
What is Herbal Tea?
Herbal tea is tea made from any plant other than the official tea plant Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas are also sometimes called tisanes. The method to make herbal tea involves either infusing or decocting. simmering your herbs.
The infusion method means pouring boiling water over plant matter and then covering it. For average herbal teas, you want to steep for at least 15 minutes. Delicate plant parts (like flowers and leaves) do best with this method.
The decoction method is adding plant matter to a pot of simmering water for a more extended amount of time. Robust plant parts (like barks and roots) steep best with this method by simmering in a pot on the stovetop.
Herbal teas are from a variety of plant parts. These parts include roots and rhizomes (ginger, astragalus, dandelion), flowers (lavender, rose, chamomile), leaves (mint, red raspberry leaf, lemon balm), fruiting bodies (reishi, maitake, lion's mane) as well as barks and stem (cinnamon, wild cherry bark).
Choosing Herbs for Medicinal Tea
Working with an herbalist, you may be provided with a blend of herbs that are either created specifically for you or is a commonly used blend. Wildkraft's herbs are high-quality herbs that are recently dried and organically grown, Having these standards makes sure the teas are full of active constituents that we are relying on for healing effects.
If buying your own dried herbs, be sure to find herbs that are not yet expired. If you have a natural foods store, check their bulk bins to see what options are available. If it’s a busy store, the stock will be rotating quickly, and herbs are likely to be fresher. If you’re unsure about the freshness of your local bulk bins, order online from a reputable company like Mountain Rose Herbs, Starwest Botanicals, or Frontier Co-op. Whenever purchasing any herbs or spices, choose organic always.
5 Steps to Make Medicinal Herbal Tea
1. Buy good quality herbs as mentioned above. Since this is an infusion, make sure your herbs are leaves, flowers, or very fine or powdered roots/barks. If the plant matter is too thick and tough, an infusion will not pull out much in the way of medicinal constituents.
2. In general the ratio for medicinal tea is 1 Tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of freshly boiled water. If using fresh herbs, the ratio is usually 1 Teaspoon of fresh herbs to 1 cup of freshly boiled water.
3. Using freshly boiled water to cover the herbs makes sure you get the most potent infusion. Stir the herbs to make sure they are completely saturated. Then cover the brew to keep the volatile oils inside the cup while steeping. These oils contain some of medicinal qualities and need to stay inside the brew. While your tea will still taste lovely without covering, it will have much less potency.
4. The brewing time for herbal tea is longer than for regular tea. For medicinal herbal teas, you steep for at least 15 minutes (covered, of course). This ensures a full extraction and gives you the most powerful brew. You can steep your tea for less time, but it will be more like tea for enjoyment rather than a medicinal beverage.
5. Once steeped for at least 15 mins, strain and enjoy hot or iced. If saving for later, place the tea in a glass container (I like mason jars for this) and store it in the fridge. Herbal tea can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 24 hours after brewing. After that time it loses potency and can start to taste off.
Tip: If the tea seems particularly bitter or strong-tasting, you can add some freshly squeezed lemon juice, stevia, or some honey to taste.
BONUS: OVERNIGHT INFUSION METHOD
Some herbs may benefit from a much longer steep time (think 8-12 hours). This can easily be done overnight. Water soluble mineral-rich herbs such as stinging nettle, raspberry leaf, red clover, and oat straw are good examples of herbs that benefit from a long steep time. You can use a French press, teapot, or a glass Mason jar. Add your herbs, cover with freshly boiled filtered water, stir, cover, and let steep overnight for up to 12 hours. Strain the herbs, and it’s ready to drink. You can sip on it right then at room temperature, refrigerate or ice to cool it down or warm it gently on the stovetop. Store in the fridge if not drinking immediately after straining. Consume within 24 hours.
If you want to sip your tea all day, you can add it to a larger bottle of water. This makes the water much more enjoyable to drink and adds to the health benefits of the herbs. A win-win.
My Favorite Tea-Making Tools
Find on Amazon here!
The Tealyra Peak Ceramic Infuser Mug is my go-to tea mug for so many reasons. It is big enough that it holds a little over two cups of liquid (19 oz), it has a cover to steep medicinal tea properly and once you are done steeping you can put the strainer inside the lid of the mug to keep it from making a mess! The large strainer also allows for ample room for the herbs to infuse, allowing you to get the most out of your medicinal tea. Less crowded herbs = A more complete steep. Materials are ceramic and stainless steel, with no plastic parts.
The Hario Cha Cha Kyusu "Maru" Tea Pot is both elegant and practical. A large steeping basket makes for lots of room for a more complete steeping of your herbs, while the clear glass allows you to enjoy watching your tea brew. It holds three cups of liquid, enough for you and a friend, and is perfect for brewing flowering teas as well. Materials are glass and stainless steel, with no plastic parts.
The Stainless Steel French Press - 34oz holds more than 4 cups of liquid, is made of glass and stainless steel, and is perfect for a larger infusion and overnight brews. Great for homemade french press coffee as well. Brew one large batch of tea and sip on your herbs throughout the day, just remember to stick it in the fridge once pressed. No plastic parts!
The Secura Stainless Steel Double Walled Kettle is the one I’ve used in my apothecary for many reasons. First off, it has no plastic parts that are in contact with hot water at all. Most have at least small components that are plastic either on the lid or in the pouring spout. It’s also sleek, fast to boil, and large. I’d recommend it to anyone.