The Art of Making Herbal Tea

Whether it is a fast cup of tea or quiet time set for tea drinking, there is a celebration in savoring and enjoying your tea. This is true even when sitting at your work desk or squeezing sips in between child rearing or housecleaning. Each sip is a slip away to the center of "you" in that moment. If even for just that minute when you take your tea into your mouth and roll it around, tasting the notes in pleasure. It is not always possible, but there is most often a peaceful meditational ceremony happening even as you prepare tea for the day, as any herbalist will tell you. Even if your time is harried, taking time to decide on the little things makes the tea making and drinking special and, most importantly, all about you for just that moment! It is not selfishness but self-care, it is part of loving yourself in health. The amount of time in preparation and drinking the tea you designed specifically for you, along with the environment you will drink it in, will somewhat dictate the extent of your little tea ceremony, and for the most part, it's all good!

First, perhaps consider: What teacup sets the mood?" Is it a grab-and-go cup that fits in the car cup holder? Is it a tip proof or child-proof teacup? Is it a savoring teacup to hold for comfort or will the teacup be a vessel used to drift into meditation?

Then, ask yourself, how much do I want: One teacup; a pot full or a thermos full?

Now that you know the desired cup or vessel, the amount you want to make, and after the appropriate brewing piece has been selected, you might consider: What is my body saying today? What does it need in tea support? What does is desire in taste? How much do I want of this blend today? Is it to pick me up and carry me forward into the day? Is it to sustain me in the day? Is it to relax me? What do I want from this tea, maybe it's only great flavor I desire, or perhaps a tea with pep to begin the day or possibly, a tea that brings comfort or calming is needed.

Then consider, what do I have on hand to create my tea?  This might be your hardest task to complete when first starting. This gap will close in time as you deliberately consider your tea drinking desires. You may find yourself adding to your stock at home to satisfy your tea cravings and ceremonial practices.

Now the fun part: Herb blending:

Start with a base that suits your most pressing need or liking. Then add some supporting flavors or desired herbs that benefit your health and/or add deliciousness in the tea you make. Usually, a little less of these supporting herbs are used, although there may be a variety of them used in roughly similar amounts. Then add some final touches often referred to as notes (of flavor). Sometimes for notes, I use floral, other times I use something like Anise Star (almost licorice flavor) or some fruit flavors, like cranberry, apple, pear or citrus as in, orange peel and sometimes, cinnamon There are no rules in making great tea, some of the best teas come from what you might just throw together with what you have. Putting a little fore thought into your tea design, will help you really enjoy your teatime while benefiting your health needs. Journaling your teas helps you remember what you liked and what you didn't like, what worked for you and what didn't work, etc.  And "Oh yeah", how you made it!

My tea today:

• I chose my butterfly cup. For one, a butterfly is within our logo. Also, I love the wording "Hope" underneath the butterfly, it calls my attention to God. The back of the cup has a lovely biblical verse, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace...".  Romans 15:13. As I am also a spiritual director intern, this speaks to me.
  
• I chose Nettle to base this tea because Nettle is very nutritional, and I just felt I need the additional boost coming out of a long illness. Nettle is a great supporting tea for health! I used one tablespoon. (I certainly could have used more but I thought it would be too heavy for me today with the others I wanted to add).
• I had a couple of supporting herbs: These herbs included Vana (holy basil) oat straw, spearmint, peppermint, garden sage and sweet basil. The Vana, peppermint and oat straw were dry. The spearmint, garden sage and sweet basil were fresh from the garden. I used 1/2 tablespoon of each of the dry herbs and added a small clipping of about five or six smaller leaves of spearmint, two sprigs of garden sage and a large sprig of sweet basil. Pictured below, I layered these herbs with the oat straw (very light-colored herb) on top. On top of the oat straw, I added the fresh herbs.
• I chose my Japanese tea pot which my husband gave me for Christmas one year (my daughter or daughters helped him pick it out). It is beautifully crafted and made of cast iron. It holds the heat in really well for a couple of hours and also seasons the teapot with flavor. It has a large capacity, I easily get over 30 ounces in my pot, I never actually measured it but now I will. I have several tea pots to choose from as I drink tea daily, throughout the day and evening, and I like choices.

TEMP: Be careful not to burn your tea, most people do not have thermometers for this purpose conveniently available. People made great tea for centuries without such tools. In general, I let my tea water come to a hot steam, but not a full boil. If it accidentally boils, I take if off the heat for a minute or so before pouring over the tea and this always works fine for me. I don't purchase spring water for my tea, I use regular tap water which in our hometown in Palm Coast, Florida, is award winning water, year after year. Use water that is suitable for you. All of these are matters of personal preference.

STEEPING: Do not let your tea steep too long. Less is best at first. Taste a tiny bit and see, you can always let it steep longer. You will learn how long you should steep to make your tea great for you. Everybody is different. There are some general steeping timeframes, I have provided a link below that may be a helpful guide. You will find the link under the word, "Resources" below. The best way to make tea is to your personal taste, so experiment, have fun and learn. This would not be necessarily true for all medicinal teas which may need to brew much longer.

AROMA: Take a minute to draw in the beautiful aroma of your tea through your nostrils nice and slow, let your senses become awakened; tea is sensuous, enjoy it. Let us not forget in the ceremony of tea making the importance of the aroma. Aroma is so much more than just smell, it enhances health and the feeling of well-being in many cases. The tea I made was deliciously aromatic; with a light sweet minty taste graced by the orange peel and small bit of honey added. This tea adds nutrients, zip and energy to my being along with a brighter, sharper mind. (Benefits of each tea listed, see below).

ENJOY:  Hold and enjoy the comfort of the hot tea. If cool, let the temperature relieve you from the heat by holding and drinking in the cool as it travels within your body. Inhale and breathe in all its goodness throughout your body. Savor the taste, roll the tea around and let it fill your senses. Be thankful for the moment, however brief, you have for yourself to relish and delight in your tea. Let you mind, emotions and feelings sink into the total tea environment. Let the tea touch, soothe and comfort your mind and soul while doing wonderful things for your body. Somehow the day gets better or great, if already good.

SELF-CARE: Self-care is taking care of oneself. If you would like to read more on this topic with regard to health and wellbeing, please see our May 2023 Magazine on this blog site. There is a lot of health information within the writing and the links.

EXPANDING YOURSELF IN HERBALISM: After you get to know yourself well regarding your herbal tastes' likes and dislikes; and, as you continue to explore new options and experiment, you can create a tea prep environment that serves you well with what you need most of the time to develop tea blends. In addition, your green thumb may begin to grow as you start utilizing more and more herbs to cook with, drink as tea, or use in many other ways. Herb life is healthy life in so many ways. You can learn more about how we are incorporating our ever-growing herbal garden into our daily herb use on our Facebook Page, Faith Works Wellness Gardening with Candy. This is where I continue to grow herbs and explore herb gardening potential. Link also provided below.

Resources: How to brew and a little resource for teas mentioned in this writing

How To Brew Tea Perfectly Every Time - Life is Better with Tea

6 Benefits of Stinging Nettle (Plus Side Effects) (healthline.com)

Holy Basil: Benefits, Side Effects, Risks, and Dosage (verywellhealth.com)

12 Science-Backed Benefits of Peppermint Tea and Extracts (healthline.com)

11 Surprising Benefits of Spearmint Tea and Essential Oil (healthline.com)

12 Health Benefits and Uses of Sage (healthline.com)

Health Benefits of Basil (webmd.com)

Oat Straw Extract (Avena sativa): Benefits, Downsides, and Uses (healthline.com)

Tea | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

(1) Faith Works Wellness Gardening with Candy | Facebook

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer follows:

The content on our website, Facebook websites; brochures, etc., is for educational purposes only. Although we try to carefully provide useful and accurate information, you are responsible to research and verify information before relying on it. We are trained herbalists and not licensed or registered healthcare practitioners. We cannot diagnose health conditions, nor prescribe medicines legally; we are not medical doctors. However, we will recommend or suggest medicinal herbs for various health complaints, as we believe in the safety and efficacy of botanical medicine.

The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbal medicine, particularly if you have a known medical condition or if you are pregnant or nursing. You are responsible for your own health. As with conventional medicine, herbal medicine is vast and complex, and must be used responsibly. People react differently to different remedies. Some herbs are contraindicated with certain pharmaceutical drugs. 

Furthermore, some helpful herbs may be confused with harmful and/or deadly substances.