How To Brew Your Tea

How to Brew Herbal Tea

There's something quietly grounding about making a proper pot of herbal tea. Boiling the kettle, measuring out the herbs and letting them steep gives you a moment to slow down, even on a busy day.

Different parts of a plant need different handling to release their flavour and goodness. Delicate flowers and leaves give up their best qualities quickly, while tough roots and barks need more time and heat. Once you understand the plant part you're working with, brewing a beautiful cup becomes second nature.

The Basics

How much to use: As a general guide, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup (about 250ml) of water. If you're using fresh herbs, triple the amount, as fresh plant material holds more water.

Water: Use freshly boiled, filtered water where you can. Water that has been boiled several times tastes flat and dull.

Cover your cup: Many herbs contain aromatic oils that carry both flavour and benefit. Pop a lid or saucer over your cup or teapot while it steeps so those oils drip back into your tea rather than drifting off in the steam.

Taste as you go: Brewing times are a starting point. A longer steep gives a stronger, often more bitter cup, so adjust to suit your palate.

Aerial Parts: Leaves, Flowers and Stems

Such as peppermint, chamomile, lemon balm, nettle, calendula, lavender and rose petals

Aerial parts are the parts of the plant that grow above the ground. Because they're soft and fine, they release their qualities easily, so a simple infusion is all they need.

Method: Infusion

1. Place your herbs in a teapot, infuser or cup.
2. Pour over just boiled water. For very delicate flowers like chamomile, rose or lavender, let the kettle rest for a minute first.
3. Cover and steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Strain and enjoy.

For a deeper brew: Mineral rich leaves like nettle and oat straw can be steeped for much longer. Make a larger jar, cover it and leave it for four hours or overnight, then strain. The result is a rich, full bodied infusion.

Roots and Barks

Such as ginger, liquorice root, dandelion root, burdock, cinnamon bark and astragalus

Roots and barks are dense and woody. A quick steep barely touches them, so they need gentle simmering to draw out their flavour and constituents.

Method: Decoction

1. Place your herbs in a small saucepan with cold water. Use a little extra water to allow for evaporation.
2. Bring slowly to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Strain and enjoy.

Roots like ginger and cinnamon are lovely simmered a little longer on a cold winter's day. The kitchen will smell wonderful too.

An exception: Mucilaginous roots and barks such as marshmallow root and slippery elm are best prepared cold. Heat can reduce the soothing, silky quality they're loved for. Soak them in room temperature water for several hours or overnight, then strain. Slippery elm powder can also be stirred directly into warm water or porridge.

Berries and Fruits

Such as rosehips, hawthorn berries, elderberries, schisandra and dried citrus peel

Berries sit somewhere between leaves and roots. Their skins can be tough, so a little help goes a long way.

Method: Gentle crush and steep or simmer

1. Lightly crush the berries with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. This breaks the skin and opens up the fruit.
2. For softer berries, pour over boiling water, cover and steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. For harder berries like hawthorn and elderberry, simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Strain well.

A tip for rosehips: Rosehips contain fine hairs inside the fruit. Strain your tea through a fine mesh sieve or a piece of muslin to catch them.

Seeds

Such as fennel, aniseed, cardamom, coriander, caraway and fenugreek

Seeds hold their aromatic oils tightly locked inside a hard outer shell. The secret to a fragrant seed tea is crushing them just before brewing.

Method: Crush and infuse

1. Gently crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle until they crack open and release their scent.
2. Pour over boiling water.
3. Cover straight away to hold in the aromatic oils.
4. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain.

Crush only what you need each time. Once broken, seeds lose their aroma quickly.

Brewing a Blend

Many of our favourite teas combine several plant parts. When a blend contains both roots and leaves, you can give each the treatment it needs:

1. Simmer the roots, barks and hard berries first for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and add the leaves, flowers and crushed seeds.
3. Cover and steep for a further 10 minutes.
4. Strain and enjoy.

If you'd prefer to keep things simple, a longer covered steep of 15 minutes with just boiled water works well for most gentle everyday blends.

Iced and Cold Brewed Teas

Warmer days call for something cooler. Brew your tea at double strength, let it cool, then pour over ice. Alternatively, place herbs in a jar of cold water and leave in the fridge overnight. Cold brewing gives a softer, sweeter flavour and suits fruity and floral blends beautifully.

Storing Your Herbs

Keep dried herbs in airtight containers away from heat, light and moisture. A cool, dark cupboard is ideal. Well stored herbs keep their colour, aroma and flavour much longer, so if your tea smells fragrant when you open the jar, it's still good to brew.

Brewed tea is best enjoyed fresh, though it will keep covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

A Gentle Note

Herbs are wonderful companions, but they're also active plants. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or managing a health condition, please speak with your healthcare practitioner or a qualified herbalist before adding new herbs to your routine.