Make a Great Cup of Tea

April 1, 2005

Make A Great Cup of Tea and Herbal Tea RecipesBy Diane Kennedy Snyder

Find out how to make a great cup of herbal tea, wake up, relax and get healed with these herbal tea tips...

Most of us have drunk tea for as long as we can remember. We drink tea for the same reasons we drink coffee, to wake up, to warm up and to relax. However, tea is much more than coffee will ever be! Made the right way tea can also heal us...something coffee never thought of doing.

In order for tea to wake us up, warm us up, relax us and heal us, it is very important that we brew our tea in the right way. To make a the very best tea you've ever tasted and to get all the health benefits of tea it take a few extra steps and a little extra effort.

Herbal tea is very special and deserves its own very special brewing utensils. You will need an enamel pan to boil the water. Metal pans could be the cause of your tea tasting bitter. Do not over boil your water. Bring the water to a boil and immediately pour the water into a preheated china tea pot or if you're making one cup, as most of us usually do, splurge and buy yourself a china tea cup.

You will need an infuser to hold your loose tea. Infusers come in different sizes and shapes, but they all do the same thing, hold the herbs and keep them from floating in your tea. If you choose, you can add the herbs to your pot or cup, pour in the water and strain. The choice is yours, but if you get an infuser you more than likely won't have to strain your tea. Place the recommended amount of herbs, roots, seeds, flowers, or leaves in your infuser (usually 1 teaspoon of dried or 3 teaspoons of fresh per cup of boiling water). Place the infuser in your teapot or cup.

Next, it is very important to place a lid on your teapot or cover your teacup. The purpose of this is to keep all the flavors and medicinal qualities in your tea. Uncovered, they will evaporate and you will be left with weak tasting tea with little nutritional value.

This part takes a little patience. You must allow your tea to steep long enough, but not too long. The idea is to get the flavor and the medicinal qualities of the herbs, roots, seeds, flowers, or leaves out and into your water. This takes a little time, usually about 5 - 10 minutes. It is hard to set a specific time frame for brewing tea. There is a fine time line. If you brew your tea too long your tea will be bitter. If the tea doesn't taste quite like you would like it to or if it doesn't have the "look" you like; in other words if you like stronger tea...add more herbs, seeds, flowers, or leaves not more steeping time. With a little trial and error you can figure out how you like your particular tea to taste.

You may wish to add sugar, honey, cinnamon, fruit, dry lemon or orange rind to your tea. This is fine, but I recommend tasting your tea before you add anything. You might find your cup of herbal tea is really something very special and doesn't need any of these extra flavors.

Here are some of my favorite herbal tea recipes for you to try. They cover a range of remedies for everyday living.

Angelica is a remedy for colds, coughs, pleurisy, flatulence, rheumatism, fever, nervousness, poor skin, appetite loss, gas, indigestion and can also be used as a blood tonic. Fresh Angelica root stimulates production of digestive juices and improves the flow of bile. This tea resembles china tea with a celery taste.

To 1 teaspoonful of dried or 3 teaspoons of fresh add 1 cup of boiling water. Steep to taste.

Chamomile Tea has soothing, calming and relaxing properties. It helps digestion, coughs, colds, poor skin, and is used as a liver tonic. The entire chamomile plant can be used for tea. However, the flowers are the most flavorful.

To 2 teaspoons dried flowers or 1 tablespoon of fresh flowers add 1 cup boiling water. Steep to taste.

Dill Tea helps an upset stomach, indigestion, coughs, colds, and bronchitis, fever, sore throat, and tendency to infection, urinary tract infections and sleep disorders. It stimulates the appetite, acts as a nerve sedative, and is a blood and liver tonic. Dill seeds have been proven the most effective.

Crush the seeds or use a grinder. To 1 teaspoonful of crushed seeds add 1 cup of boiling water. Steep to taste.

Fennel Tea helps bronchitis, digestive problems, coughs, stimulates movement of food through the stomach and intestines, dries respiratory phlegm and destroys germs. It makes a good after dinner tea.

Use crushed or ground seeds. To 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground seeds add 1 cup of boiling water. Steep to taste.

Lemon Balm Tea will perk you up in the morning; help bloating, gas, mood disorders, bronchial inflammation, high blood pressure, mild vomiting, toothache, earache and headaches. Lemon Balm has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

Use the plants leaves. A good combination is lemon balm and fennel. To 1 teaspoon of crushed lemon balm add 1 cup boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Take twice a day.

Peppermint Tea helps indigestion, head colds, headaches, appetite loss, bronchitis, and fever and gal bladder problems. It can be used as a blood and liver tonic.

To 1 teaspoon of peppermint add 1/2 cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes.

Thyme Tea helps bronchitis, coughs, sinuses, nose and throat, larynx and whooping cough. It can be used as an anti-bacterial. Thyme tea aids digestion.

To 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme add 1 cup boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Take several times a day. Do not exceed 3 cups per day.

Ginger Tea helps appetite loss, motion sickness, up-set stomach, relieves gas, loosens phlegm, and soothes earaches.

To 1 teaspoon of ginger add 1 cup boiling water. Steep 5 minutes.

One other tip: store all your herbs, roots, seeds, flowers, or leaves in dark, glass contains. Place the containers in a dark place. They will stay fresher longer.

Kerry

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