It was the simple satisfaction of harvesting a hot aromatic cup of tea from my garden that inspired this blog post. I was reading up on how and why we use tea cozies and discovered all these hot infusions that I had not considered. Thyme, basil, and I had forgotten about drinking lavender tea. Now, I'm the hunter-gatherer with the red teapot!
Mint
- easy to grow indoors and out
- Fresh minty drink hot or cold.
- Aids digestion, calming and cleansing
- 3-4 leaves per cup
Lavender
- grow indoors and out
- fragrant, relaxing, calming
- helps with insomnia, stress
- infuse 3-4 flowers only per cup for 5 minutes
- grows indoors and out
- subtle uplifting and warming tea
- good for colds as it has vitamin C
- infuse 4-5 whole steams in boiling water
Lemon Verbena
- needs warm sunny spots, keep watered
- growing outside, mine dies back in winter
- refreshing, cleansing aromatic citrus flavour
- aids in digestion
- 4 leaves per cup
Basil
- grows easily in a pot on the window sill
- I can only describe the taste as fresh and herby:)
- said to have many health benefits: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, good for a sore throat
- infuse 5-6 leaves per cup in bowled water for 5 minutes
I don't have fennel growing but it makes a great after-dinner brew and is easy to grow here. You can also make fantastic combinations so have a look for some recipes according to the herbs you have growing.
- Start with a warm teapot by swirling a little boiled water around and pouring it out.
- Add your herbs, more for stronger tea, less for a weaker infusion. Cover with as many cups of boiled water as you are making.
- Covering your teapot with a lid and a tea cozy not only keeps your tea warm while it steeps but also traps the steam in which helps extract the beneficial essential oils from the herbs.
- Leave for 5-10 minutes. Pour through a strainer.
These infusions are also great once they have cooled down, add ice and lemon for refreshing summer drinks. Ah - and no packaging!