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How to Make Herbal Tea

It is commonly presumed that all kinds of tea can also be classified as herbal teas. Technically speaking, though, herbal tea is not ‘true’ tea as it doesn’t come from the same tea bush used to make green, oolong, black and white teas, which makes a tea become a ‘true’ tea.

What is herbal tea?

Herbal tea is actually made from leaves, seeds, roots, bark, seeds, fruits, and buds of different plant varieties, with spices and herbs added for that combination that makes it an extra-special beverage that is best drunk hot. It comes in peppermint, ginger, chamomile, jasmine, ginseng, nettle, rooibos, cinnamon, and many other flavorful mixes.

The process involved in making herbal tea is fairly simple and easy. The secret to coming up with a healthy and delicious version of this drink is to keep the lid on as long as possible while brewing to retain the medicinal properties of the herbs in the tea. Unlike ‘true’ teas, the aroma of medicinal teas cannot be enjoyed as the lid should be tightly in place to fully take advantage of the health benefits you can derive from it.

Herbal teas don’t require much preparation, but one requirement is to use non-metal pots to boil them in, as metal containers may react with the herbal ingredients. You’re ready to start as soon as you have this and the herbal tea variety of your choice.

Basically, preparing herbal tea just consists of the following steps: Bring cool water to a boil, not water that’s hot from the faucet. Add fresh or dried herb mix consisting of flowers and leaves to boiling water and let steep for about 5 minutes, still covered with lid all this time. You can steep it for a shorter or longer period depending on the tea strength you prefer. When you get the desired strength, remove the herbs with a strainer and garnish with more garnishes or fruits for more flavor and honey or sugar to sweeten; voila, you have now created your herbal tea beverage.

How do you make herbal tea?

The process mentioned above is the infusion method, the simplest way to come up with medicinal tea; there are actually two methods to choose from: the infusion method and the decoction method.

brown and red dried leaves on brown wooden box
hibiscus tea

The decoction method is used when parts of an herb plant, including roots, leaves, seeds, buds and bark, are used to create the beverage. About 1 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture is placed into a non-metal pot with water at room temperature and leave as it is for five to ten minutes. After this period, bring the water with herbs to a boil and allow steeping for as long 30 minutes depending on the strength of preference. Remove the herbs and enjoy the drink.

The main difference between the two methods would be the length of time the herbs are allowed to steep after water is poured on the mixture. The infusion method extracts the herb’s medicinal properties in greater concentration. Some individuals leave the herbs inside the teapot throughout the day and just pour out enough for one cup at a time for a stronger herbal mixture. Just remember to keep herbal tea that you cannot immediately consume inside the refrigerator after brewing because once the beverage reaches room temperature, it will taste flat and eventually go bad. At the most, keep teas only for three to four days.

Conclusion

The best herbal tea method, ratio or mixture is really a matter of personal preference. Just be extra careful that the herbs you use, especially the fresh kind, is safe for consumption. Don’t be too confident about claims of natural teas; it doesn’t guarantee safety against poisonous or allergic reactions.

Aside from its medicinal benefits, teas can also be energy or relaxing drinks and can be taken at any time of the day – either as an energy booster at the start of a day or to calm frayed nerves after a grueling time at work. If you are looking for some awesome herbal tea with lots of flavors take a look here and see if there are any that you are interested in Herbal Tea