Herbal Lemon Tea

[Sandbar]

I know NOTHING about herbs ... never grew them, would like to try.

I visited an Amish farm last weekend. She grew three herbs for tea: Spearmint, Peppermint and Lemon. Some she'd dry, some she'd use fresh, some both.

Here's my dilemma. Bought some Celestial Seasonings Lemon Herbal tea at Wally World. LOVE IT! Don't want to pay $3 for 24 teabags to pay for my new "habit" ... could you folks help?

1) What herbs (specific varieties) do you grow for tea?

2) Do you use them fresh to make tea?

3) Do you dry them before making your tea?

4) Do you blend different herbs together for your tea?

5) How many leaves do you put to make a cup of tea? A pot?

6) Are herbs invasive? Self-seeding? Periennials? Annuals?

7) Is there a book I should get?

Thanks ... I've got way more questions than these few ... :D

[trudyjean]

I don't drink much herbal tea, but do like some in the winter time. There are a lot of tea blend recipes online, here are some that my help.
http://pages.prodigy.net/groovyskye/10.html
http://www.garden.org/foodguide/browse/herb/unusual/1340
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/tearecipes2.html
http://www.1stholistic.com/Recipes/dir_herbal-tea-home.htm
There are many more on the web. trudyjean

[dirtundernails]

Hi, Sandbar.
I like to buy lemons when on sale, and slice thin to dry, then "grind" in a blender, then dry some more. Nice addition to lemon tea. I have lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon grass. I have used fresh leaves, but sometimes there is a taste like plastic. I don't understand, so dry most of my tea herbs.
Herbs are both perennials and annuals. Some will be invasive, making it easy to harvest for tea.
Yes, I think a book will help, or just browsing the internet, where I have found more than I wanted to ever know, with some sources contradicting others. My favorite place to look for info is the local nursery or greenhouse people. Especially the small mom and pop type that are usually a temporary set up in a parking lot or similar area.
As far as amount to use goes, start with the size of a regular tea bag. I like a tea ball, or just loose in my teapot (with the fresh leaves as they are a branch that doesn't need filtering).
dun

[Sandbar]

DUN and TJ, thanks for the hints!

[bluelacedredhead]

When my DIL asked me last night if I'd ever tried Chai Tea,which I promptly served her :) I took a few minutes to look through the links that TrudyJean posted on this thread.
Some great ideas and recipes, :cool:
So, I've sent an email on it's way to my DIL with the links. She says she has a bridal shower to attend and her friend is a Tea Granny..what better gift than some homemade mixes. TY

[Pickled_Melon]

i just peel lemon or orange, dice the rind and dry thuroughly. both last years and provide nice flavour over that duration.

you could try lemon basil...my ex-mother-in-law grew and used that when she needed lemon flav or zest. but i don't think she ever dried it.

[TastyofHasty]

Another thing is look at the side of the Celestial Seasonings tea box & see ... what ingredients did THEY put in their "lemon tea"? Tea blending is an art ... I like some of Celestial Seasonings' and then there's a whole different outlook amongst Bigelow & Twinings people.

[bluelacedredhead]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice Tea at Christmas...................

[Sandbar]

My other fave tea is Constant Comment from Bigelow. Orange spice tea that my mom used to fix at home. I only drink decaf stuff, now, and the decaf CC is just too expensive, so am looking for ways to closely duplicate the taste of my favorite teas from herbs.

Gingerbread spice sounds good, too ... haven't tried that one, yet.

[dirtundernails]

Don't they only sell that flavor during Holiday season?

[TastyofHasty]

We are coming into orange season. If you like Constant Comment, you might try learning to peel off & dry the orange "zest" & mix that with regular black tea & whatever spices you think are the same as the "sweet spice" they include in their ingredients (I would suspect small amounts of ... maybe ... cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger) ... till you get the right spices/proportions.

I found a Celestial Seasonings I like called "Candy Cane Lane." Minty with a bit of vanilla. Yum.

[Sandbar]

Pickled_Melon mentioned the orange rind thing, too. Do you think if I just grated the orange peel off an orange and dried it that it would provide the "orange" flavor to my tea?

Hmm, sounds like a winter of experimentation is on the horizon ... :p

Candy Cane Lane sounds good, too!

[TastyofHasty]

I think that's how orange zest is made. Leave off the white part under the orange skin; (that's got pectin in it but is not good for flavoring tea. If you were to make orange marmalade, you'd slice oranges thin & leave on the white part under the orange rind which would make it "jell" into jelly. I used to do that with kumquats.) I think it's the oils in the orange part of the skin that have the flavor. While you're experimenting, maybe try lemon, too!

[Pickled_Melon]

Pickled_Melon mentioned the orange rind thing, too. Do you think if I just grated the orange peel off an orange and dried it that it would provide the "orange" flavor to my tea?

Hmm, sounds like a winter of experimentation is on the horizon ... :p


yep. that'll do nicely. when you grate be aware of the courseness of your gratings. some fine graters leave dried peelings like dust. it's kinda dificult to get it all back into a nice little glass bottle. but dicing works well, too, and maybe even a little better if you tend to cook your tea instead of steaping it.

secret-drive-buddies-nuts-tea-recipe: 1 gallon stainless steel pot

3 1/2 quarts filtered water
one lipton tea bag

when dark clear (as opposed to dark opaque) take off stove.
dump in sliced orange (i usually use only 1/4 of an orange).
let cool to tolerable heat.
then add 1/2 cup wild flower honey. stir until disolved.

of course, juicier oranges taste better in tea. which is why i always go out of my way for Valencia oranges. you can also grow them from the seed pack you normally buy at the grocery.

[Pickled_Melon]

I think that's how orange zest is made. Leave off the white part under the orange skin; (that's got pectin in it but is not good for flavoring tea. If you were to make orange marmalade, you'd slice oranges thin & leave on the white part under the orange rind which would make it "jell" into jelly. I used to do that with kumquats.) I think it's the oils in the orange part of the skin that have the flavor. While you're experimenting, maybe try lemon, too!

the zest is the oil inside the peel.

i've never worried about separating the peel whites from the colored part. i grate down to the flesh. the whites are where the bioflavinoids are. also, i think the natures of pectins are different. canning pectin is not the same as what what is on the fruit. it may be derived from fruit but you won't have the same problems with it in tea as if you dumped a pack of canning pectin in your tea.

the flavour actually comes from the bioflavinoids. which exist in concentration in the oil of the whites of the skin.

[Pickled_Melon]

Another thing is look at the side of the Celestial Seasonings tea box & see ... what ingredients did THEY put in their "lemon tea"? Tea blending is an art ... I like some of Celestial Seasonings' and then there's a whole different outlook amongst Bigelow & Twinings people.

hehehe... last week i stumbled upon the lipton blend secret recipe. but it cost me about 15 boxes of lipton to discover it. :D

how do you get a nice berry flavour into a smokey oolong or pu'er?

[TastyofHasty]

We are berry interested in finding out ...?

[Pickled_Melon]

We are berry interested in finding out ...?

well, i'd tell you in a private conversation over a pot of tea. especially since i met one of the lipton family ceo's on a forum like this one and he threatened to pull the secret ingredients from the wholesaler's racks. although i'd love to share it with you you'd probably be better off figuring it out for yourself. i know i will be! :D

i will tell you this: they have 14 different recipies that produce near the same characteristic of tea with slightly different qualities. i really like the combination that they are currently producing and i actually purchased the blend ingredients on the web and stumbled into 'thier' recipie. i like it but i like what i make better: the minor ingredient in thier recipie is stronger in mine. so go spend some on what seems appealing to you and blend away. :cool:

[Pickled_Melon]

We are berry interested in finding out ...?

well, i've tried raspberry preserves and italian coffee liqours and even ice cream. but i just can't seem to get the flav i'm looking for: berry flav but without the high sugar content or taste. :confused:

[TastyofHasty]

Check out kumquat zest ... really nice orangey flavour!

[Joan]

I had "homemade " chai tea at a restaurant in Philadelphia and fell in love with it. It had a spicy, milky taste which you have to try to understand. I just found a box of chai spice black tea from Stash, it is quite tasty. They have a website at stashtea.com where you can also request a catalog. The box says they have more than 200 different specialty teas, tea accessories, baked goods and tea gifts. Sound like a great place to buy a gift or two. I know this isn't lemon herbal so I've wandered from the subject but who know what you may find there!

[Sandbar]

Found an interesting page regarding blending your own garden herbs for tea. It also lists uses for each herb and those that pregnant women should avoid.

http://www.boulderteahouse.com/blending.html