My daughter makes tea. Lots of tea. Before we started growing herbs and flowers to mix our own, she would buy it by the box-full and consume 3 or 4 cups a day. Her favorite has always been chamomile, but we never knew we could grow it ourselves until we moved to the farm.
People generally think tea is British, but in reality, its history began in China (which should not come as any surprise, they brew a smashing cup of tea over there). According to the legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. Some leaves from the tree fell into the water, and Shen Nung decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea. Containers for tea have been found in tombs dating from the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), but it was under the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), that tea became firmly established as the national drink of China.
Eventually, tea made its way into British society, and like all governmental bodies, they decided the income from selling tea paved the way for a tax. The first tax on tea was on the leaf in 1689, and it was so high at 25p, that it almost stopped sales. It was reduced to 5p in 1692. From then until as recently as 1964, when tea duties were finally abolished, politicians were forever tinkering with the exact rate and method of the taxation of tea. The Tea Act of May 10, 1773 allowed the British East India Company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying any taxes. It undercut the local tea merchants, so the Sons of Liberty from Boston, Massachusetts--some disguised as Native Americans--destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. They tossed the whole bloody shipment into Boston Harbor. I'm sure there were some fish with pretty strong immune systems after that, because tea is highly antioxidant. Although, I do wonder about the caffeine content . . .
There are as many varieties of tea as there are people, and tea drinkers all drink tea for different reasons. Some people drink it for the soothing nature of the drink itself, and some people drink it for the medicinal properties. It all depends on what you use for the tea itself, and what your taste preferences are. The most important things to remember when you plan your perfect cup of tea, is make sure you are using plants not treated with pesticides, not found on roadsides or in public parks, and do your research on the plant itself (some plants should not be ingested as they are toxic, but can be used on the skin).
A good cup of tea starts with one thing: boiling water. Boil it for at least one minute, take it off the burner and cool it for another minute in the pot before steeping your tea. Let it steep for 2-8 minutes (all depending on your taste buds).
To make your own dried tea, you don't need anything fancy. If you don't own a dehydrator, it will take some time to dry the plants. You can always put them in the oven to dry (at the lowest temperature the oven has, but not over 120 degrees), which will take a couple of hours, or you can use the leaves fresh. You will need more if you use fresh leaves, however. If you can't use an oven, bundle the herbs up and hang them in a dark, dry area for a week or so until the leaves crumble off the stems. Store them in jars and cover lightly, or use ziplock bags. Make sure you mark the jars or bags so you know which plant is which. Believe me, they all look the same when they are dried.
Once your leaves are dry, you are ready to add them to your tea strainer, or wrap them in a double layer of cheesecloth and pop it in your cup or teapot.
Here are some of our favorite combinations, made in our kitchen from plants we grow ourselves. We sell jars of our tea combinations at market, and are always looking for tasty blends.
The recipes we use typically can make 2-3 cups of tea at a time. Add more herbs to taste.
Chamomile Tea
Obviously, our favorite tea. We make it fresh, and with dried chamomile, but it's the #1 tea here at the farm. Cindi recommends using 2 tablespoons of dried flowers per cup (she likes it strong).
Strawberry Smoothie Tea
1/2 tsp dried Strawberry Mint
1/2 tsp dried Chocolate Mint
1/2 tsp dried Vanilla Grass (Sweetgrass)
1/2 tsp dried Candy Mint
1/2 tsp dried Berries and Cream Mint
A few dried chamomile flowers
Mix all herbs and steep for 2-8 minutes.
Chocolate Candy Mint Tea
1/2 tsp dried Chocolate Mint
1/2 tsp dried Candy Mint
1/2 tsp dried Peppermint
1/2 tsp dried Spearmint
1/2 tsp dried Vanilla Grass
Mix all herbs and steep for 2-8 minutes.
Lemon Vanilla Chocolate Mint Tea
1/2 tsp dried Chocolate Mint
1/2 tsp dried Vanilla Grass
1/2 tsp dried Lemon Balm
Mix all herbs and steep for 2-8 minutes.
These are just a few of our more creative combinations, but making your own is most of the fun!
Happy tea making!
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