How to Make a Cup of Tea

There are so many ways to make a cup of herbal tea. I'm going to go over a few basic basic terms you might run across when talking about brewing herbs. 

Infusion: Infusions are made from the flowers, leaves, these are the more delicate parts of a plants. They give up their aromatic and medicinal properties easily. Most preperations can be made with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of herbs.  Boil one cup of water and pour it over the one teaspoon of herbs, let steep for specified time, remover herbs, add sweetener or milk if recommended to your taste.  Steep herbs for as short as 4 minutes and as long as an hour (for medicinal strength) depending on the herb. You can use a tea pot, coffee press (my go to), tea bag, or a cup and strainer to do this. You should enjoy your cup of tea the way you like it, do not feel obligated to steep your herbs for 30 minutes to a taste you would not enjoy.

Linked below is our tea infuser, a great and stylish way to make an herbal infusion! 

 

Decoction: Decoctions are made from the tougher parts of a plant, stems and roots. To decoct an herb put a saucepan on the stove and bring one cup of water and one teaspoon of herbs to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for 10 to 30 minutes. 

Solar Infusion:  Solar infusions can be a fun part of your ritual or anexperiment for your children. Herbs containing flowers and or leaves work best for solar infusions. Take a glass jar, fill it with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of herbs (or the recommended serving size) cover it the jar with it's appropriate lid, then place it outside directly under the sun. Allow this infusion to steep in sunlight for an hour or several! 

Steep/Brew:Steeping or brewing is the process of the herb or tea being submerged in the water. 

How to mix a powder

Mixing an herbal powder with water or milk is more straight forward than one might think. Heat your water or milk, add the recommeneded serving amount of her to the heated mixture, then stir vigorously. You can use a whisk, spoon, milk frother, or blender to get the consistency you like best. Most herbs and powders won't disolve completely into the liquid rather they will stay suspended in the liquid, some of the herbs going to the bottom eventually. I've always enjoyed the concetrated cacao at the bottom of a cup of hot cocoa!