When I was working in my garden recently I was pleased to see that despite it being the middle of Winter (in the UK) my mint still had lots of leaves on it.
I was extremely pleased about this, because there’s no better way of settling a stomach that’s been overworked by Christmas food than by drinking a cup of mint tea freshly prepared from mint grown in your own herb garden.
I thought it might be useful to remind those of us who don’t drink a lot of mint tea, exactly how to prepare the ideal cup of mint tea.
Ingredients for Mint Tea (for two cups)
- A handful of mint leaves picked fresh from your herb garden
- Sufficient hot (preferably filtered) water to make your two cups of mint tea
- Honey to taste
Instructions
Teapot with Infuser
2. Boil your water and pour it over the leaves. Its important that the water in the bowl covers the leaves so that infusion can take place
3. Now bruise the leaves with the back of a wooden spoon to release as much of the herbal oils as possible. Lots of people miss this step out, but doing it can make a big difference to the intensity and flavour of your cup of mint tea.
4. Leave the leaves to infuse in the water for around 5 to 10 minutes
5. Lift the strainer and once again press on the leaves with your wooden spoon to release as much liquid as possible
6. Pour your mint tea into two cups and sweeten with honey to taste. I also add a couple of mint leaves to each cup to intensify the aroma of my cup of mint tea.
Preparing Iced Tea
If you’ve got lots of mint leaves why not make a jug full of mint tea (use exactly the same method as described above) and store it in the fridge. Serve your cold mint tea with ice and also add a few mint leaves.
Happy herb growing,
The post The Best Way to Make a Cup of Mint Tea appeared first on Herb Gardening Help.
