HOW TO BLEND TEAS

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How do you choose herbs for tea blends? There are no special leaves that are "tea" any plant steeped in water is a tea. There are so many options when creating a tea blend. When blending a tea are you looking for just flavor, are you looking to soothe or aid in rebuilding a system in your body? I’ll tell you I have made some tea blends that taste amazing, and I’ve also made some just awful-tasting blends. Not all herbs taste good, more taste awful than good in my opinion. I love having stinging nettle in all my teas due to the high amounts of vitamins and minerals it contains but it is not a good flavor to me, I know a couple of people who love it. Some herbalists say that is a possible sign that your body needs it. 

How I blend my teas, first I address the main need. If I am looking to soothe a sore throat due to singing or yelling, my boys played a lot of sports a tea for yelling was necessary,  I want a herb that coats it. Marshmallow root and slippery elm are fantastic for coating sore throats. You can use just one herb but you may want to add some supportive herbs or dried fruits for flavor and vitamins. For a sore throat due to illness, you want to add herbs that work well for the throat specifically, that help boost the immune system and address the bacteria or virus that is causing illness. Herbs like echinacea, myrrh, goldenseal, licorice root, sage, green tea, plantain leaf, elderberry, raspberry leaf, and thyme are a few of the options that work well for the throat specifically.

Pictured is a tea blend for sore throat due to illness. Marshmallow root, echinacea, plantain leaf, dried lemon, and stinging nettle.

Most of the time I use 3-6 herbs in my tea blends. The main herb is usually 30-40% of my blends, supportive herbs and dried fruit are the remaining 60-70%. Remember when steeping your herbs cover them! The steam contains a large amount of the active ingredients in the herb, the volatile oils, and vitamins. Do not boil your leafy herbs, bring water to a boil and remove from heat to steep for 5-10 minutes. With harder herbs like bark, root, and berries you want to lightly simmer covered for 7-10 minutes, remove from heat, and let steep for 5 minutes more. 

Cannot express enough the importance of covering your teas while steeping!