Exact quantities, then the method.
Loose herbal infusions, whether camomile, peppermint, Rooibos or hibiscus, brew a little differently from tea. The dried flowers and leaves are bulkier, so you want a heaped tablespoon rather than a teaspoon, and they give up their flavour slowly, so they need a good six minutes (where Black Tea takes about four and green just over two).
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the How to Brew Loose Herbal Infusions recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/fruit-tea/how-to-brew-loose-herbal-infusions/
A bamboo strainer is ideal here: it catches the fine bits a metal mesh lets through and adds no metallic note to delicate florals. Makes one cup.
You'll need
- 1 heaped tablespoon of any quality dried loose herbal infusion (camomile, peppermint, rooibos, hibiscus)
- 300ml freshly drawn water, brought to a true rolling boil
- 1 Pattiya Bamboo Tea Strainer
- 2 warmed 300ml cups
- Optional: 1 teaspoon of clear honey for the sweet build, 1 fresh lemon slice for the rim
Method
- Warm two cups with hot water and tip it away.
- Put a heaped tablespoon of your dried herb into the first cup; herbals are bulkier than tea leaves, so a teaspoon would under-do it.
- Pour over 300ml of freshly boiled water and cover with a saucer, which keeps in the aromatic oils that would otherwise drift off with the steam.
- Leave it to steep for a full six minutes, as dried flowers and leaves release their character slowly.
- Set a bamboo strainer over the second cup and pour the infusion through it, leaving a clear brew with no floating bits.
- Sweeten with a little honey if you like, and add a slice of lemon for camomile or hibiscus, which suit it better than peppermint or rooibos.
- Rinse the bamboo strainer under cold water straight after use and stand it to air-dry rather than soaking it.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Pattiya Bamboo Tea Strainer, Handmade in Thailand
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