We drink a lot of iced tea. For years, it's been simply rooibos tea, an ever sweet and never bitter beverage. But then came Brian and Foodie Friday at our local Whole Foods Market and we haven't had rooibos since.
Every Friday at Whole Foods, the employees cook up creative dishes and conjure cocktails to satisfy whatever the week's theme may be. If it's near Cinco De Mayo, there will be Carne Asada Tacos and spicy guacamole, or if it's near the 4th of July it will be everything BBQ and berry. But the theme for the Friday that blessed us with this delicious tea was employee created recipes from the bulk section. A guy named Brian concocted this little masterpiece.
Nearly everyone, including me, who tasted this tea was suddenly scrounging through their purse or asking a stranger for a pen and paper to jot down the recipe. It's that good. And there's more than just the lavender, chamomile, and peppermint, but you can only make a recipe's title so long before it becomes ridiculous. The tea also has dried nettle and the tiniest hint of cayenne.
When I set out to scooping all of these ingredients, I wondered how much this liquid elixir would cost. I was pleasantly surprised that for 10 or more pitchers of tea the cost is about $2. I added the juice from a couple of lemons and a bit of honey simple syrup for depth and sweetness, but the tea is delicious without it as well.
For brewing up a pitcher of tea, I love this Teavana Perfect Tea Ball - it's just the right size, easy to fill, and creates zero mess. Love this ugly but practical glass kettle. And for a pitcher, this one, hands down.
Cheers!
Lavender Chamomile Mint Tea with Lemon and Honey
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried lavender flowers
- ½ cup dried chamomile
- ½ cup dried peppermint leaves
- ½ cup dried nettle leaves
- 1 generous pinch ground cayenne pepper
For each pitcher (optional)
- juice of 2 whole lemons
- ¼ cup honey dissolved in ½ cup warm water
Instructions
For the tea:
- Combine first 5 ingredients (lavender through cayenne pepper) in a large bowl. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
To make a pitcher of tea:
- In a large kettle, boil 8 cups of water; remove from heat. Add 3 rounded tablespoons of tea to a tea ball and submerge in kettle. Allow to steep for at least 5 minutes. Use a spoon to press tea against the tea ball walls to extract extra flavor. Stir in lemon juice and honey mixture.
- Allow to cool, transfer to pitcher and refrigerate.
- Serve with or without ice. Enjoy!
I am not a tea drinker, but this recipe is making me change my mind. The pinch of cayenne sounds wonderful. I may become a tea drinker after all...
Wow, dried nettle, that´s a first. I wonder if I´ll be able to get all the ingredients, because from the way you explain this tea, I want to make it NOW!
Your tea sounds so delicious. And just in time for the super hot weather in NYC.
What a beautiful looking tea-I have all of the ingredients except for the nettle. I'm so curious to make this now! 😀
Its really good i made it for my family. Its a little exotic but its one of the best teas i've had. I iced it and it and it was perfect. You really dont need the nettle i like it without it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Monica!