Mint leaves are a great natural decongestant that helps eliminate mucous from your respiratory tract. Suppose you suffer from a cold and congested chest; you should learn how to make mint tea. Your lungs and airway will feel more relaxed after a few sips.
Read on to learn how to make mint tea and also learn about its numerous other health benefits.
A Little Backstory
Mint tea is also known as Moroccan Whisky due to its popularity in Morocco. It’s not clearly known when the drink originated and became a favorite in Morocco. Some believe the Berbers came along with it, others say it was the Spaniards and Portuguese who introduced it.
Tasting Notes.
Mint tea has a clean, fresh taste. The tea tastes even more fantastic with the addition of a sweetener. If you drink several cups, you’ll have a refreshing aftertaste that will last a whole day.
When left to cool, the undercurrent peppermint flavor becomes more robust. You can add water to reduce flavor intensity if necessary. To get the best flavors and not blow off a lot of the aromatics, steep in water, but not too hot.
Recipe – How to Make Mint Tea
Ingredients
- Ten fresh mint leaves or sprigs
- 2 cups water
- Sweetener of choice – sugar, honey, stevia.
Directions.
- Wash the mint leaves and spread them out on a paper towel to dry them off.
- Boil the water in a kettle.
- Crush leaves in pestle and mortar to release flavor and mint oil.
- Place mint leaves in a pot.
- Pour in the boiled water and cover.
- Let it sit for 20 minutes.
- Pass through a filter. If you want a more intense flavor, don’t strain the leaves.
- Add sweetener.
- Serve, enjoy hot or refrigerate to drink cold.
Essential notes on how to make mint tea.
- Mint leaves straight from the garden should always be properly washed. This ensures you get rid of any soil or garden bugs.
- Before using mint leaves, check for brown spots and where they are located on the leaves.
FAQs on How to Make Mint Tea.
Are mint leaves with brown spots safe to use?
Yes and No. This would depend on where the spots are on the leaves. If they are on the bottom and top sections of the leaves and accompanied by yellow streaks and dots they are not safe to use. Fungal infection usually causes such spots. If you spot such leaves in your garden, you should remove them promptly since they can cause cross-infection with other plants.
If the inner leaves have brown spots, but the ones on top look okay, then the spotting is probably caused by either too much water or overheating. These are okay to use.
For how long can you store mint leaves?
You can store mint leaves in loose plastic bags for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Do mint leaves cause any allergies?
Some people may be allergic to mint leaves, with reactions ranging from headaches and mouth sores to some people. If you are prone to allergies, consult a doctor before you consume mint tea
Here are some more awesome tea recipes you can try at home:
