Yesterday afternoon I decided to have a go at making some mint tea using fresh leaves from my garden. So I braved the rain and ran out to the front garden and snipped a few sprigs.
I was a bit disappointed that after brewing for more than 5mins that there was barely a taste to the water. So, not the best choice and I couldn't even call it refreshing to drink.
So, as Sandra observed in my comments, I had a similar experience to her and will next dry some leaves and try it that way (first I think I need to repot my mint and get it producing properly - I suspect the soil is really depleted and hasn't had a feed of anything for years!).
8 comments:
I find that crushing the leaves slightly (or chopping them up if you can be bothered) helps to release some of the flavour.
I've had fresh mint tea a few times in a cafe near a friend's house. You need a good handful of leaves - maybe a bit less than your cup half-full, pushed down a bit but not jammed tight. I would generally play around with it a bit with a spoon while waiting for it to draw and that probably helps with releasing the flavour.
Maybe you could try a stronger kind of mint like peppermint or spearmint?
Off the subject but I wanted to thank you for the link to The Worsted Witches excerpt on simplicity. It made for great reading. I believe that simplicity shouldn't be the 'hair shirt' variety but finding contentment in the simple things of life and being less materialistic. Noticing and smelling the roses and feeling the sun on your face.
Hi Nikki,
A big thank you!
I have been reading your blog for the last week trying to catch up to date. I've never been one to leave comments I usually just enjoy other people's blogs if I come across them in a google search, but yours has somehow been just what I'm looking for! So now instead of finding a bit here and a bit there all over the place, your blog seems to be leading me on the 'right' path.
I started a blog a few weeks ago but I had no faith in having something interesting to say so I deleted it! Maybe the urge will come again...
I'm delighted to find you, although on the other side of the world, and I look forward to learning from you as I continue my own journey towards simplicity.
Thanks for all the hints and tips! Once I nurse my plant back to good health I will give it another go (and try a stronger variety too!).
Ingrid, I'm glad you enjoyed the worsed witch site, I certainly found it an inspiring post too.
Emmani, Hi, thanks for stopping by. Blogging certainly helps keep up the focus and a nice way to journal your thoughts and progress.
I used to help a friend harvest mint from their yard for tea. The spearmint had a much stronger flavor. If you use sugar, that really helps bring it out, too.
She would crush the leaves and put a ton of them in a pitcher. Then she sprinkled them generously with sugar before she put the water on to boil. She filled the pitcher halfway with boiling water and let it sit about 4-5 minutes. After straining, the tea was returned to the pitcher and filled to the top with ice.
The tea is also good hot. Dilute as needed. If you don't use sugar, well, ignore all this. ;-)
Thanks Chile. I have heard that sweetening it can draw out the flavour - I don't usually use sugar in tea, but a few online recipes I looked at suggested using honey, so that might be a go. Worth a try anyway!
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