MINT TEA

Good Morning to you,

When you fancy a cup of tea, what type do you choose?

Do you enjoy drinking Breakfast tea or the specialty teas?  George loves a morning cup of PG Tips, with plenty of milk, Natasha enjoys a cup of Earl Grey tea, Danielle drinks Breakfast tea, not just one cup, but many cups throughout the day and Phyllis likes a cup of good strong Yorkshire tea with just a little milk.

I am not a huge tea drinker myself, but I do enjoy herbal teas and my favourite is a cup of Mint tea in the afternoon or after a meal.  It is refreshing to drink and I find, it also aids digestion.

Maybe you have bought the little sachets of dried mint leaves  which you dunk into a tea cup, 

but, have you ever thought of making your own mint tea?

Mint is a herb which is rampant in growth. So as you cut the stems, they grow back very quickly. This is perfect for us, as it means we have a ready supply of mint tea.

I remember quite a few years ago, Phyllis had a mint plant, which she grew in the garden, as she enjoys minted Summer new potatoes.  She did not want the mint to rampage through the garden like a rowdy teenager, so she thought she would constrain it, by planting the mint, into an enamel bowl. This worked for a couple of years, but then the enamel bowl began to rot, just a little, but enough for the pesky mint to find a route out of the bowl. Without Phyllis knowing, it had started rooting in the surrounding area. It took Phyllis a long time to rid herself of this extra mint.  So learning from Phyllis' mistake, I plant my mint into large terracotta pots with a water dish at the bottom so that the roots cannot escape and if they try, I am on hand to slow them down a little.  Every few years I split the plants to create more, which allows me to make more mint tea...... and it is free, especially if you have a kind gardener friend who gives you a plant..... and we all know that gardeners are a generous bunch of people.

So, today, I thought I would introduce you to the very simple art of making your own mint tea or as it is also known a tisane, which is an infusion of mint leaves.

Cut yourself 5 or 6 sprigs of mint.

Wash the sprigs a few times in fresh water.

Choose your teapot, maybe you like

this one,

or

maybe something more cheerful,
 such as
 this brightly 
coloured teapot

boil some water,
 enough to fill the teapot

but, before you use the teapot,

  you must warm it,

by pouring about one inch

 of boiling hot water 

into the teapot. 

Replace the lid and gently 

swirl the water around the teapot, 

but please be careful,

remember, you are using

 hot water.

Let the pot stand for a minute. 

Remove the lid and empty

the teapot of the hot water.

Your teapot is now warmed and ready to use.

  

Now you have a choice,

you can strip the leaves from the stem,

or

just pop the sprigs, stems, leaves and all.

into your warmed teapot.

Stir

Replace the lid

Cover with a teacosy
 and allow the mint leaves to stand
 for five to ten minutes,

depending on
 the strength of tea you enjoy.

George likes his mint steeped
 for five minutes,

whereas I like mine a little stronger,
 so I

pour George's tea first
 and I wait another
 couple of minutes before 
I pour mine.

Choose your teacup,
 maybe this one,

or

this one,

and pour the mint tea,

into this cup

or

this one if you prefer.

Now all you have to do is sit back, sip this delicious mint tea and let the worries of the world pass you by.

I promise you, it is much nicer than any dried mint tea.

Take care and I will see you later in the week.

This week I shall be joining,

Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Cathy at A Peek into My Paradise

Richella at Imparting Grace

Hakan at The Rose Garden in Malevik