My best friend needs to relax and she wants a caffeine free tisane to drink at night. She has been mixing grocery store chamomile and peppermint together, and I decided to try to make her a special loose leaf blend for her birthday.
I bought German chamomile from the bulk bins at our local health food store, as well as some lavender blossoms. I already had some Upton spearmint at home.
For this first pot I used two teaspoons of chamomile, one scant teaspoon of lavender flowers, and a half teaspoon of spearmint. Overall it isn’t bad but I have been drinking Forest Tea from Mountain Rose herbs lately and it is much more flavorful. I think I have only had Egyptian chamomile up to now. Maybe it is stronger. This was for a 20 ounce pot. It is pretty good, especially after a nice long steep. I did not sweeten, though my friend may want to add honey.
I think next time I will try three tsps. chamomile, keep the lavender the same, and add a full teaspoon of spearmint. If any more experienced blenders have some pointers for me, please share!
I know nothing about blending, but I really like lemongrass paired with chamomile :)
Thank you for the tip! I actually picked up and sniffed at both lemon balm and lemongrass considering them. I will go back and get some lemongrass!
I use lemongrass, marshmallow root and lavender in my chamomile. One thing I’ve noticed is that my chamomile is MASSIVE and fluffy, so I use a couple tbsp of the blend.
I’ll bet the dry leaf mix is beautiful. I wonder if you can buy bulk cornflower leaves…I think they look so pretty in teas.
Our local store doesn’t have them, but Mountain Rose Herbs does!