How to Make Your Own Tea

Drinking tea is a worldwide ritual for mindfulness, relaxation, and renewal. It can also be a way to use the excess herbs from your backyard garden, window box, farmer's market run, or hydroponic mini-grower. Here's how to make tea a part of your regenerative routine by doing basically nothing. (If only skincare was this easy...)

HOMEMADE MINT TEA (5 minutes total)
Refreshing, reinvigorating, a reset button for the senses.

1. Pick mint leaves from their stems. 
2. Thoroughly wash mint leaves.
3. Boil water.
4. Pour steaming water into a mug.
5. Place leaves in the mug.
6. Wait 1-3 minutes.
7. That's it. That's the tea.

Extra Credit: Mint tea is excellent iced, and mixes well with summer adds like fresh peach juice or coconut creamer. It's also a winner when served hot or cold with a shot of whiskey, lemon, and honey for a simple evening cocktail.

HOMEMADE CHAMOMILE TEA (10 minutes total)
Calming, soothing, a gentle nudge to put the phone down.

1. Thoroughly rinse chamomile flowers. 
2. Pluck flowers from stems and set aside. (This will take a few minutes, because chamomile flowers are tiny and tightly attached to their stems.) 
3. Boil water.
4. Place flowers only into a coffee filter or fine sieve.
5. Put the filter or sieve on top of an empty mug.
6. Pour hot water over the coffee filter.
7. Wait 1-3 minutes for water to drain into the mug.
8. That's it. That's the tea. 

Extra Credit: For a comforting dessert tea, combine your chamomile with 1 tsp. of honey and 1/8 tsp. of vanilla extract!

HOMEMADE GINGER TEA (6 minutes total)
Corrective, awakening, a proven natural digestive aid.

1. Wash, peel, and chop a small piece of ginger (like half an inch) into slices.
2. Boil 1-2 cups of water.
3. Place the ginger slices into the water and let simmer.
4. Wait 5 minutes.
5. Pour the tea into a mug.
6. That's it. That's the tea.

Extra Credit: Got a tickle in your throat? Add a squeeze of lemon and some honey for a bit of sweet relief.