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Love fresh herbs? Learn how to make mint tea (and other herbal teas) with fresh mint and herbs from the garden.
One of my favorite things to do each summer is check on my mint plants. They are impressive. I cut them back mercilessly– for recipes, garnishes, and sometimes just to enjoy their heavenly scent.
And yet, each time I look– the plants are bigger.
And so, this plant that keeps on giving is the perfect herb to turn into a classic glass of mint tea.
Does it Matter What Type of Mint I Have?
Not at all. In fact, if you have several varieties of mint– mix them! Here, I used chocolate mint and sweet mint.
Should the Mint Leaves be Fresh or Dried?
For this tea, I used fresh mint leaves. Fresh mint will give you a mild, pleasant tea.
Dried mint can also make a great tea– as long as the dried mint isn’t old. Old dried herbs will give you a weak, flavorless tea.
If you aren’t sure how old your dried herbs are, smell them, or try rubbing them between your fingers and smelling. (If you smell nothing– toss them out!)
How Do I Make My Mint Tea Stronger or More Flavorful?
Mild tea can be delicious, especially in the summer heat.
But if you prefer something stronger, check the recipe card for tea variations. You can mix in more herbs, some spices, or green or black tea for a deeper flavor.
Do I Need a Teapot?
No! If you have a French Press, you can use it instead.
Don’t have either? You can use a tea ball, or strain the tea through a mesh sieve.
Want more ways to use FRESH MINT? Try these:
- How to Make a Mint Julep
- Infused Water with Herbs, Citrus, + Fruit
- Simple Mint Syrup – from The Prairie Homestead
Want more ways to use HERBS + FLOWERS? Try these:
How to Make Mint Tea
No
2-3 Days
Ingredients
Mint Tea Base:
- 20 fresh mint leaves, any variety. use more for stronger flavor
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp sugar or honey (optional), use more or less to taste
- 2 lemon slices (optional), to serve
For Moroccan Mint Tea:
- 2 tsp green tea, loose leaf (or 2 tea bags)
For Spiced Mint Tea (Choose 1, or Smaller Amounts of Both)
- 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Herbal Tea Variations (Choose 1, or Smaller Amounts of Both)
- 2-3 springs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Black Mint Tea:
- 2 tsp black tea, loose leaf (or 2 tea bags)
Instructions
- Rinse mint leaves (and other herbs, if using), and set aside to dry.
- Bring tea water to a boil. Pour into a teapot or a French Press.
- Crush mint leaves with your hands to release oil and then add them to the teapot, or add them to the pot and use a cocktail muddler or the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add any additional ingredients (except lemon). Cover pot. Steep 5-7 minutes if you added green tea or black tea, or 8-10 minutes for herbal tea.
- Serve hot, with lemon if desired. For iced tea: make a larger batch of tea, let the tea cool slightly, and then store in a pitcher or glass jar in the fridge. Use within 2-3 days.
Notes
- Stronger tea: Use more mint
- Dried mint leaves: Crush them, and use 1 1/2 tsp per 8 ounces of water.
Cynthia Daniels
Mint, mint everywhere! I have so much mint in the summer. This is a refreshing, relaxing way to use it. I love drinking hot tea too so this was a nice twist on my typical tea. Thanks for the idea
champagne-tastes
Yay!! I’m glad you loved it 😀
Dawn
Our mint grows extremely fast!! I’m sure we have enough to supply the whole street, lol. I’ll have to try this tea out…we love mint tea, but have never made our own!
Anne
So refreshing! It’s 111 in Phoenix today so my herbs struggle during the summer – except for my mint which doesn’t seem to mind anything! Often make sun tea with herbs. Will try your recipes 🙂
Ann
This was soooooooo easy to make. For some reason I had always thought it would be a drawn out process. But it was simple as picking some leaves and dropping it in hot water.
champagne-tastes
Thanks Ann! I’m so glad you loved it!
Amaya
I made fresh mint leaf tea today using all of your suggestions and I placed the mint/ water in a jug for two hours in the sun.
It didn’t look or taste like tea at all.
What did I do wrong?
I’ve made sun tea before using mint tea bags without any problems.
I was very disappointed in my efforts. Thank you.
Sarah
Hi Amaya! I’m so sorry- it’s always frustrating when something doesn’t work the way you think it will!
I’ve actually never tried making sun tea with fresh mint, but my guess is that it’s just not strong enough (I make it with very hot, almost boiling water).
Dried mint is a lot stronger than fresh mint, so if you try again I’d suggest drying it first.
But if you want to use the mint fresh, I’d suggest using extra hot water instead of sun tea 🙂
Hope it works better next time!!
Amaya
Thank you!!