Even though there seem to be many teas on the market, there are actually only three types of true teas. All of the true teas come from the leaves of the plant, Camellia Sinensis:
Green Tea is made from leaves which are picked green then hand-rolled. Sometimes this is called Gunpowder Green Tea, because of the way it looks when rolled. Green tea is often considered an acquired taste (one of which I have yet to “acquire!”). It is considered to be healthy for you.
Oolong Tea has been picked, dried, and fermented, resulting in a smoother, more mellow tea.
Black Tea comes from leaves that have been fermented even longer, turning the leaves black. Black tea is the most commonly used tea in the flavored teas that you find at the grocery store.
As I mentioned, all of the teas on the market are varieties of one or more of the above three teas. Having said that, you can see how easy it would be to create your own tea blends. Simply purchase one of the above teas then add herbs or spices! I do this often. It’s really
simple and I get the fun of taste-testing every blend that I make for a gift!
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Mint-Chamomile Tea:
1 Part Oolong or Black Tea
1 Part of a combination of Chamomile Flowers and Peppermint and/or
Spearmint
Mix the ingredients and store them in a jar with a lid. My mother adores this tea. She says it makes a wonderful iced tea and doesn’t need any sugar. It is a refreshing tea. Use less of the oolong or black tea, if you’d like your tea less strong.
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Tisanes, on the other hand, are tealike drinks made of only herbs, flowers, spices, or fruits and do not have tea (the camellia sinensis leaves) in them. An example of this is Chamomile “Tea” or Chamomile-Peppermint “Tea”. Those two should technically be called “tisanes.”
Tisanes do not have caffeine in them.
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Mint-Chamomile Tisane
1 part Chamomile flowers
1 part mint (spearmint or peppermint)
Mix the two together and keep them in a dry jar.
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Spearmint Tisane: Add spearmint leaves to warm water for a tisane that will soothe the baby and help his upset tummy
Chamomile Tisane: Add chamomile flowers to warm water to help you go to sleep. Works with the children, too. Some people are allergic to chamomile pollen. Just be aware of that.
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Now you’re fit for a visit to England to sip with the Queen! However, you may certainly continue calling everything a tea since it seems like most of us do so, even when it is technically a tisane. I only differentiate between the two because it’s kind of fun knowing a word that many don’t know! :)lol
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