I’m always surprised, and slightly amused, when I make fresh mint tea at a dinner party or for friends, and they act like it is the most novel and amazing thing in the world!
It made me contemplate that there are so many things that we have accepted, just because we are used to them. Like mint tea for instance. If you want an herbal mint tea and you go to Starbucks, you’ll pay $2.50+ for a tea bag made from tea fillers and tea dust, and hot water- which who even knows is filtered or not. Besides not getting the freshest flavor, each time we get a tea we also have to throw out a tea bag, and the individual packet that the tea bag came in.
It doesn’t have to be that way! If we make our own tea, we can experience the freshest possible taste of that tea on earth, AND we will not be consuming excess packaging.
Something as incredibly simple as making mint tea can be a great first step to someone being more in touch with making their own food. This is especially true for some of you that write me that you really “aren’t a chef” and that you are uncomfortable making your own food. The very sourcing of the green, beautiful mint, and the ceremony of making this tea, could help connect you back to your food source. And then we can move on to making our own almond milk, raw sauerkraut, salad dressing, flax crackers, etc.- things we are always used to buying- but things we could make fresh and natural ourselves. 🙂
1. Make sure to pick mint that is robust and a beautiful green color. You can buy mint at your local farmer’s market (highly recommended!), at Wholefoods or most grocery stores.
2. Simply pick 4-6 leaves off of the stem and place in your mug.
3. Pour hot (not boiling), filtered water on top of the leaves, and let them steep for 3 minutes or so before drinking.
4. If you like sweet mint tea, Egyptian style, stevia would be your best bet!
Ta daaaa!!! That is it!! Try it out, and see how much more special your mint tea drinking experience becomes! Especially now that it is snuggly tea weather. 🙂 Make fresh mint tea for your friends and family, or serve after a dinner party with some good desserts!
Happy tea making!
xx Kimberly
Hey Kimberly, fresh mint tea sounds incredibly easy to make, I’m definitely going to try making this. This makes much more sense to me than buying a box of herbal tea which sometimes contains ingredients that I’d rather not be drinking such as soy lecithin. I noticed you suggested stevia or agave for a sweetener. I was wondering what you think of xylitol and other sweeteners out there like yacon syrup? Also, I was reminded of something I read somewhere about raw honey, it said that if you use raw honey in hot water than the beneficial qualities in the honey are destroyed. Does that just depend on how hot the water is? Thanks 🙂
Hi Christi! Xylitol is also a good choice that will not spike your blood sugar that much! Raw honey has such potent enzymes that I would not put it in boiling hot water. You should wait until the water is warm enough that you could put your finger in it. 🙂
xx Kimberly
I love mint tea! Simple and awesome!
Hi Kimberly!
Thanks so much for responding to my comments 😀 I’m gonna try drinking the green smoothies in the mornings. I know you recommend a vita mix … but I can’t really afford that. Do you know of any cheaper blenders that are any good???
HI Jenny!
Hmmm. Well Vitamix has refurbished blenders that are great and much cheaper. You can check them out on their website! I heard Blend Tech is good, and not sure how much they are?
xx Kimberly
Fresh mint tea…. sounds awesome! I love mint. Thanks for sharing how to make fresh mint tea. I will have to give it a try sometime.
Hi Kimberly –
One more question….hahaha sorry for bombarding you with all these questions 😀 But …. have you ever had any problems with cellulite?? And if so have you found it to clear up with diet … or are there any treatments/remedies that you have found that work? You are so beautiful and inspiring 😀
Jenny
Hi Jenny!
Thanks for your kind words. 🙂
Grapefruit can be helpful for cellulite, and in general making your body more alkaline with greens and Green Smoothies. 🙂
Mmm now I feel like mint tea!
I have a couple questions, Kimberly, if you don’t mind.
How optimal would you say making a simmered soup stock with bay leaves, shiitake mushrooms, kelp, turmeric, ginger, burdock, cayenne, herbs de provence, celery, and carrot… then straining it, and serving it still hot but not boiling with fermented veggies, raw flax oil, pumpkin seeds, nori or wakame, and nutritional yeast would be? I mean… the broth is cooked 😛
Also, what is your opinion of black pepper? I heard somewhere that those with colon issues should avoid black pepper.
Thanks so much!
-Nala
Hi Nala,
That sounds like an easily digestible broth. 🙂
If you are going to have that I would make sure I was having raw greens at other meals during the day also.
I’ve never heard that about black pepper- but be sure to experiment with yourself and see how you personally do! Cayenne pepper is good for breaking up mucus in the body.
xx Kimberly
Hey Kimberly – I am an avid reader of your blog and love your recipes! I would really like to make your flax crackers and your video of the process will be very helpful. However, I have no idea what amounts of the ingredients you discuss would be appropriate. Do you have a list of ingredients with amounts included that you could share with those of us who would like to make your version of these crackers?
P.S. I ditto Jenny above – You are beautiful and inspiring. I would also add- wise beyond your years! Thanks for sharing your wisdom – Kathy
Hi Kathy!
Next time I make them I will write down the amounts! I didn’t post the recipe because you must have a dehydrator, and I don’t think too many people do. I am starting to be better about writing down recipes, because usually I just add some of this and then some of that. 🙂
I hope to make some crackers when I get back to NY in 2 weeks. So please remind me for the recipe in a few weeks!!
I promise to try to have it for you by then. 🙂
Thanks for your kind words, I really appreciate it.
Please keep in touch and visit me again!
xx Kimberly
Hey Kimberly – I will look forward to the flax cracker recipe and appreciate your finding the time to respond.
Thanks for your obvious desire to help and inform! Kathy
Kimberly, this “homemade” mint tea idea is so simple and yet it’s one that I’ve never thought of! I’m sipping the tea as I write this and knowing what’s in it makes it taste even better. Thanks for the suggestion!
I’Ve been a vegetarian now for 5 months, only eating fish, fruit and veggies, herbal tea, and have lost 35 lbs. I love the fresh mint tea! Thanks for your tips. I thought I was a little crazy traveling with my food, but it is so essential in eating healthy and not grabbing the wrong food. lemons, nuts, honey stay in my bag.
Hi Zina,
That’s great! Its more important that you feel your best rather than worry about being crazy about carrying food. 🙂 That’s what counts in the end!
xx Kimberly
I would love to try this tea recipe…does it taste more mellow than purchased mint teas? Sometimes I think they can be a bit too minty–and it tastes like you’re brushing your teeth or drinking your mouthwash…lol.
HI Euthie- You can make it more mild by adding less mint leaves, if you like it mild. 🙂
Just returned from the Middle East where I had great mint leaves in hot water. Loved it so much that I bought here in a large farmers market store, famous for their fresh produce, rather than use tea bags for my nightly cups. The mint is different here than in Israel and Egypt. The leaves there are flat but here they are smaller and hve grooves. My son grew frsh mint and I noticed the same leaf markets as I just described. Honesty the mint in Israel taster better, different. Why gthe difference in taste and appearance??
Hi Sandy- Well unfortunately it probably comes down to soil quality. Our soil is pretty over milled of minerals, so food simply doesn’t taste as good as other parts of the world.
If you can get local organic mint, it would probably taste better! I grew my own this summer and it was really easy to grow..and tasty!
Hey Kimberly! How is black tea in terms of acidity/alkalinity? I drink mine with almond milk, but I wonder if I’m undoing all the goodness I’ve done by eating greens all day long when I have a cup of tea.
Thank you so much for your blog. You are an inspiration and a true beauty.
-claire
Hi Claire, black tea is definitely acidic. If the rest of your diet is okay, then some black tea isn’t the end of the world. 🙂 But you can also try switching to herbal roobios, which tastes rich and full-bodied like black tea, without being so acidic.
xx Kimberly
When I did a search for mint tea I found your blog. The other sites made it look so hard, you made it simple. I have fresh mint growing in my rose bed I planted them there to try to keep the ants, bugs away from my roses but I really didnt know what to do with the mint.
Thanks again I really want to try this now.
Samantha
Great! Coming into summer I grow mint in my backyard as well. There is nothing more satisfying to me to be able to eat or make tea out of what I grow!!
I think you will love it. Instead of agave you can use liquid stevia. 🙂
Hi Kimberly, I am a 46 yr. old mother of a very active 5 yr. old little boy as well as a wife. As you can imagine my time is limited to focuse on myself and losing the weight I am aiming for. I have lost 14 lbs. since starting my day with the GGS. I am now at a plato with my weight and I read your blog and try your different recipes but what is difficult is that I am trying to follow your plant based foods diet but my husband is not a big fan of greens so I have to cook for him as well as my son which is very time consuming. Any suggestions you may have on time management as well as getting past this plato I have reached would be greatly appreciated. What can I do to reboost my metabolism? Excercise is difficult for me since I have a spinal cord injury that required surgery and a plate and 4 screws in my neck. PLEASE HELP!!!! I really want to get back to the weight I was pre-pregnancy, (130 lbs). I have never had a weight issue in my life and it is soooooo frustrating to be so heavy when you are not use to it.
Thanks, Cindy
Hi Kimberly,
Any idea why herbal tea makes me bloated?