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Every person on our planet probably has tea in their daily drinks diet. Anyone who doesn’t like its taste means that they haven’t tried the real version of this drink. How to make delicious tea at home? For example, the Chinese, the longest-livers of our planet, a nation of healthy people, have been consuming this delicious drink for quite some time. And even more, for them, what we affectionately call tea is the basis of the ceremony for preparing an invigorating, hot non-alcoholic drink. There are many varieties of it, and the most popular of them are black, green and hibiscus - tea made from the petals of a special tea rose. In many countries, tea bags are used. Yes, of course, it is convenient, but not as tasty as real tea nectar.

Tea bags - do not buy!

Would you like to enjoy the true taste of tea at home? Don’t rush to run to the store and buy a drink from China, now popular in economy-loving countries, the brew of which is packaged in sachets. And thrifty citizens manage to use one bag several times. With this method of use, not only the taste is lost, but also all the beneficial properties of the drink. In general, if you want to try real tea at home, as it is on the island of Ceylon, read the article below.

Pros and cons of black tea

The simplest and most accessible drink is an aperitif made from a variety of black swill. Its price is low and therefore almost everyone is able to purchase it. But, despite the fact that it is one of the most popular drinks, many do not even suspect what harm it can cause to the human body when drinking black teas.

First of all, it is worth noting that an aperitif made from black tea leaves, prepared at home, improves immunity and serves as an excellent sedative of natural origin. It is also worth noting that black tea is an excellent remedy for headaches.

Black tea leaves also contain caffeine, which is more beneficial for health than coffee drinks. Substances contained in tea, oxidants, essential oils, many vitamins and minerals increase human tone.

It should be noted that delicious tea with sugar is easy to prepare, and it gives strength to a person, giving him the ability to work longer and more efficiently. It is believed that drinking five cups of tea a day reduces your risk of stroke by seventy percent. Black tea also quenches thirst during the hot season.

First of all, people who cannot tolerate caffeine-containing products, as well as those who are pregnant, should forget about black tea.

How to prepare and make a healthy drink tastier?

One of the most popular drink options is undoubtedly black tea with lemon or milk. It is these products that give the drink its unique taste. Chilled nectar from China with lemon is used at home as a tonic drink that quenches thirst.

Green tea: what are its pros and cons?

Making green tea at home, like black tea, is not difficult. Green tea, like black tea, should not be bought in bags; in them, its beneficial properties are lost, and the true taste, without treatments and additives, is not the same as real green tea brewed directly using tea leaves. Although tea in bags is easier to prepare, it still does not have the same taste and benefits as tea leaves.

As everyone knows, a woman, when expecting a baby, at the stage of her own pregnancy, is very careful in choosing her grocery basket. This is done so as not to harm or make things worse for the baby sitting in the womb. First of all, it is worth determining the usefulness of green tea prepared according to all the rules. First of all, this is a delicious drink. Secondly, green tea has a tonic property; the drink has an excellent effect on the bone skeleton of a person who regularly takes black tea in their diet. It should be mentioned that due to its properties and micronutrients, green tea can reduce blood sugar and enhance mental activity. With all these advantages and beneficial properties, you should still understand the question: can pregnant women use this aperitif, prepared at home, in their diet?

Scientists have proven that green tea has the ability to reduce the production of folic acid by the human body. This is the first stone in the garden of delicious green tea prepared at home. It is acid that every woman needs during pregnancy, which affects the formation of the nervous system of the pregnant woman’s unborn child.

But it is still recommended to take one cup at a time, and this one cup of a delicious drink prepared at home should be in the daily diet. Green tea contains many beneficial substances necessary to maintain body tone for the expectant mother.

It is also worth noting that Chinese green grass is excellent. You should take tea from it five times a day, at least. Moreover, it is better to drink it chilled and without sugar or substitutes. It is important to note that green tea can be used on fasting days. One cup of tea, as previously noted, contains useful substances that tonic the human body.

One of the recipes for green tea that you can prepare yourself, specifically for a fasting day, is this recipe: add a liter of milk to a liter of brewed green, tasty tea and drink it all during the day.

Tea in China is considered the drink of the gods. Many tea ceremonies are held. The price of some tea leaves reaches several thousand dollars, because this tea leaves are very rare. White tea is considered one of the rarest varieties. Red tea also deserves a special mention. This drink is brewed from rose petals. It has a delicate taste and a calming effect, while also having a tonic effect.

What are the benefits of red tea or hibiscus?

Red tea or hibiscus is obtained from the dried leaves of the Sudanese rose, called hibiscus. This tea is very common in Arab countries, where it is called a panacea for all ailments. First of all, this tea should not be consumed in the diet by people suffering from gastritis or other types of stomach acidity. Also, red tea is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure, because hibiscus tea tends to lower it.

The benefits of kombucha drink

Kombucha deserves a special mention. Quite rare, but still widespread in Russia, the plant, when specially brewed and infused, produces an excellent drink, and is one of the most popular in the world.

The so-called Japanese mushroom was brought to the country by Russian soldiers after the Russo-Japanese War. The tea drink obtained when properly seasoned with the ferment of this type of mushroom serves as an excellent remedy for sore throats and for maintaining the functioning of the liver. Among the people, the mushroom, with which you can drink a tasty and rather unusual drink, is called nothing more than a jellyfish, because of its appearance, which is more reminiscent of this living creature.

Making a delicious drink from tea leaves is quite simple. And most importantly, the result is tasty and healthy. The Hibiscus variety made from rose petals has tasty and healthy properties. It also makes great kombucha.

Drink green or black tea, do not forget about its beneficial properties and at the same time about its disadvantages. Be happy, and most importantly, be healthy!

In the 17th century, a new era began in Russia, associated not only with the name of Peter I, but also with the appearance of a drink made from tea leaves in Russian culture.

The Chinese plant is so beloved that it is now simply unthinkable to imagine life without it.

However, tea traditions are not limited to brewing black or green varieties of the drink.

Tea at home can be brewed according to special recipes or prepared from traditional herbs.

It will turn out no less tasty and healthy.

Tea at home: black or green?

There is no arguing about tastes, so there is no point in discussing which is better: black or green tea. Moreover, in fact we are talking about the same plant, the leaves of which have undergone varying degrees of fermentation. The same applies to exotic white, red, yellow varieties.

The degree of fermentation determines the taste and color of the tea. Non-fermented or slightly fermented teas convey their natural taste and aroma in a cup in an almost unchanged form. These are green, yellow, white varieties in which fermentation is stopped by roasting the leaves. The color of the drink is quite pale. Black (as well as red) varieties of tea give a thick, rich color and aroma.

When brewing tea at home, you should follow the general rule: Pre-dip the dishes with boiling water, that is, warm the walls of the teapot well. This is necessary so that the tea leaves release all their aroma. Now the most important thing is to prevent the leaves from rotting and at the same time ensure sufficient temperature conditions.

The classic proportion of dry tea and water is a teaspoon per mug and another additional spoon for the entire teapot. When brewing quickly and not quite correctly, tea is simply poured with boiling water and left to steep for six to seven minutes.

There is another a more correct way:

Pour the measured amount of tea with boiling water halfway, cover with a lid, and cover the spout of the teapot with a woven napkin. This is necessary in order to preserve the benefits and aroma of essential oils;

After three minutes, add boiling water, leaving at least a centimeter between the surface of the water and the lid;

Infuse the drink: green tea – eight minutes, black tea – five to six minutes.

In Russia, it is customary to prepare tea leaves - a thick tea infusion, which is subsequently diluted with water. This is convenient because it is fast, simple and plentiful: you can give a drink to a large number of people. But in eastern countries and England, tea infusion is not diluted with water.

Black tea leaves should not be brewed more than once. The maximum that can be done is to “marry” the drink if it has just been prepared and the guests have drunk everything. The taste and aroma are weaker. But green varieties can easily withstand brewing five or even seven times, each time delighting with a new shade of taste.

You should drink the infusion made from black tea throughout the day. After spending the night in the brewer, the drink will turn from healthy into dangerous (an Eastern proverb compares it to the venom of a snake). And all because of a special substance - guanine, which, as a result of oxidation, turns into toxic guanidine.

If a film has formed on the surface of the tea, if the tea has clearly overstayed (it is especially dangerous to brew it in a thermos and leave it for a long time), or if it has overheated, you should not drink such a drink, as you can be seriously poisoned. Guanidine affects the heart and blood vessels, causes speech impairment, a surge in blood pressure, damages the liver, reduces calcium in the blood, and provokes the development of gout.

Tea at home: preparing herbal infusions yourself

In Rus', herbal teas have always been held in high esteem, which we still drink with pleasure today. You can prepare them yourself using the same technologies as for preparing Chinese tea: drying, rolling, withering, fermentation.

Tea at home is prepared from the leaves of forest or garden plants, and when brewing, you can add berries, fruits and even nuts to it. Simply drying the grass and the grass is not enough (it will turn out tasteless). Ideally, you need to go through the entire technological chain to get a truly healthy and tasty drink.

Leaves of raspberry, strawberry, lingonberry, blueberry, currant, blueberry, as well as linden blossom, heather, fireweed (fireweed), mint, chamomile, etc. are suitable for harvesting. You can only brew plant petals (rose, jasmine). Tea at home can be prepared either entirely from herbal infusions or by adding it to regular black or green tea when brewing.

Processing stages.

1. Spread the raw materials on a dry surface in a thin layer of three to four centimeters and leave in the shade for five to eight hours. This is the wilting stage, which is necessary to prevent the leaves from becoming brittle.

2. Now you need to twist the wilted leaves a little, rubbing them with your palms.

3. At the fermentation stage, the raw materials are poured into any container (a wooden box, a yogurt maker, a turned off oven. The point is to create a moist, warm environment. The layer of leaves should be no thicker than five centimeters. To create a moist environment, you can cover the container with a piece of wet cloth. Time fermentation - approximately ten hours. Ambient temperature - at least 26 degrees. After fermentation, the leaves will become dark.

4. The last stage of the preparation is drying. The prepared raw materials should be placed in the oven at a temperature of approximately 100 degrees and dried for about an hour, constantly checking readiness.

To prepare traditional teas, dried rose hips, viburnum, and frozen berries (strawberries, sea buckthorn, currants, cherries) are used.

The peels of citrus plants are also a wonderful product for making flavored tea at home. They are used not with herbal teas, but with ordinary black or green tea leaves.

Tea at home: popular drink options

The most popular are flavored or specialty drinks. Here are some of the most popular tea options at home.

Mint

Two tablespoons of dried mint, three teaspoons of regular tea leaves, four clove buds and a pinch of cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick). Pour the mixture with half a liter of boiling water, leave for about five minutes, then pour into cups and sweeten with honey if desired.

Mint tea is good both warm and cold. It is wonderfully invigorating in the morning, relaxes in the evening, and improves digestion throughout the day.

Ginger

Grate a piece of fresh ginger root. In a liter of boiling water you need to throw three tablespoons of ginger, boil it for two minutes, then strain, add lemon cut into slices, a pinch of black pepper, two mint leaves, leave for five minutes. Strain, pour into cups, if desired, add a little honey.

Ginger tea perfectly restores digestive processes, cleanses the body, improves complexion, thins the blood and prevents colds.

Chamomile

A tablespoon of chamomile should be poured into half a liter of boiled water and left for fifteen minutes. After straining, add honey and drink warm, because cooled chamomile tea loses all its benefits.

And the benefits are considerable. The drink relieves headaches, normalizes digestion, relieves insomnia, helps control appetite, removes excess fluid from the body, and strengthens the nerves. Chamomile tea is useful for gastritis, liver diseases, diabetes and ulcers.

Apple cinnamon

Cut the apple into slices and place in a teapot along with a tablespoon of black or green tea and a cinnamon stick. Pour two glasses of boiling water, leave for ten minutes and strain.

This drink can stop a cold if you drink it within the first hours after the first symptoms of illness appear.

Sea buckthorn

Thaw a glass of frozen sea buckthorn berries. Pour two cups of boiling water, add two tablespoons of regular tea leaves (black or green), leave for fifteen minutes. Drink warm, sweeten with honey if desired.

Citrus-nutmeg

Brew regular black tea, adding the zest taken from one lemon and the juice squeezed from one grapefruit. Leave for eight minutes, then strain. Add half a spoon of grated nutmeg, sweeten with honey or brown sugar.

The drink has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, increases the body's immune strength, and tones well.

You can mix fruit and herbal teas at your discretion. Linden blossom, calendula, thyme, coltsfoot, lemongrass, dried berries, eucalyptus, bay leaves, dried slices of pineapple, apple, banana, pear, peel of citrus plants - all this plant abundance goes well with green and black varieties of traditional tea .

Tea at home: unusual recipes

So many traditional and unusual recipes for tea at home have been invented that you can drink more and more new versions of the drink almost all year round.

Chinese punch

Tea with added alcohol perfectly warms and lifts your spirits. the main thing is to stop in time.

For half a liter of boiling water, take two tablespoons of black tea, the juice of one lemon and one orange, one tablespoon each of cognac and rum (or two spoons of one alcoholic drink). Brew, insist, strain. Can be sweetened with honey or sugar. When pouring, you can use the Chinese secret: raise the kettle high so that the drink has time to become saturated with oxygen before it enters the cup.

Iced tea (ice tea)

Brew regular black tea. Place one hundred grams of ice cream at the bottom of the glass, pour in the juice of one orange, two tablespoons of lemon juice, pour in a small amount of chilled drinking cream, then top up with cold sweetened tea.

Egg-nutmeg

Brew black or green tea. While it is brewing, beat the egg with a pinch of nutmeg and a spoonful of sugar until a fluffy foam is obtained. Pour tea into the bowl, add the egg-nutmeg mixture, stir. If desired, add a spoonful of rum or cognac.

Mineral

Brew black tea according to the basic recipe, adding a clove bud, a cinnamon stick and a piece of fresh ginger. Separately, brew mint tea. Strain both drinks and combine them. Squeeze two tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour the tea mixture into cups, filling halfway. Pour a spoonful of lemon juice into each serving, add sparkling water (unsalted), and add an ice cube if desired.

Milky (steppe)

This version of tea at home is one of the recipes used by nomadic tribes. For six tablespoons of black tea you will need half a liter of water and two liters of milk. Pour hot milk and boiling water over the tea leaves, simmer the mixture over low heat for ten minutes, leave for another ten to fifteen minutes. Strain, add a little salt and drink.

Herbal

Brew fireweed tea (a spoonful of dried herbs per glass of water). You will need three glasses of the finished drink. Pour it into a saucepan, add a teaspoon of cardamom, three clove buds, and a glass of vodka. Bring the mixture to a boil, then leave for ten minutes. Strain, add honey.

The beauty of tea is that you never get tired of it. Whatever brewing recipe you use, you will get a delicious tonic drink.

As the year draws to a close, it’s time to take stock of the past season and outline plans for the future.

And how good it is, when a blizzard is howling outside the window or the frost is crackling, to do this with a cup of hot aromatic tea, collected and prepared with your own hands!

To make teas, I use leaves of apple, pear, cherry, rowan, currant, raspberry, edible honeysuckle, bird cherry... and even birch and maple. And fireweed herb, mint, bergenia, citrus zest, pieces of fruit and berries, flower petals. There are also small subtleties: for example, leaves from wild apple trees are more fragrant.

Tea production can be divided into several stages: collecting raw materials, drying, fermentation, drying and blending.

The collected leaves and herbs must be clean, but it is not advisable to wash them after collection, because colonies of bacteria live on each leaf and are directly involved in fermentation.

COLLECTION OF RAW MATERIALS FOR HOME TEA

I collect and process different types separately, without mixing them. I remove petioles from the leaves of trees and shrubs. There are some more tricks when choosing the optimal collection time. Thus, it is better to collect fireweed and monarda in the flowering stage - the yield of raw materials is greater and the grass itself is healthier.

But, say, a chokeberry leaf tastes better when it turns red in the fall. There is also this point: I take petals from many flowers, and discard the centers, since they are often bitter or have a strong smell, not always tasty. For example, chamomile petals have no aroma (not everyone likes it), but they greatly decorate the tea mixture. And peony petals are both beautiful and work as an anti-inflammatory and metabolism-normalizing agent.

JERRY

I leave the prepared raw materials indoors in the shade to dry for 6-12 hours. To do this, I lay it out on fabric panels in a layer 3-5 cm thick. How to determine the end time of this stage? It is enough to squeeze a handful of leaves in your hand, and if the dried leaves that break do not crunch, and the lump on your unclenched palm remains crumpled, you are done. This step should not be skipped - it is very important for proper fermentation.

FERMENTATION

It is this that allows you to make the taste of tea rich, the color bright, increasing its healing properties many times over. This process transforms complex, difficult-to-digest substances into simpler ones that are accessible to our body. To do this, I vigorously knead the withered leaves, achieving the release of juice and destruction of the leaf structure. It is convenient to do this in an electric meat grinder with a large grid. Dry, hard leaves of pear, honeysuckle and similar plants should first be frozen for a day: the juice is easier to separate from cells damaged by freezing. I place the crushed or twisted raw materials tightly in containers, on

example from plastic with lids, or in ordinary plastic bags and leave in a room at an air temperature of 22-28° for 6-24 hours (the duration of the stage depends on juiciness and temperature). Let's say, the same fireweed quickly gains temperature on its own and ferments, but honeysuckle has to be kept for almost a day. And it’s hard to twist its leaves in a meat grinder - they are hard and dry. The finished – fermented – product acquires a pleasant, strong aroma, with a hint of overripe fruit and fresh silage.

IMPORTANT. Often the fermented mass self-heats, and here it is important not to over-ferment or over-ferment.

After fermentation, the color of the future tea will become darker. Plants containing large amounts of essential oils should not be fermented. The result can be a very unpredictable aroma, and the one that was inherent initially will most likely be lost.

DRYING

I dry the future brew in the oven. Do you like dark infusion of tea? Then don’t rush to take it out, but lightly fry until lightly smoky. With experience, you will understand which degree of roasting tastes best to you. For example, we really love roasted fireweed tea. No wonder it was so valued in Rus', and even in Europe, calling it Koporye tea, they respected it!

BLENDING

The last stage is mixing the finished raw materials. This is real creativity! For example, I love strong, tart Kenyan tea. However, if you add your own herbs to it, it will become simply magical!

I mix 1 glass of Kenyan tea and 1 handful each of pear, apple, monarda, honeysuckle and fireweed leaves, add a pinch of bergenia and flower petals. I store it in a tin can and brew it like regular tea, in a teapot. It’s nice, after giving a guest “terribly delicious tea,” to give him a batch of this - for his health!

1. New Year's seagulls will remind you of summer
2. Pear granular sheet
3. Peony petals
4. Koporye tea
5. Sage tea

Hot fruit and berry teas are an ideal drink for the cold season. Firstly, they warm up quickly. Secondly, they contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, which are so necessary for us in the absence of fresh seasonal fruits and herbs. Thirdly, they are very tasty and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Much faster than a smoothie or freshly squeezed juice. And finally, by adding a couple of spoons of rum or cognac to this tea, you will get a tasty and fragrant cocktail for adults.

Fruit and berry teas are prepared in different ways, depending on what is the basis of the drink. If it is water, then just pour boiling water over the ingredients, stir, cover with a lid and leave to brew for 5-7 minutes. If you are preparing tea based on fruit juice, you will have to heat it. The main thing is to do this over low heat and make sure that the juice does not boil, otherwise it may curdle or simply lose its taste and most of the vitamins. If you add a sweetener, simply heat the juice over low heat until the sugar or honey dissolves.

It is best to brew and serve such bright and beautiful tea in a transparent glass teapot. If the ingredients include berries with grains (for example, sea buckthorn) or you add loose leaf tea, then you can use a French press so that the drink gets into the cup pre-strained. Tea with apple, pear or orange can be brewed in a large mug, from which you can drink it. Pieces of fruit or berries will be an additional bonus - they can be eaten with a spoon.

Sea buckthorn tea with apple


Recipe from Sergei Eroshenko, chef of the Honest Kitchen restaurant

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 40 g fresh or frozen sea buckthorn, 1/4 (30 g) apple, 1/2-1 tsp. honey, 250 ml water.

Instructions. Finely chop the apple. Place sea buckthorn, apple and honey in a container, add water and heat for 15-20 minutes over low heat, without bringing to a boil. Then let it sit for 3-5 minutes.

Green citrus tea


Recipe from Artem Ushakov, head bartender of the Prozhektor restobar

Ingredients (for 1-2 servings): 70 ml orange juice, 70 ml hot green tea, 2 grapefruit slices, 1 tsp. maple syrup (or any other to taste), 1 tbsp. l. lemongrass syrup (or any other citrus syrup), 1 sprig of fresh mint, 3 cardamom seeds, 150 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Heat all ingredients (except grapefruit) in a copper kettle, but do not bring to a boil. Before serving, squeeze and add grapefruit slices to the tea.

Lingonberry tea with cranberries and mint


Recipe from Sergei Chesnokov, bar manager of the Strelka bar

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 70 g lingonberries (fresh or fresh frozen), 30 g cranberries (fresh or fresh frozen), 2 tbsp. l. honey, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, 300 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Rub the berries with honey, add hot water, boil for a couple of minutes, without bringing to a boil. Add mint before serving.

Pomegranate tea


Recipe from Evgeniy Sirbu, bar manager of the restaurant Zafferano

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 100 ml pomegranate juice, 1/4 (30 g) apple, 1.5 tsp. honey, 1 cm lemon zest, 150-200 ml boiling water. Pomegranate seeds and apple slices for decoration.

Instructions. Cut the apple into strips and the lemon zest into thin slices. Heat all ingredients without bringing to a boil. Strain into a glass and garnish with pomegranate seeds and apple slices.

Pear tea with jasmine


Recipe from Oleg Kashin, bar manager of a restaurant chain Il Forno

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 100 g pear, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 lime wedge, 1 pinch of jasmine tea leaves, 200 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Finely chop the pear and mash into puree. Brew jasmine tea and add lime juice, pear puree and cinnamon. Let it brew for 10-15 minutes.

Berry tea


Recipe from Andrey Vakarchuk, head bartender of the Noah's Ark restaurant

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 1-2 strawberries, 2-3 blueberries, 1 blackberry, 2 raspberries, 1-1.5 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. l. any fruit puree, 1 tsp. flower honey, 200 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Place the berries (fresh or defrosted) in a large glass, add fruit puree, sugar and honey, crush the berries with a spoon, pour boiling water over everything, stir, cover and let steep for 3-5 minutes.

Hot tea “Pumpkin head”


Recipe from Ilya Doronin, head bartender of the gastrobar “We’re not going anywhere”

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings): 300 g pumpkin puree, 50 g strawberry puree, 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice, 25 g ginger, 1 grapefruit slice, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 pinch ground red pepper, 25 g ginger root, 200 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Grate the ginger on a fine grater, place all the ingredients in a kettle, pour boiling water, cover with a lid, let it brew for a couple of minutes, then pour into cups.

Apple sbiten


Recipe from Alexey Ponedelin, bar manager of the restaurant “Fedya, game!”

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 150 ml apple juice, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 1 clove inflorescence, 1 apple slice.

Instructions. Place all ingredients in a container and place over low heat. Boil for 2-3 minutes, without bringing to a boil. Then pour into a serving container and let sit for 5-7 minutes.

Hot Chili Tea


Recipe from Vlad Mozgovoy, head bartender of a restaurant chain Ribambelle

Ingredients (for 1-2 servings): 2 tsp. black tea, 1/2 apple, cut into pieces, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 pod of hot red pepper, 2-3 mugs of lemon, 2-3 cloves, honey to taste, 400 ml of boiling water.

Instructions. Place all ingredients in a kettle, pour boiling water, cover with a lid, let steep for 5 minutes, then pour into cups.

Fruit tea “Moscow Autumn”


Recipe from George, the restaurant's mixologist Siberia

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 1 pinch of fruit tea leaves, 2 pinches of dry hibiscus tea, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, fruit to taste, 200 ml of hot boiled water.

Instructions. Pour hot but not boiling water over fruit tea and hibiscus and leave for 4 minutes. Pour into a glass, add anise and cinnamon. If desired and to taste, add 1 tbsp. l. chopped fruit. Stir.

Blackcurrant tea with basil


Recipe from Peter Rabchevsky, chef of the burger bar Burger Heroes

Ingredients (for 5 servings): 150 g blackcurrants (thawed), 75 g sugar, 1 large bunch of purple basil, 1/4 lime, 1 liter boiling water.

Instructions. Separate the basil leaves from the sprigs, place in a teapot (leave a little for decoration), add blackcurrants and sugar, mash until the berries release juice. Fill with hot water 75-80°C. Let it brew for 5-7 minutes. Pour the tea into cups, squeeze a lime into each wedge and garnish with basil leaves.

Sea buckthorn tea with ginger


Recipe from Evgeny Gizatulin, head bartender of the Scottish Cell restaurant

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 5 g ginger root, 100 g frozen sea buckthorn, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 1 tbsp. l. passion fruit syrup (or any other syrup to taste), 1 sprig of mint, jam to taste, 180 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Slice the ginger thinly. Place sea buckthorn, ginger, honey, syrup and mint in a French press, pour boiling water over it, leave for 5-7 minutes. Then pour into cups and serve with jam to taste.

Another recipe for detox tea with honey and spices from Oleg Goncharov, bar manager of the Bank cafe - in our social networks.

People have known the healing properties of herbal teas since ancient times. They were used not only to treat ailments, but also as a preventive measure, to increase vitality, and to generally improve health. In addition, unlike chemical medicines, herbal teas are a completely natural product that has a pleasant taste and wonderful aroma.

Herbal teas

Herbal teas, tinctures, decoctions - all these drinks came to us from ancient times. Already in those days, their beneficial properties were widely used by people. Then every housewife was a bit of a witch and knew what herbal teas to drink. All natural gifts were used: roots, herbs, berries.

From time immemorial, herbal infusions have been prepared that relieve fatigue, tone up in the morning, and help to fall asleep at a late hour. Medicinal teas relieved diseases and restored the body’s supply of vitamins and beneficial microelements. The best herbal teas are still used by people today.

Properties of herbal teas

What are the benefits of herbal tea? The recipes (you can easily brew any tea at home) are varied not only in their content, but also in their purpose. In addition to herbs, the collection may include various healing components: fruits, roots, buds. Sometimes traditional tea is also added to herbal teas. Fees can contain up to ten components.

Herbal teas are usually divided according to their effects into:

  1. Medicinal.
  2. Preventive.
  3. Toning.
  4. Calming.
  5. Vitamin.

Ready-made herbal teas can be purchased at any pharmacy and supermarket. However, you should hardly rely on their quality, because no one can guarantee that they are made from natural and environmentally friendly raw materials. Since in our daily lives we consume many unnatural products that are harmful to the body, to maintain health we need natural herbs with all their beneficial properties.

The best option is to collect all the necessary plants yourself. Harvesting itself is a very interesting and exciting process that will bring you many pleasant moments of unity with nature. You just need to know the rules by which herbs are harvested.

Given the conditions of living in a metropolis and lack of time, not everyone will be able to find time to collect plants. Then we can advise you to purchase all the necessary herbs at the market; as a rule, there are grandmothers selling ready-made plants.

How to brew tea?

We would like to immediately note that only one plant is brewed for medicinal purposes. Then the finished drink will have a targeted effect. And mixed tea will have a whole range of medicinal effects, since it will contain a large number of biologically active substances that are found in different plants. At the same time, our unique organisms independently select the necessary elements from the entire presented complex and send them for processing into metabolic processes.

As a rule, herbal tea includes restorative and immunostimulating components. And most importantly, they do not contain caffeine, so the drinks can be given to children.

Main components of teas

What's in herbal tea? You can come up with a wide variety of recipes at home. However, first you need to understand which components are used in different situations.

So, let's list the most commonly used components:

  1. Flowers of oregano, chamomile, linden, etc.
  2. Raspberry, mint, currant, strawberry leaves.
  3. Herbs: lemon balm, oregano, sage, thyme, valerian, St. John's wort.
  4. The fruits of raspberries, hawthorn, sea buckthorn, currants, blackberries, rowan.

We emphasize once again that these are not all components; in fact, there are a lot of them. It is good to add different spices to the preparations; they add a refined taste and aroma, and also add additional vitamins. For such purposes, you can use cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, and cloves.

Medicinal tea

You need to understand that any medicinal herbal tea (recipes at home can be invented and modified) does not have an immediate effect. After all, this is not a pill, and therefore it takes some time. However, regular use of it will help cope with the problem. Herbal teas for every day (we will provide recipes in the article) will help to establish processes within the body:

  1. To relieve stress, savory and licorice are added to tea.
  2. Wormwood, sage, and licorice root are good for colds.
  3. If you are prone to depression, you should regularly use St. John's wort, ginseng, and rosemary.
  4. If you have stomach pain, add dandelion and dill flowers to your tea.
  5. Tea with valerian, hop cones, chamomile, lemon balm, and verbena helps to cope with sleep disorders.
  6. If you get irritated at the slightest reason, drink tea with valerian and lavender.
  7. To relax and calm down, you should use a drink made from lemon balm, hops, and strawberry herbs.
  8. Motherwort will help with heart problems.
  9. Linden tea (we will discuss beneficial properties and contraindications below) has a wide range of qualities - antiseptic, choleretic, expectorant, diaphoretic, diuretic.
  10. Mint, thyme and sage will help relieve frequent headaches.

You can add grated ginger to any of the listed preparations. It enhances the anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and stimulating effects of tea on the body.

Multivitamin herbal teas for every day

The recipes for such teas are not complicated, but the benefits from them are very great. They can be prepared based on fruits and berries. Herbal and are a storehouse of vitamins. Rose hips contain the most beneficial substances. Rowan berries, blackberries, strawberries, black and red currants, and sea buckthorn are also used to prepare decoctions. Not only healthy, but also delicious herbal teas are obtained by adding aromatic herbs: oregano.

To get a multivitamin drink, all ingredients are added in equal parts. This drink is brewed according to general rules. During the cold season, tea is drunk warm with the addition of honey and ginger. In summer, all decoctions and infusions can be consumed cold with the addition of ice. Such drinks are a good tonic in the heat.

Strawberry tea: strawberry leaves (10 g), St. John's wort (2 g), mint (2 g) are poured into a glass of boiling water. The drink is infused for ten minutes.

Heather heather (2 g), rose hip leaf (2 g), strawberry leaves (10 g) are poured with a glass of boiling water. Leave for five to ten minutes.

Rowan tea: dried rowan fruits (30 g), raspberries (5 g), currant leaves (2 g). Leave for five to ten minutes and use as tea leaves.

Tonic fees

Tonic teas are suitable for daily use; they not only taste pleasant, but also have a positive effect on the body. The collections include juniper, currants, rowan, rose hips, oregano, blueberries, St. John's wort, calamus, mallow, jasmine, valerian, calendula, mountain arnica, fireweed, coltsfoot, blueberries, plantain, drupes and bergenia.

Such preparations should be consumed hot in winter, and chilled in summer. Iced teas with a slice of lemon or zest, raspberry and blackberry leaves quench your thirst well and invigorate. In hot weather, you can add mint to green tea.

How to choose a delicious drink?

It's no secret that any herbal tea is bitter. Therefore, you must independently choose for yourself a collection that suits your taste. As a rule, one plant dominates the collection, and the rest only harmoniously complement it, emphasizing the taste.

The compositions always come out according to the following scheme: spices + aromatic herbs + leaves of a berry plant. The spices usually used are cinnamon, vanilla, anise, cloves, and star anise. All these ingredients harmonize perfectly and open up in a very special way if citrus fruits are added to tea.

What nuances about teas should you know?

How different herbal tea can be! A wide variety of recipes can be used at home. They will help diversify your regular menu, even if we are talking not about food, but about drinks.

At home, you can prepare herbal teas from the following ingredients:

  1. Orange slices, cinnamon, raspberry leaves.
  2. Lemon slices, star anise, mint.
  3. Cloves, lemon balm, sage,
  4. Lemon zest, oregano, thyme.
  5. Strawberry and cherry leaves, vanilla stick.

It is better to store all components for teas in paper bags or fabric bags, but no more than two years. But the roots can last for three years. Over time, herbs lose taste, smell and all useful microelements.

Ground citrus zest should be added to green or black tea in advance (for example, a couple of weeks in advance). In a closed container, the orange peels will give off their aroma to the tea petals. As a result, you will get a fragrant drink without artificial flavors.

I would like to note that you should not use the same collection for a long time. The human body has such a feature as addiction. Herbs in this sense are no exception. Over time, the usual collection may not have the desired effect. Therefore, it is better to alternate tinctures.

Lime tea

The largest amount of useful substances is found in linden flowers. Essential oils and flavonoids are the main medicinal components. Linden blossom destroys bacteria in the human body, reduces fever, and removes phlegm.

For colds and flu, tinctures are used. For convulsions, rheumatism, diseases of the kidneys, gall bladder, stomach and intestines, colds and fever, take two to three glasses a day. The drink is prepared as follows: pour a few tablespoons of linden flowers into a glass of hot water.

Linden tea (useful properties and contraindications are given in the article) has a calming effect on the nervous system and significantly reduces blood viscosity. A drink made from flowers has completely unique properties. It contains a large amount of vitamins and other medicinal components. In addition, this tea tastes very pleasant and has a strong aroma.

Linden drink is used for hypertension, inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines, cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urolithiasis.

As for contraindications to the use of linden blossom, there are not so many of them. But you should still remember that the decoction has medicinal properties. Linden increases the body's defenses and has a diaphoretic effect. Therefore, tea puts stress on the heart. People with heart disease should not indulge in this drink every day.

Herbal tea is brewed similarly to green or black, but there are some nuances. As a rule, add a tablespoon of the mixture to two hundred grams of water. Brew the drink in a teapot, wrapping it in a towel. You can also use a thermos. It will make the tea stronger and richer.

The brewing process itself lasts:

  1. Three minutes if we brew leaves and flowers.
  2. Five minutes for seeds and leaves.
  3. The buds and roots are brewed for ten minutes.

The finished drink should be strained.

Healing recipes

Herbal tea for coughs: pour a teaspoon of mint into a glass of boiling water and infuse for ten minutes. Take up to five times a day.

General strengthening drink: black currant leaves (1 part), raspberry leaves (1 part), oregano herb (1 part), bergenia leaves (3 parts).

Soothing (1 part), mint leaves (1 part), hawthorn (1 part fruits and leaves), lemon balm (1 part).

Raspberry leaves (1 part), strawberry (1 part), nettle and blackberry (one part each), apple peel (1/2 part).

General restorative infusions, multivitamins and soothing infusions can be drunk as regular tea after meals three times a day, or in smaller quantities. For example, calming before bed, and vitamin in the morning.

Drink for neuralgia and back pain: thyme (1 part), black elderberry fruit (1 part), linden blossom (2 parts). Tea is drunk in a long course up to four times a day (3 glasses).

Tea for gastritis and stomach ulcers: bergenia (1 part), mint (2 parts), chamomile (1 part), sage (2 parts), St. John's wort (2 parts), thyme (1 part). You should drink up to three glasses per day.

Are there any contraindications to the use of herbal teas?

People prone to allergic reactions should remember that the drink can cause an allergy attack. Therefore, for the first time using a new mixture, drink very little of it and make sure there are no side effects.

Most often, with an allergy to herbal preparations, dry and irritated skin and a small rash appear. Swelling may appear much less frequently. In general, people with bronchial asthma should treat herbal teas with great care.

At the first manifestations of an allergy, you should stop drinking the herbal drink and take Suprastin or Tavegil.

Medicinal teas should be consumed only after consultation with a doctor or as prescribed by a herbalist. The fact is that any herb, in addition to its beneficial effects, can have a negative effect on the body. Therefore, you should not self-medicate so as not to worsen your health condition.

If you nevertheless choose a mixture for yourself, then before using it, carefully study the indications and contraindications for the use of each individual component.