How to make basil tea from fresh leaves? I don't know about you, but when I think of herbal teas basil is one that leaps to mind along with peppermint and licorice. As with most herbal teas, the best way to make them is fresh. So you guessed it, today we are going to be turning this little guy into some tasty tea. Along the way, we will also look at some of the health and wellness benefits. So let's get to it.
We are going to start by harvesting the basil. We are going to remove the leaves off of the stems. I find the best way to do this is by pinching right where the leaf branches off of the main stem. This is easy and effective leaving a nice clean separation between the plant and severed leaf. Once you have a nice pile of leaves, it is time to dice them up into fine pieces. I find that stacking up the leaves helps in this process. I have a favorite way to cut them as you will see but feel free to find what works best for you and your basil leaves. Also when you cut the leaves do so with a light touch, getting as little staining on the board as possible. The more it stains the less flavor will be left in the leaves to extract. Basil is a great herb with some unique health and wellness benefits. Basil has both anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties. Drinking basil tea has been shown to relieve speed recovery of sore throats, respiratory issues, and colds by dealing with the problematic bacteria. This also helps to inhibit the bacteria that produce dental plaque. Basil also is beneficial to the digestive tract by reducing acidity and reinforcing the stomach lining. By slicing the leaves, we are allowing more of the natural compounds to be released into the tea resulting in a more effective and flavorful final beverage. Once the leaves are diced up, there are ready for steeping. I am going to be using this glass teapot without the mesh infuser. I would normally recommend using one if you replicating this at home, but the view is better without it. Also, if you have made it this far into the video, thank you! Don't forget to subscribe and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future tea tips. Because basil won't get bitter, we are going to let this steep for about 10 min. Thanks to the magic of editing we are going to skip ahead. I am just going to use a tea strainer to catch the leaves as I pour the finished cup. The is unique and novel. Flavor-wise it is hard to place with some distinctive herbal notes backed up with complex sweet notes. As you can see by the pale color, it is by no means a bold tea. The taste tends to hit more towards the back of the mouth as opposed to teas like hibiscus that hit right on the tip of the tongue. I really like basil tea. It has a novel, unique flavor that I haven't found in any other tea definitely earning a place on a well-rounded tea shelf. Give it a try for yourself and as always let me know what you think down in the comments below.
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