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Fresh Mint Tea

May 8, 2012 by 23 Comments

Fresh mint tea is one of the ways I know that yes, spring is here for sure.  Because out of all my brave herbs out there in my kitchen barrel gardens, the mint is always the first one to leaf out, and just like that, winter is gone and summer is just around the corner.  And one the best ways to celebrate (especially on those spring days when there is still a little chill in the air) is a warm, sweet-smelling cup of the easiest tea in the world to make.
 

Now I have to admit, before I figured out the whole fresh mint tea thing, my usual road to mint tea involved one of these.

Or if I was feeling especially energetic, I would find my tea strainer and dig that bag of dried peppermint tea out of the back of the cupboard.

But honestly?  There’s nothing like tea made with a handful of fresh mint.  And almost overnight my fresh mint went from a few brave looking tiny leaves to a whole barrel of this.

Mint is one of those things that the more you pick it, the more it seems to grow, so I dove right in.  Here’s all you do: Take about 4 or five good-sized stalks of mint.  (Stalk might not be the technical term, but you know what I mean.)  Now go find that teapot that I know you have somewhere.  I have one that fits about 4 cups of hot water which is just about perfect.  Fill it up with hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to warm the pot up (this is going to keep your tea warm for longer, which is a wonderful thing).

Now put a kettle of water on and wait until it is boiling merrily away.  Pour the hot water out of your nice warm teapot.  Now take those mint stalks and roll them between your palms a few times.  This is going to release the mint oil in the leaves, and is also going to make your hands smell like summertime.  Pop the mint, stems and all, into your warm teapot, pour the boiling water over them until your teapot is full, and put the top on.

Now comes the hard part…you have to wait for FIVE full minutes to give your mint time to steep.  Five minutes.  Go fold one load of laundry and come back – I know you have one.  By this time you have a pot of delicately light green, gently, deliciously mint-flavored tea.   Take a deep sniff of it before you take that first sip…ahhhhhhh.   I like mine with just a teeny bit of sugar in it, but just plain mint is perfectly wonderful too.

One last little note: if you are lucky enough to have a tea cozy to put over your teapot, this is the time to bring it out.  A good friend of mine made me one (made me one!!) and when I put it on my pot of fresh mint tea, I feel like everything is right with the world.

And with that, it’s tea-time!

Print
Fresh Mint Tea

Yield: 4 cups of tea

Fresh Mint Tea

Ingredients

4-5 stalks of fresh mint, with stems
4 cups boiling water
Sugar or honey, if desired

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
2. While water is boiling, fill a 4-6 cup teapot to the brim with hot water from the tap, and let it sit until the tea water boils.
3. When the tea water is boiling, empty the now-warm teapot. Roll the mint between your palms until it is slightly crushed. Place in teapot.
4. Pour boiling water over the crushed mint, cover the teapot, and let it steep for 5 minutes.
5. Pour into your favorite teacup, inhale deeply, and enjoy!

Still Hungry?

Lemonade Mint Tea, from Framed Cooks

Minted Fresh Peas, from Leite’s Culinaria

Chocolate Mint Cookies, from Framed Cooks

Filed Under: Breakfast and Brunch Tagged With: ,

Comments

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  1. Kara says:
    May 8, 2012 at 11:34 am

    Ha! Go fold a load of laundry, you crack me up! Your pictures make me want to forget that laundry and go weed a flower bed. It’s just warm enough to starting gardening here so I have the itch!

    I also want some of this tea to sooth my alergies, thanks for posting!!

    Reply
  2. ruthie says:
    May 9, 2012 at 1:06 am

    Mint is the most amazing stuff. It’s good you keep it in barrels so it doesn’t take over everything, but it’s wonderful how long one plant can keep going. I’m still finding volunteers of my lemon mint here in the country from plants that started in an herb garden oh, maybe 20 years ago, then got ignored when I moved away. And that really does make me realize that spring is here.

    Hmmm. Lemon mint tea. Once again, you have the right idea at the right time.

    Reply
    • Kate says:
      May 10, 2012 at 7:40 pm

      Yes, it’s definitely hardy stuff…this batch made it through the entire winter because it was so mild. My sage and parsley did too. What troupers!

      Reply
  3. Cupcake and Talk says:
    May 9, 2012 at 5:10 pm

    I like your post. The tea cozy is just tooo cute.

    Reply
  4. Trinity says:
    May 16, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    I got so excited about this idea that I impatiently went out and bought some sprigs of fresh mint in a small packet at the local HEB for over $2 (never mind that I actually have loose peppermint tea stashed away in a corner of the pantry). My Mom saw and was horrified, scolding me about spending that much money over something we can get somewhere else for 50 cents for double the amount. Then I walked to the very back of our yard and guess what, fresh mint growing all over. Where’s a time machine when you need one? lol

    I still very much enjoyed the fresh mint tea I made (my Mom got a cup!), and I’m now drying the mint from my backyard for making infused honey. Super mint power!

    Reply
    • Kate says:
      May 16, 2012 at 9:13 pm

      I love this story! And now you know that you can make fresh mint tea all summer long by just stepping into the back yard. :) Meantime, infused honey? Heaven!

      Reply
  5. Anne says:
    May 21, 2012 at 9:59 am

    Oh how I wish I had some fresh mint in the house. This sounds really good right now.

    Reply
    • Kate says:
      May 22, 2012 at 7:50 am

      It is! And if you go get even a small pot of it at your local farmer’s market it will be there for you all summer long – mint is very hardy! :)

      Reply
  6. Island Girl says:
    May 22, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    I love your post but aside from that, I ADORE your tea set. Please, please tell me more about it? :)

    Reply
    • Kate says:
      May 22, 2012 at 9:09 pm

      I’d love to! The china is called Portmeirion, and the pattern is Botanic Garden. It’s the pattern I have for all my china, and I also have collected their pretty serving dishes, casseroles…even candlesticks! And obviously teapots – I have that small one and a big one (I’m a big tea drinker!) Here’s a link (I hope) to the main UK website, but I’ve found it in various places here in the US too. :) http://www.portmeirion.co.uk/template-99.php?page=2&current_section=29

      Reply
      • Island Girl says:
        May 22, 2012 at 9:43 pm

        Oh wow! I found some online at Amazon, Replacements and Ebay. What a beautiful collection! I might have to start collecting…

        Reply
        • Kate says:
          May 23, 2012 at 7:19 pm

          Hurray! You’ll love them – not only are they pretty, but they can go in the oven and the microwave, and they are very sturdy.

          Reply
  7. Jane says:
    July 26, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    Love this! Your photography has me melting, like sinking into a warm bubble bath. I had to laugh when you said to fold laundry – that you know I have one. I’m sitting here drinking in your beautiful write-up while waiting for my first effort of fresh mint tea to steep, and sure enough – there’s a basket of laundry behind me that I’ve been procrastinating. Ha!

    Bon appétit!

    Reply
    • Kate says:
      July 27, 2012 at 9:02 pm

      Thanks for your sweet words about my pictures! :) And I’m right there with you on the laundry…it always seems to be there, doesn’t it? :)

      Reply
  8. Bat Ma'am says:
    August 7, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    I Googled ‘make tea with fresh mint leaves’ and this was one of the top results. I have a few mint plants growing in my yard, my rabbit likes to eat it, my sons chew the leaves like gum, but all that barely does any damage! I wanted to try a tea but I didn’t know how, so here I am! So glad to find out its super easy, I’m gonna brew up a pot right now!

    Reply
  9. hassanhay says:
    December 9, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    I like mint i even plant it in my house what can it stil do in the body.

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    June 19, 2012 at 10:00 am

    [...] Fresh Mint Tea from Framed Cooks [...]

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  2. Fresh Mint Tea | Nantucket Epicure says:
    July 1, 2012 at 11:45 am

    [...] blogger Kate Morgan Jackson loves mint tea also, and has written a charming piece about it, which includes much more specific directions for making it than I’ve given you above.  I [...]

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