What's Wrong with Herbal Tea?

There's nothing wrong with herbal tea, except it isn't made with the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis and technically should not be called tea.

Herbal infusion or tisane (proper term), is used to describe blends of herbs, flowers, fruit, berries, bark, roots or leaves from other plants than the Camilla sinensis. Tisanes do not contain caffeine and should not be confused with scented or flavored infusions which have a blend of tisane and the camellia leaf.

How to Prepare Tisanes

Tisanes are usually made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, berries or bark, generally by pouring boiling water over the blends and letting them steep for a few minutes. The tisane is then strained, sweetened if so desired, and served.

Many companies provide tisanes in convenient bags and pre-mixed loose blends. It is also fun to try
your hand at blending your own herbal infusion.
Consider this for a creative focus at one of your teatime parties.

Common Varieties of Herb Tisanes

Blends are practically limitless, but some favorites are:

• Anise
• Cinnamon
• Chamomile
• Lemon
• Orange
• Ginger Root
• Ginseng
• Yerba Mate
• Mint
• Raspberry
• Rose Hips
• Jasmine
• St. Johns Wort

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