Detoxifying Mint Tea Recipe
A homemade blend of detoxifying mint tea - green tasting from mint and coriander, and fennel-sweet. It has layered peppery-ness from black peppercorn and freshly muddled ginger. I've been brewing this quite a bit lately, and took it in a thermos on our drive to Big Sur.
Blending your own herbal tea is a revelation. Once you start, it's hard to go back to tea bags. This way, you're able to shape your blends to be as simple or complex as you like. You control the flavor profile and ingredients entirely, it's great. I liken it to making your own soup versus buying canned soup, and tend to bounce around from one blend to another. For a stretch it was this turmeric tea, lately it has been this detox-y ginger mint blend. The tea is green-tasting from mint and coriander, and fennel-sweet. The layered peppery-ness comes from black peppercorns and freshly muddled ginger, and with all sorts of beneficial goodness in it - lemon, cumin, the fresh ginger - it just feels good going down. You can pre-blend the dry ingredients and keep the in a small jar on the counter, making it easy to brew a cup. This pot made the drive to Big Sur with me. I poured it in a thermos, slipped it in my weekend bag, and sipped my way down the coast where we did some Christmas hiking (and surprise whale watching!).
I leave a little note on the jar, so I know at a glance how much of the dry mixture to use. It also makes it easy if I want to brew a double batch.
We did a beautiful hike the day before Christmas. This one. It's roughly a 9-mile loop that starts as a rambling coastal lullaby. Then up, up, up to an overlook bench where you can stop for a scenic lunch. It's quite a ways up. Then a leisurely descent. If you look at that photo of Wayne up above there is a spec of a tree on the ridge behind him (up and to the right of his binoculars). I think the bench is under that tree. The white trails from the airplanes high above were like daytime shooting stars.
We felt lucky to be able to visit Big Sur last week. There was a terrible fire that I'm sure many of you saw on the news, and we were very sad to come across so many people who've lost their homes and livelihood throughout such a small, tight knit community.
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Detoxifying Mint Tea
You can brew this as weak or strong as you like, really. I also like it chilled. I rarely sweeten tea, but can imagine a bit of honey would be nice if you prefer a sweet tea.
Dry mixture:
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
4 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercornsFresh ingredients:
- 3 ginger slices, 1/4-inch thick
- 16 fresh mint leaves
- 3 thin slices of lemon
Combine the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin, and black peppercorns in a jar, stir well, and set aside.
Bring two cups of water to a simmer. While the water is heating, pound the ginger with the mint to break it up a bit. I use a mortar and pestle, but you can use a wooden spoon or cocktail muddler. When the water is hot, stir in 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture and the ginger-mint mixture. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for another 3 minutes or so. Place the lemon slices in a strainer, and strain the tea through the lemon into a pot or container.
Makes 2 cups of tea, with enough of the dry tea blend for another 3 pots or so.
Prep time: 3 minutes - Cook time: 5 minutes
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Comments
Happy New Year. Thanks for the recipe. I have got all the ingredients but not all the fennel. Will try it with the little I got and see how it tastes. I have also tried the turmeric tea and enjoyed that too. Currently I am on Turmeric tablets to help with joint pain.
Thank you for the recipe, and all your wonderful ideas. My husband and I took your advice and spent our weekend in Big Sur. We truly enjoyed the hike, the views, and the clean refreshing air. Such a special place.
Great recipe, I will try this. Please can you post me the turmeric tea receipe. Thank you.
Great recipe, thank you very much! It should keep me warm during the Toronto winter.
And beautiful pictures too, looks like a nice hike.
So have a happy new year full of adventures!
I am going to try it with some store bought mint tea leaves as fresh mint is hard to get here in the winter.
Sounds like the perfect Christmas hike. I love Big Sur, and need to go back. I have never seen whales there before, though! We did our Christmas hike in the Marin Headlands. I hope you had a wonderful holiday.
I recently ate at an Indian restaurant in Houston that had a lot of interesting spice blend teas. I took a picture of the menu so I could attempt to blend a few of my own at home. This will be the perfect way to start trying to get a hang of figuring out proportions by myself. I have a pot brewing right now 🙂
I made this tea today and added in 4 t. Of Cardamom for its Ayruvedic benefits. The Cardamom added a lovely sweetness to soften the cumin and pepper. Added a T. of honey and the result was fabulous and warming.
I would love to know the best steeper/strainer for this though as mine was a bit messy. Thanks for such a great idea, I cant believe I never thought to make my own tea before!
Gorgeous. This looks like just the thing to start off my new year’s cleanse…after all of the indulgence for the past month! Thanks, Heidi and happy new year to you!
I so badly want to blend my own tea, but I’m worried I’d never go back to instant tea bags again! Would it be a lot of effort to blend tea often? I drink tea literally every day…
Hi! I love your website so much and have your books and adore them! So thank you! I had a quick question for you-I loved making this tea today (wonderful flavors!) do you have any recommendations for books on tea making? A whole book of different tea spices/blends/recipes? I would like to do more tea making but am a beginner who would like to read more on how to do it. Thank you so much for any thoughts! Best, Athena.
Will look forward to trying this next time I have fresh mint on hand, but in the meantime I went ahead and made your turmeric tea to help me through a winter cold. Thanks for sharing it! I love the steeper you have pictured here–is it from Quitokeeto or is it available elsewhere?
HS: I’m just blending up some of that turmeric paste as we speak! I’ll email you offline about the pot 🙂
The tea looks delicious, but I’m a little disappointed by the “detoxifying” title. This tea might help folks lighten up after the heavy food of the holidays, but it’s not going to cleanse anyone’s liver.
Hi Jennifer & happy new year!….many of these ingredients are used in traditional cultures (for ex: Indian Ayurveda, Berber apothecaries, etc) for their anti-inflammatory, liver supporting, and overall beneficial properties…maybe, “wellness tea” could have been an alternate title?
Will be perfect for tomorrow 🙂 Happy New Year!
This is almost the kind of tea a friend taught me years ago as a migraine relief!! It had all of those ingredients but the mint and the fennel. And I pounded the dry ingredients coarsely as well. Drinking the tea as hot and as pungent as one can tolerate aborts a migraine in a jiffy.
This evening I downed a cup of your Turmeric tea to ward off the dread flu. This sounds beautiful too, although my mint is now all frozen in the garden. I might be able to salvage some Sage leaves — hardier stuff. I’ll try it!
hi there heidi, i’ve yet to try cumin in a tea, but it sounds lovely! i’m looking forward to trying it 🙂 i thought i’d drop one of my favorite remedies here for you that my mentor taught me (and hers taught her, and so on):
Garlic-Ginger-Cayenne-Lemonade
lazy-mince a clove of garlic and a small knuckle of ginger and put into a mug, squeeze half a lemon over that. add a dash of cayenne for added diaphoretic and catalyst benefits. then, when the kettle whistles, fill the mug and cover for twenty minutes. to date, this is my go-to cold remedy. and i find it oddly delicious. i hope you do too! all the best, libby
HS: Thanks for this Libby! Sounds just my speed, and with a bit of salt, I bet would make an invigorating broth 🙂 Happy new year!
I am looking forward to trying out this recipe. I use a lot of cumin, fennel and coriander seeds in Indian cooking, but haven’t used them as part of a tea mixture yet.
I love blending my own tea too. I loved your turmeric tea, and sipped it religiously while fighting off a recent flu/ chest infection and will definitely be trying this one too.
Happy New Year Heidi!
There’s a drink in Southern India called kashaaya (kaSHAAya). I’ve posted a sample recipe from one of my favorite sites, though each family or cook has their own concoction. You’ll see the recipe is somewhat similar to yours, though milk is often added to kashaya. In other words, your recipe is pretty ayurvedic.
This sounds like an excellent drink for a healthier you. I’ve always enjoyed these recipes, but haven’t been brave enough to try just yet.
Such a great recipe that does the body some good.
It’s so true making your own tea is the best. Sometimes I compartmentalize this skill into ‘remedies’ instead of an everyday treat. Thanks for the reminder.
In love with this recipe Heidi! Mint and ginger are two of my favorite ways to tame my tummy, and fennel and lemon are my top two detox staples. Thanks for the lovely idea!
A very inspiring recipe. I can’t do caffeine so love herbal teas. Love the flavor combinations. Specially coriander in tea is a first. I also love the fact that I have everything in my pantry to make this tea.
A very useful tea at tthis time of the year, after all the rich food. And a good idea to take on a hike too.
Oh wow this recipe has really inspired me! I don’t know why I never thought of brewing my own tea. I’ve got all sorts of ideas I can’t wait to try now. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful writing and beautiful website. Inspiring in a wonderful, peaceful way. Go Heidi!
I have all the ingredients, so will have to try this tea. It sounds delicious!
Wow, sounds like a great get away. Thanks for sharing and perking up my lunch time.
Just to make sure – you’re using ground cumin, not cumin seeds, right?! Preparing the dry ingredients now and have to get some fresh mint! This mixture sounds great!
HS: Hi Christiane! I use whole seeds – will update the recipe to clarify.
Heidi, what a great tea – this is such an ayurvedic blend – these same spices can be put together in a churna/powder form and taken after meals to directly burn up toxins. We call it ‘ama (toxin) buster.’ I would love to invite you to join my Ayurvedic Cleanse course for free – email me if you’re interested – or interested to learn more. As always LOVE the recipes and your beautiful blog.
The combination of flavours in this tea sounds fantastic. Question though – could I use dried mint? Our plant hasn’t resisted this weather.
Also, stunning pictures. And sun! In December! Hard for my brain to process.
Hi, Happy Holidays and thanks for sharing !
In the recipe you just say cumin, do you mean cumin seeds or ground cumin? I hate to assume. 🙂
This sounds wonderful! Did you use cumin seeds or ground cumin? I wasn’t certain. Thanks!
I will have to try the homemade mint tea! I love mint tea. As to Big Sur…I was there in October. I lived in the area a lifetime ago and miss it so much. It is always a treat to look at the beautiful scenery!
Your tumeric tea helped me through the post-Thanksgiving flu. Here’s hoping this will help me tackle the post-Christmas head cold. Cheers.
HS: Fingers crossed Jamie! Get well soon.
This sounds great! I regularly brew a simple lemon-ginger tea with half a lemon’s juice and some fresh ginger slices.
Those photos are beautiful! But that view is breathtaking!
I’ve always wanted to brew my own tea. Actually, I’ve always wanted to try a lot of your recipes. I think I’ll begin with this!
xo
Eesh | The Other Side of Paradise
I would never have thought to put either coriander seeds or peppercorns in mint tea – but I bet that it gives it a real kick. Do they overpower the mint?
HS: Hi Skye – you can taste the peppercorns (and the coriander), but the fresh ginger comes through stronger…I think it’s nice! xo
Love making my own tea blends too..never tried straining it through a slice of lemon, great idea! Sounds like a bright, warming blend, perfect for this time of year.
I’ve been brewing my own tea, too, with spices at home! I’m intrigued by the use of coriander and cumin here… I’ll give that a go sometime.
I definitely need to make that tea! Thanks for recipe!
Fantastic pics!
Blending tea is something I always want to do but never take the time to, so I’m thinking 2014 is going to see me change habits on that.
Your pictures I could gaze at all day, as usual…
Have a great New Year!
Fantastic hike!
I have never tried to blend my own tea so this would absolutely try!
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