It’s always a good time for a cup of tea.
Whether you’re healthy and well, or exeperiencing illness; whether you’re throwing a tea party, or meeting up with a bestie to get down to the deepest matters of your heart; whether it’s to pass the time staring at the sky, or to give you a boost to finish a project, it’s always a good time for a cup of tea.
Though I’ll be honest: I’ve been having a hard time finding my mojo with this letter, and so, I’m having a cup of coffee to get my brain kicking into higher gear. Let’s see if it helps….
Part of my struggle is due to this current Mercury retrograde in Pisces. It’s making my brain feel like it’s enveloped in a nebulous cloud of confusion and indecision. A familiar state for me, more from my younger years. These days, thanks to balanced out hormones, I feel fairly grounded in myself, my intentions, and my desires. But that doesn’t mean I understand how to express them to you, or why you’d necessarily want to read them anyway.
With the state of the world as it is, I vacillate between a bellowing scream in my head crying out “WHAT CAN I DOOOOO?!?!?!” and a determination to try and place kindness and connectivity front and center in my interactions, participating in my community, and looking for ways to participate outside of my intimate circle.
So, telling you about making cups of tea? Is this appropriate and vital information? Is it worth asking you to take some time to read this? I can’t answer that for you. But I do love tea, and the herbs we make it from offer so much nourishment and support, it seems like a helpful topic.
It’s not going to change the world, but in a small way, sharing a cup of tea with a friend provides a soft ripple in the waves of humanity. And I think we need all the softness we can create right now.
When we’re faced with all the stressors and pressures of this speeding up world, when we need to be reminded of what is real, and what matters (kindness and connectivity, community, the moon, the graceful fog over the river, a good night’s sleep, a night out dancing, the purr of this warm, old cat on my lap), just sitting with an infusion made from something as simple as a sprig of rosemary can be a balm to the soul.
“Choosing to take your herbs in the form of tea is one of the simplest forms of herbal medicine available. You can just grab a tea bag and steep it in hot water. If you go that route, I recommend choosing Traditional Medicinals. The quality is tops, and the brand was started by Herbal Fairy Godmother, Rosemary Gladstar (also founder of our local gems: California School of Herbal Studies and Rosemary’s Garden).
But using loose-leaf tea will produce a superior cup. You can grow, harvest, and dry your own herbs, or purchase them dried from a store like Oliver’s which has a robust bulk herb and spice rack—so fun to visit. This way, with a little research, you can create your own blends to suit your various tea-drinking desires.
Herbs combined with water are called infusions or decoctions. These are suitable forms of preparation for all ages, and can be woven into daily life long-term for tonic support, or for a period of time to help with acute and chronic conditions.
As opposed to taking tablets or tinctures, a cup of tea also offers the healing medicine of slowing down. This in itself is a much-needed medicine.
In a nutshell:
Infuse (or steep) fresh or dried herbs of the leaf and flower variety in hot water in a covered vessel, straining after 5-10 minutes, and enjoy.
Decoct (or simmer) roots, barks, and seeds to extract the constituents from these harder parts of the herbs for 15-20 minutes, strain, and enjoy.
You can also do longer cold infusions as some aspects like mucilage are best drawn out with cold water rather than hot. We do this with herbs like marshmallow root and cleavers. Simply gather your herbs, chop if needed, filling a jar 1/2-3/4 full, and cover with cold water. Close up the jar and place it in the fridge overnight. Strain the next morning and drink.
Cleavers, fennel, plantain, lemon balm, and calendula blossoms make a LOVELY fresh leaf tea, and all are starting to show their springy selves now.
It’s important to cover your pot or cup while the tea steeps. You want to catch all those aromatic, volatile oils that you’d lose if the steam is allowed to escape. The longer you steep, infuse, or decoct, the more bitter your tea will become. Sometimes this is what you’re going for, as the bitter principle offers much in the way of digestive and liver support. If you are making tea for medicinal purposes, a general guideline is to infuse or decoct for 30-60 minutes, or cold infuse overnight, rewarming the tea before drinking.
Sun and moon teas are a fun way to infuse for a few hours to overnight, inviting in the extra zhuzh of these celestial bodies.
In general, you’ll want to use one ounce of herb for 30 ounces of water. Another method is six-eight tablespoons per quart of water if you don’t want to bust out your scale. Of course, when using fresh herbs, you’ll want to use more herb as it is less concentrated than when dried.
As you experiment, you’ll find out the ratio that works for you. Make your tea taste good to you. If you have a therapeutic purpose with your tea, you’ll want to make sure you’re using enough of the herbs to provide the aid.
Missing the farmers market? We’re doing a market pop-up on March 21st in the new space! Visit the Community Pavilion at 3 North Street from 8:30-12:00.
The full season begins April 11th and runs all the way through December 19th. I’m looking forward to another fun market season. See you there!
