DIY tea bags and an afternoon pick-me-up tea recipe

Stacy -

Written by contributor Stacy Karen of A Delightful Home.

Brewing a cup of tea, sitting down to sip it calmly, and just breath in and out, is one of the great pleasures of life.

Drinking tea not only centers us, it also provides a simple method for administering herbs in order to experience their many medicinal benefits.

Herbal teas can treat any number of ailments, such as:

  • Indigestion
  • Low milk supply
  • Cold and flu
  • Lack of energy
  • Anemia
  • Water retention
  • Sore throat
  • Stress
  • Circulation
  • PMS
  • and many more!

You just need to find the right herb, pour warm water over it, then steep, strain, and sip.

While tea bags are convenient, buying herbs in bulk or as a loose tea often saves money.

Preparing your own blends is quite easy, too. The Bulk Herb Store has a comprehensive post on preparing your own tea blends.

The internet abounds with recipes, too. If making a customized tea blend is something that appeals to you, try searching the web and you are sure to find a ton of great recipes.

Here’s a great tea blend to try when the afternoon slump sets in:

Afternoon Pick-Me-Up Tea

Ingredients:

2 ounces green tea
2 ounces dried peppermint leaves
2 ounces dried lemon grass leaves

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Since this tea is made up of equal parts, it is easy to make more (or less) if desired. Just keep the amounts equal and you will get the same result.

To use:

Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a tea infuser or make your own tea bags (see below) and place into cup. Pour boiling water over the tea and allow to steep for 3 minutes. Remove the infuser and drink in the goodness.

If you prefer a stronger cup of tea, see my post: How to brew the perfect cup of tea.

The ingredients in this tea come together to create a tonic that stimulates the senses and gives your thyroid a boost.

This recipe was adapted from one found in 20,000 Secrets of Tea by Victoria Zak

How to Make your own tea bags

Now, I did say that bulk (or loose) tea usually saves money, but if you are reading Simple Homemade I assume you also enjoy making things yourself, sometimes for no other reason that just because you can.

That’s the way I felt about making my own tea bags; it may not be a necessity, but it sure is fun!

I’d encourage you to give it a try just for the pure satisfaction of it.

You will need:

Press n’ Brew Tea Bags
Tea of your choice (can be a single herb, such as peppermint, or a blend like the Afternoon Pick-Me-Up tea above)

Fill the tea bags half full.

Tea bags come in a variety of sizes, smaller ones for one cup of tea and larger sizes for brewing a whole pot. I put about 2 teaspoons of tea in my small tea bags.

There is no need to separate the tea bags before filling. Just fill all of them in a row.

Preheat an iron to the cotton setting.

Lay out a clean cloth (suitable for ironing). Place tea bags on cloth and use the pre-heated iron to iron the edge of the tea bags closed. This takes just a few seconds.

Let the tea bags cool and separate or store attached.

Pretty easy, right?

What’s your favorite herbal tea? Have you ever made your own?