Learn to Make Your Own Tea
As a new year begins, many of us make resolutions. Whether your motto for the year is to learn to play the piano or lose a few pounds, the common thread is often making yourself a healthier person. If your goal this year is to make more, then you’re in the right place. This month we are dedicating each day to learning a new skill with our #31DaysofDIY tradition. From weaving to wood burning to gold leafing, you’re sure to find a skill you want to improve. For today’s DIY we’re showing you how to make your own tea. A tea-torial, if you will. Not only will this project get you into the making spirit, but it will also provide you with some beneficial drinks to help you achieve your health goals and tea-tillate your taste buds.
No idea what #31DaysofDIY is? It’s a brand new tradition here at Brit + Co that’s all about kicking off 2015 right. We’ve challenged ourselves to make or learn something new every single day for the month of January, and we’re inviting all of you along for the ride. From DIY basics like Sewing 101 to learning to design and laser cut our own stencils, we hope this month of making inspires you to make all year long. Now, let’s get TEA it :)
Materials:
– colorful card stock
– tea bags
– tea ingredients as per each recipe below!
Tools:
– hot glue gun
– scissors
– shape hole punch
Making tea is easy as pie. Do a quick internet search to find a local shop that sells bulk herbs. If you can’t find one in your town, go to the grocery store and get single-flavor teas. Cut open the bags and you’ll have ingredients to use. You can also buy herbs from the market, pull flowers from your garden, or dry fruit rinds. There are so many options! We’ve created four flavor combinations to share. Feel free to try these or come up with your own concoctions.
Licorice root has a plethora of benefits. From reducing stress to helping with a sore throat, this bark is well worth a taste. And the best part — it’s sweet so it will quench your sugar cravings if you tend to add a spoonful to your tea. For those of you who don’t like licorice, fear not. The flavor of this root is far from the intense and unique taste of black licorice.
Licorice Root + Peppermint Tea
Add about a tablespoon of licorice root to your empty tea bag. Fill the rest of the bag with peppermint and then pull the string to seal the bag.
Green tea is full of antioxidants and rich with other health benefits including reducing the risk of cancer and keeping cholesterol levels at bay. Add that to some lemon, peppermint and ginger and you’ve got yourself a healthful tea with a kick.
Lemon Verbena + Peppermint + Ginger + Green Tea
Fill the bottom quarter of your tea bag with green tea, the second quarter with peppermint, the third with ginger and then add some crushed lemon verbena leaves to the top.
Rose Buds + Lavender + Licorice Root + White Tea
This one is for all you floral lovers. Though some might smell this tea and want to hit the spa, those who enjoy a botanical tea with a hint of sweetness will be sipping on this and daydreaming about lounging in a rose garden.
Add a pinch of white tea to your tea bag. Then place 2-3 pieces of licorice root for that delicious hint of sweetness. Add 3-5 rose buds depending on how small they are and then fill the rest of the bag with lavender.
Parsley + Lemon Verbena
Parsley tea?! Yep. Don’t run away just yet. We know it sounds strange, but parsley tea is actually very good for you. Among other benefits, parsley is known to help with digestion and cardiovascular ailments. Let’s talk about flavor. Know that when you take a sip of this tea, you might think you’re drinking broth. If you keep that in mind, you might just find that you dig this leafy green drink.
Fill the tea bag with parsley leaves and top it off with approximately one tablespoon of lemon verbena leaves.
Of course we had to make our own tags for these little tea bags.
Using your shape hole punch, cut out a bunch of paper. You’ll need two shapes for each bag of tea. Place two of them together, and then cut a small slit in the center. This part will sit on the edge of your mug.
Add a drop of hot glue to the top and adhere the string from your tea bag. Cover the rest of the tag with hot glue and press the other side down firmly.
We think these would be a tea-rrific gift.
Grab your favorite book and snuggle up on the couch with a delicious cup of tea.
