There’s little better than taking some time out of your day for a cup of tea. For many, it’s a simple ritual that brings calmness and relaxation. But there can be so much more to it…

What is the difference between a tea and an infusion?

It’s really a difference in intention, quantity and time. While herbal teas are convenient, they often lack some of the herbal ‘punch’ that infusions have. Teas are quick and easy and contribute a little to your health, but it is not a lot when you compare it to an infusion, as you will see on the rest of this page.

Teas

We all love a healing draught of fermented Camellia sinensis – thats black tea if you didn’t know. Herbal teas are great for something that has to be enjoyed hot. Peppermint, Chamomile, Rosemary and Lavender all work nicely with a bit of warmth behind them. In fact, nearly any of the Mint Family (Lamiaceae), with their aromatic oils are often best drunk that way.

To make an herbal tea, you just need to put a little of your favourite herb into a cup or teapot – I like 1 tablespoonful per desired cup). This ís a lot stronger than you’d make a nice cuppa but were after the tea’s medicinal benefits. Add hot water and let it all steep for 5 – 10 minutes. Strain and drink with a little honey maybe…

The trick to making good tea is three-fold. First, add your water before it fully comes to the boil. Boiling water removes some of its oxygen and can lead to a ‘flat’ brew. If you want to measure the temperature of the water, 80°C is perfect. Otherwise, take your kettle off of the heat just before it boils.

Make your teas in a pot and strain your tea with a regular tea strainer. If you use one of the clam type (opening shell) infusers, remember that they’re only really good for a cuppa because the water has a tough time extracting the goodness from the centre of the ball of tea inside.

Second, don’t leave it brewing for too long or bitterness can ensue. If you want a super strong tea, consider stepping up to an infusion.

Tea bags

Tea bags are widely used and are very convenient but one must remember that the bags are often filled with the sweepings of the herb – that is the bits that are left over in the big bins that commercial teas are kept in at the factory. This is especially true of regular black tea. Of course, local, artisanal tea makers don’t do that (?). Be careful with your choice of tea bags. Some are sewn together, some steamed and pressed and some are actually glued – yuck, imagine that glue seeping out into your tea. You can buy reusable, muslin tea bags but I find them fiddly and always go for a pot for my tea.

Dispose of your tea bag in the compost or worm farm. If you’re using black tea, there are dozens of useful videos online about what you can do with the finished tea. But what to do with those laminated tags and the staple?

A third tip for making herbal teas is to brew them with the cup covered or the lid left on the teapot. This stops those beautiful aromatic oils and water-soluble minerals from escaping with the steam. I like using Chinese tea cups with both a lid and a section to hold the herbs.

Infusions

Infusions are supercharged teas. They’re made to get as many nutritional and medicinal properties from the herbs as possible. For an infusion, the catch words are ‘more‘ and ‘longer‘.

To make an infusion, I like to add 60 grams of dried or fresh herbs for each litre of water I use. With some herbs or mixes, that can be almost 1/4 of the French Press. That makes things nice and strong. I make mine in a 1-litre French Press (aka coffee plunger) and have found 60 grams to be perfect, though you can get away with 30 g if that’s all you have. Once you’ve made a few, you won’t bother with measuring; you’ll know what suits you best. If you’re brewing an infusion consisting of multiple herbs, try to get the total as close to 60 grams as possible. 60 grams of each herb can be a lot when you are combining three or four herbs.

The ‘longer’ aspect really sets infusions apart from teas. I make my infusions in the evening and leave them to infuse overnight for drinking throughout the next day. If you look at the beautiful green of an overnight Nettle infusion, you will know why overnight infusions are great! The night before running a workshop I brew a beautiful Nettle infusion then in the workshop we make a Nettle tea then sample them to compare the taste and sensation of drinking each.

The time aspect also makes infusing a great technique for some woody herbs such as liquorice root that take extra time to extract their goodness but have easily water-soluble constituents. Usually, you’ll make a decoction to extract their goodness, but an infusion can get you there for some herbs without the fuss.

Infusions really extract the best out of a well-chosen herb. Those with a high mineral content or special nutritional compounds are great when drunk this way, so Oat Grass, Nettles and Alfalfa (we call it Lucerne in farming and gardening circles) are usually made via infusion.

Coffee plungers (aka French Presses) are a great compromise for making teas, but they excel with infusions. If you’re using an aromatic herb, it is helpful to observe that one side of the lid has the strainer, for when you pour out the tea, the other side is solid. You can make the tea or infusion of aromatic herbs with the solid side blocking the spout while your herbs brew. This stops the aromatics from escaping with the steam. Turn the lid around when you are ready to pour.

Great herbs for infusions

• Nettles
• Oat Straw
• Red Clover
• Chamomile
• Mints – Mint, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Lavender
• Liquorice (many folks decoct this but it’s constituents are easily water soluble with a little extra time)

Cold infusions

Some herbs have mucilage in them (soothing but a little slimy) that is more easily extractable in cold water. Comfrey root, Mallow and Slippery Elm are in this category.

To make a cold infusion, follow the guidelines for any other infusion, but use room temperature water instead of hot. Easy!

My daily herbal infusion

I have a nutrient-rich daily infusion that also supports my adrenals and helps serotonin production. It also contains a lot of the iron that I need. Our bodies do not easily assimilate the iron in tablets, so it usually gives folks diarrhoea or constipation with hard black stools when they finally do come out.

Here’s my recipe

In a 1 litre French Press, I put the following –

• 1 tablespoon of dried Nettles (mega-nutritious plus a boost to my Serotonin levels. Adds a little natural antihistamine to my system for Spring and Summer too)
• 1 teaspoon of Red Clover (has some anti-tumor and hormone balancing effects)
• 1 tablespoon of Raspberry Leaf (high in many nutrients, especially iron)
• 1 tablespoon of Wild Oatgrass (chock-ful of minerals)
• 1 small pinch of pink sea salt (rich in minerals and trace elements)
• A pinch of powdered licorice root (helps balance adrenal glands and ease the flow of Chi through the body).
• 1 small pinch of Stevia leaves depending on my mood (this potent sweetener needs only a pinch of it in order to make the brew go down easier)

I top the press up with almost boiling water and leave the brew overnight, then consume it throughout the following day. The whole brew has a drying effect from an herbal perspective, so the Licorice adds a little moistening to the whole show along with its other benefits.

I don’t believe in doing the same thing every day – maybe my body will come to rely on something I can’t always access, so I vary the infusion a little some days by adding nutrient filled Moringa or Horny Goat Weed for that extra Yang boost. If I’m feeling very run down, Olive leaf can find its way into the mix.

A further use for infusions

If you’re decocting herbs, make an infusion of an herb and use that for the water in the decoction to get a powerful combination remedy. Sometimes when I’m decocting something that I want to give a boost to, I’ll make an infusion of Nettles or Oat Grass and use that in place of the water in the decoction to add a nutritional kick to the brew.

What to do with the leftovers?

That’s the easiest part! Put them on your worms (unless you’ve been brewing Wormwood for some reason. Yuck!), into the compost Bokashi or straight onto your garden.

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