How to Make You Own Hot Leaf Water

I was probably in middle school when I found out that people actually drank tea while it was hot.  Being from the south, where sweet tea is a staple, I thought the idea was ridiculous and strange.  I had never heard of such malarkey.  The first time I tried it I thought it was disgusting, but I tried it again in high school and I was hooked.  A mug of hot tea with another new favorite, oatmeal, was perfect on a cold Saturday morning, especially while sitting by the warm fire.

Over the years my tastes have evolved.  I drink tea every morning, timing the steep of every cup to perfection.  I love green tea and herbal tea, chai and matcha.  We have a tea collection in our home that's overflowing, because every time my mom and I see a new flavor on clearance we feel like we need it.  I only discovered loose leaf tea a couple years ago, but the real kicker was when I found out I could make my own tea.

My mom loves plants and gardening, so the consequence is that whenever we go to a place that sells plants, she will probably come home with one (this applies to frozen meat, too, but that's another story).  We have everything from marigolds to lime trees, but my favorite plants are the edible ones.  Rosemary, mint, lavender, lemon balm, basil, and recently we even acquired a stevia plant.  I think my favorite, though, is lemongrass.  It was the first plant I used to make my own tea.

Now we have a huge lemongrass in our front yard and I've started making up batches again, so I thought maybe other people might want to know how to make lemongrass tea.

First, find a lemongrass plant.  Buy your own or ask a friend, but don't go up in someone's yard and just steal their lemongrass.  It's rude.

Here's our lemongrass.

Next, cut lemongrass leaves close to where they come off the plant.  I use kitchen scissors, but regular scissors would probably work too.  I usually like to get a good handful of leaves, but the amount you get depends on the size of your plant.

Cut a length of string or twine.  I like to make mine long because I never think I'm going to have enough.

Make sure all the cut ends are fairly even with each other.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

Tie one end of the string as tightly as possible around the bundle of leaves, about 3 or four inches from the cut ends of the leaves.  Use a square knot so all your tying doesn't come undone (right over left, left over right).

Now comes the part I always find the hardest: find a dark, dry place and hang your lemongrass bundle there.  There aren't many dark places in our house where a bunch of leaves can fit, so I usually end up hanging mine off the end of a bookshelf in a corner of our library.

Now you wait.  I usually let my lemongrass dry for a week.  By then it's usually falling right out of the string because it doesn't matter how tight I tie them, they always slip because they shrink.  The leaves won't really be brown, just a faded green.  After all, you don't want them to crumble to nothing.

Now you're going to need those kitchen scissors again, and some kind of airtight container to hold your tea.  I chose this glass container.  It's one of a three piece set that sits in a caddy next to all our other teas, so I thought it would work well.

So, you're going to gather three or four leaves at a time, hold the ends into the container, and snip.  I snip my pieces about a quarter of an inch long, give or take.

Make sure to snip all the way to the end.  This process usually takes a while so pull up a chair and put on your favorite music or a show.  Today I snipped to Downton Abbey.  Sure, I've seen them all, but sometimes you just have to revel in Edwardian fashion.  My hand was a little sore by the end, but I'm a seasoned snipper.  Take a break and don't break your fingers.

And...Voila!

It only filled the container about halfway, but I've got plenty more where that came from.

Now, whenever you want a delicious cup of tea, just grab your favorite teacup or mug and a tea ball.  I usually fill my tea ball with two teaspoons of lemongrass, boil some water (in a kettle, not my teacup), and let the tea steep in the water for about five minutes.  I like to sweeten it with a bit of honey, or occasionally raw sugar.

If I hadn't been so hot from taking these pictures outside then I probably would have made myself a cup, but alas, I live in Florida.  Now I just need to finish my shelves to hold all my teacups, all seventy-something of them.  Yeah...