Make Your Own: Orange-Spice Tulsi Tea
You already know that I favor loose leaf teas and drink several over-sized mugs of my favorite teas per day.
And by several I mean five.
With all that tea drinking I like to know that those cups are providing some sort of benefits beyond the warm and tasty beverage factor. So this past year we’ve been enjoying tulsi, also known as holy basil.
From what I’ve read this is a very popular herb in India and people use it daily, often fresh, for its health benefits. I even tried to grow the stuff in my herb garden this past year, but either I messed up or our mid-western climate isn’t ideal for a plant grown in ASIA.
Both are equally likely.
Tulsi is an adaptogen which means it helps the body adapt to physical, chemical, or environmental stress. I really like how it makes me feel more balanced and clear-headed and I brew up a cup for the papa when he’s not well or a bit stressed.
The flavor of tulsi is slightly green with notes of clove. It is delicious paired with citrus and spice as in this Orange-Spice Tulsi tea. We love both the flavor and the calming effect it brings.
Which is why you’re gonna want to make it for the children.
Orange-Spice Tulsi Tea
Recipe Note: Since I botched the holy basil in the garden this past year I source mine from my affiliate, Mountain Rose Herbs. Their quality and growing practices are both outstanding.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry tulsi leaf
- 1/4 cup dried orange peel
- 1/4 cup cinnamon chips
- 1/4 cup whole cloves
Directions
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight jar in a dark, cool place.
- To brew: For each cup pour 8 oz boiling water over a heaping teaspoon of tea. Brew for 5 minutes or more, depending on taste. Sweeten if desired.
What are you brewing up these days?
This looks great and easy! Since it’s an herbal (and none of the ingredients contain caffeine that I know of), I’m assuming it’s naturally decaffeinated, right?
Courtney – Yes, no caffeine in tulsi. Great after the little ones go down :).
I live Organic Indias tulsi tea and never thought to make my own. This sounds wonderful!!
Love it. I love these kind of posts. I don’t drink quite so much tea but I love brewing tea and since your post last fall stocked up my own tea cupboard and have a daily brewing ritual.
The ingredients in this recipe kind of reminds me of chai.
My Q. is the same as Courtneys’. I assume no caffeine if you are giving it to kiddos, right?
Mostly I brew yerba mate after lunch. And peppermint for the kids or myself in the evenings.
Just the other day supper didn’t sit well with me. Mostly emotional I think as we were sharing supper with a deeply grieving person. Celine (who is now studying herbs) recommended slippery elm. So I brewed that with some peppermint and clover. That was great.
Renee – Yes, it is similar to chai, but minus the cardamom and ginger. Tulsi does not have caffeine, which I should have mentioned. I just ordered some yerba mate from MRH yesterday and plan to make a homemade version of this store bought choolate mate latte. So good.
We love slippery elm for tummy troubles as well as sore throats. I mix slippery elm powder with raw honey until it makes a very thick paste that you can roll into little balls like lozenges. They are really helpful and can be taken on the go as well.
I, too, am a tea-o-holic and agree with C.S. Lewis that there is no book too long, or cup of tea too large! I have always purchased all of my teas, but this looks so fabulously easy that I would love to give it a try (and today is grocery shopping day). I have a question about the dried orange peel. Do you buy this, or do you just save the peels from your oranges? (My daughter has a tub full of citrus peels that she has been saving for an eventual foray into making potpourri.) Can I just crumble some of that up, or is there something in particular that I need to buy at Natural Grocers?
Holly – You can absolutely use your own dried orange peel, in fact I would say that is even better! Just be sure that they have been dried properly so that there is no mold issue. Otherwise I think the health food store will have “dried orange peel”.
I am in love with ginger tea right now. I’m a big fan of spice type teas so I might have to give this a try.
As for the basil growing you can always grow basil indoors. It is a beautiful plant that looks great in a pot. I am going to grow basil and cilantro indoors this year because they never do very well outside for me either, but I use both so often it seems like a waste to keep buying it.
I planted Tulsi a few years ago, seeds from Horizon. I live in central VA and the Tulsi was a bumper crop. Some of it went to seed and it now volunteers all over the garden every year. I only planted it once and get a bumper crop every year! We love it! It is so much better fresh out of the garden. You should try again.
YUM! This reminds me of a spice tea that we get from a decidedly NOT whole foods restaurant, but the tea is so yummy. We have both had to wean back on it, because it is bonafide TEA, and has lots of caffeine in it.
Would you please clarify for me: there’s a difference between regular basil and holy basil, yes? Thank you, and thanks for posting a yummy alternative to satisfy our taste for tea!
Dani – Yes, there is a difference between what we know of as basil (as in tomato sauce) and holy basil. Make sure it specifically says “holy basil” or “tulsi” in the name, otherwise I bet it would be a very different tea :).
Wow…I am definitely going to try out that recipe! It sounds so warming and soothing.
How do you dry orange peel to avoid the mold issue?
I’ve recently fallen in love with Tulsi tea. I would definitely love to try this tea mix, but I’m hung up on the cinnamon “chips.” Where would I find these?
Becca g – Check out this link, which is where I get mine: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/index.php?AID=102146&BID=$LinkID$