Tea blends? Yes! I love making tea... though they are more accurately described as tisanes, since caffeine and I don't get a long. Some of these work well with green tea, if you must have caffeine
I tend to use the simpler's method for measuring... so you can use any base measurement you like and make in batches... or pick up a teaspoon and make enough for one pot.
Flower Power Relax-a-tea
2 parts rose petals
2 parts chamomile
1 part lavender
2 parts Linden flower (optional)
1/2 part lemon zest
I use decaf green tea for this one... I also happen to like floral blends, so be warned!
The Green Dragon-Lady
(for courage, self-esteem and strength)
2 parts Green tea
2 parts Tarragon
1/2 part Yarrow
1 part Jasmine
1 part Ginseng
Celtic Ritual Tea
1 part Rosemary
2 parts Chopped Dried Apple, preferably unsweetened
Three Rowan Berries (you can substitute Rose-hips or 1/4 part dried Currants, chopped)
1/4 part White Oak Bark
1/2 part chamomile (optional)
Serve warm with honey to taste. The chamomile is optional, since I don't know how authentically Celtic it is. I know the Germanic tribes had it...but I'm not sure that counts.
The ULTIMATE Ginger tea
(this makes a pot of tea. Harder to measure fresh roots by the simpler's method!)
1 peice of fresh ginger root, finely grated (about a cup's worth, or a handful)
(you *can* peel it if you want, but I don't)
1/2 of a fresh lemon's juice, with zest (zest it first, then cut!)
filtered water
Take the grated ginger and put it in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you have a pulpy mess. Add about two teaspoons of the zest and hit it again. Add to the rest of the water in a pot and bring it to a simmer for a bout a minute or three. Strain and taste, adding more hot water, and the lemon juice if you need it. Since it's a two-part process, You can use other teas to dilute the very gingery nature of the tea. I like mixing it with clove and allspice for a very comforting Yuletide beverage, or as a base for a compote.
FWIW, with the above recipe you can make enough for about 20 people, as the pulp will happily flavor the water over and over again. For one, you should use about 1/8 cup of the pulp plus about 12 oz of water.
The friends who taught me this actually used that recipe for 3 very serious gingerphiles, since we liked ours *very* strong!
This is another unusual tea, but it's for being sick.
Sick of being Sick "Tea"
Start with container of broth. For a 1 liter box, use the following:
(if you are stuck with 16 oz cans, just add some water so it half-fills a 2 liter bottle) This one is also spicy! I actually fix this when I don't feel like I can eat anything when I'm sick... if I'm worried about loosing my lunch, I tend to omit the tomato product, and the cayenne, and half the garlic.
1 tablespoon of *freshly* ground black-pepper
1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 can of V8 (optional)
3 cloves of garlic, juiced*
(If you don't have a garlic juicer, I'll have the method below)
You can also use 3 teaspoons of onion juice (which you can buy at the store)
1/4 of a cup of green healer herbal decoction (also below)
Mix all these up and heat it up on the stove. Serve hot in mugs.
HOW TO on the decoction:
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 teaspoons rosemary leaves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon elder flowers
1 and 1/2 teaspoons willow bark (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of water
Heat up the water in one of those small saucepans or a turkish coffee-maker. add the herbs and let simmer without boiling. for a few minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes after that. Your kitchen should smell really nice!
The Garlic juice
Chop up the garlic in a fine dice. Put in a mortar and pestle and mash the garlic with a tablespoon of water. Then let set for a bit, then mush up again, until the water is very cloudy, white, and glistens with garlic oils.
This mix is good for the flu and keeping bugs away when you have a viral infection. It also works well for recovering from strep throat, though again I omit the tomato, and the cayenne. If you don't taste the heat from the cayenne, add more to taste, but be respectful of it's bite!
Author's Note: These are tea blends I made up over the years. I didn't see them in any book.
I'm pretty sure people around here are fairly laid back about this sort of thing, but I'm compelled to say it anyway since I've seen it cause serious issues on other BBoards...
These claims are not evaluated by the Food and Drug administration, and I'm not a doctor. So these are made available for informational purposes, and you use them at your own risk. Your Mileage May Vary. Also, make sure you aren't allergic to any of the ingredients before you make it, etc etc etc... pah. Public Service Announcement is over now.