This is less of a recipe and more of a post about some of the health benefits of Chinese chrysanthemum tea. I’m no expert or in any way technically qualified to give health advice, but I was once a very very grumpy chrysanthemum tea drinker and have since become a pretty strong and zen believer in its abilities to ward off various ailments!
My mom says you should drink chrysanthemum tea if you are feeling stressed out or experiencing anxiety. If you have a headache or a migraine, it is good to clam you down. Moreover, when you want help with digestion after a heavy meal it will be a good choice.
In this recipe, we used Tai Ju Hua for this Calming Chrysanthemum Tea. If it’s hard for you to look for them by name, try to look for closed or half-opened flower buds when purchasing your tea, as fully opened flowers (while pretty) have already lost much of the flavors and effectiveness! This kind of Chrysanthemum is suitable when you just want to dip them in the hot water for a quick drink instead of boiling them.
In terms of the taste? Well. When people see me drinking chrysanthemum tea and ask me what it tastes like, suffice it to say that it tastes just how you think it would taste: like dried flowers. Adding a bit of sugar or honey can improve the taste if you prefer!
But I find the flavor to be incredibly pleasant when eating strongly flavored Chinese dishes with lots of spice, and it takes on a richer herbal flavor the longer it steeps. It can also have a more subtle flavor the more times you refill the teapot with hot water. Serve it with ice in the summer, and it will have you feeling cool and calm in no time.
Plus, with so many different kinds of chrysanthemum teas, feel free to experiment! We hope you give chrysanthemum tea a try! It may just be nature’s elixir for whatever problem you’ve currently got.
Ingredients |
- 0.2 ounces (about 5 grams) dried chrysanthemum tea
- 3 cups water, and more hot water until the tea completely loses flavor
Method |
Place your tea in a teabag or tea strainer of your choice. Due to the nature of this tea, the petals can really get in the way of your drinking experience, so best to tie up the tea in a tea bag or cheesecloth, grab a tea strainer, or use a teapot with a built-in strainer.
Boil 3 cups of water, and pour over the tea. Let steep for 3 – 5 minutes.
Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see you trying out our recipe!
xoxo, Joe
No Comments