My previous article concerned classic tea, i.e. black, green, oolong, and white tea. This article will discuss three popular tea categories, herbal tea/tisanes, chai, and flavored teas. Just for fun, I’ll end with a recipe for green tea sorbet.

Herbal Teas/Tisanes:

The phrase “herbal teas” has become a generic term for herbs and spices steeped in hot water – whether or not actual tea leaves are also used. If tea leaves are not used, these beverages are also called “tonics” or “tisanes” - those of you who are fans of Agatha Christie’s Hercules Poirot will recognize this term. Tisane was originally a French word for an herbal infusion that had beneficial or healthful properties, (if tea leaves are not used, these drinks don’t have caffeine).

Since I think “tisane” is a charming old world word and since the phrase “herbal tea” is misleading since you don’t know if actual tea is included, I’m going to use “tisane” for this beverage category and “flavored teas” for tea flavored with herbs and spices.

Tisanes are great fun to make and play with – you can use a wide variety of herbs. But I should also insert a word of caution. There are some herbs that will make you ill. And herbal effects can vary from person to person. So use common sense – if the drink smells or tastes bad – don’t drink it – even if you’ve been told it “will be good for you".

Making a tisane with herbs is just like making regular tea. After bringing water to a rolling boil, use a little of the hot water to rinse a nonmetal teapot. If you’re using fresh or dried herbs, add them in a ratio of 2 tablespoons of fresh or 1 tablespoon of dried herb for each cup of water, plus an extra 2 tablespoons of fresh or 1 tablespoon of dried herb “for the pot.” Pour in the boiling water, cover the pot, and let the tisane steep for at least 5 minutes. Taste, and let steep for longer if desired. If you’re going to make an iced tisane, double the amount of herbs used.

For tisanes made with spices - crushed seeds and roots – heat the water in a saucepan. Add the spice directly to the boiling water, let it simmer for five minutes, and then let it steep, covered, for an additional five minutes. Strain both herbal and root tisanes after steeping.

Here are some  suggestions for tisane blends, beside the more common chamomile, mint, rose hip, sassafras, and ginseng flavors:

• Chamomile and apple mint
• Fennel and goldenrod
• Chicory, ginseng and cinnamon
• Basil, lemon verbena, lemongrass, and lemon thyme
• Sage, mint, and lemon thyme
• Rosemary and lavender

To help you choose, I’ve listed some of the healthy benefits that are reputed to go with individual herbs and spices:

• Chamomile – for stomach aches
• Anise Seed – for insomnia
• Cloves, saffron, garlic – to act as an aphrodisiac
• Ginger – for energy
• Mustard – to lift your spirits
• Cumin, coriander, cayenne, and fennel – for indigestion and gas
• Thyme, sage, ginger, garlic– to fight cold and flu symptoms
• Rosemary – to increase circulation thereby warming you up 

Chais:

The Japanese word for tea is Chah or Cha; “chai” is an Asian variation of the spelling. However, Chai as sold in Starbucks or in bottles or dry packets at the grocery store, are usually variations on a classic Indian drink. Indian chai is a rich, black tea combined with heavy milk, a sweetener, and various spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper.

For reference, here is a recipe from the doyenne of Indian cooking, Madhur Jaffrey, (makes 2 cups):

1 ½ cup water

1 inch stick of cinnamon

8 cardamom pods

8 whole cloves

2/3 cup whole milk

6 teaspoons of sugar (or more to taste)

3 teaspoons of unperfumed loose black tea

Put the water in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves and bring the water to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for ten minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Add the tea leaves, cover, and turn off the heat. Let sit for two minutes, strain, and serve immediately.

There are numerous chai variations. At http://www.republicoftea.com/index.asp,  The Republic of Tea’s website, you can buy a condensed chai to which you just add milk; it’s described as “lightly sweetened concentrated blend of fine black tea brewed from black tea and blended with cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, wildflower honey, ginger and cloves.” At  http://www.tazo.com/tazo.html, the Tazo web site, you enter the “Tazo virtual universe”, (Tazo is sold in Starbucks and on Amazon) and can find, among others, a description of their organic chai.

Flavored Teas:

As noted above, I’m using this term for actual tea flavored with herbs, spices, and other flavorings. A simple trip to the grocery store will show the explosion in this category, even Twining’s has a vanilla flavored tea. There’s really not much to say, except experiment to your heart’s content. If you’d like a suggestions where to start, The Republic of Tea’s best sellers are ginger peach (my personal favorite), cinnamon plum, and vanilla almond.

Green Tea Sorbet:

Just for fun, if you like green tea, try this sorbet. It’s an interesting combination of bitter and sweet. The recipe is from Sara Moulton on the Food Network:

3 cups water

2 ½ teaspoons fine-quality tea leaves

¾ cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add tea leaves and remove pan from heat. Cover pan and steep tea 5 minutes. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved, and strain tea through a fine sieve into a bowl. Chill tea, covered, until cold and freeze in an ice-cream maker. Sorbet may be made 1 week ahead.