Bay leaf tea is an infallible weapon to boost your immunity and fight everyday ailments. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and helps you stay fit. In this article, you will be knowing about the hidden gem that is almost at everyone’s place but often not used in a way that could have fetched you numerous benefits.
We all know that bay leaf is used in many dishes for its flavor and aroma. We would be discussing how you can use bay leaves for brewing tea. Simply stating bay leaf to be an infallible weapon is not enough, so we would like to tell you how you can prepare the best bay leaf tea by yourself.
Why a Bay Leaf! In Your Tea?
Scientifically called “Laurus nobilis”, or “Tej Patta” in Hindi, is a herb rich in medicinal qualities. Unlike most medicinal herbs, it has a unique aromatic smell and tastes great. It is often added to Indian dishes to give it a great aroma and flavor.
Bay leaves are rich in
- enzymes, volatile oil
- antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, carotenoids
- caffeic acid and rutin
All these constituents are the reason which makes it a perfect choice for medicinal purposes. It is often recommended by medicinal experts in both traditional as well as a modern systems of treatment. It can help against diarrhea, inflammation, and diabetes to a great extent. It has been proved to control cholesterol, abate uric acid, promote a healthy heart and, treat dermatitis.
Also, hot bay leaf tea is a successful treatment against various diseases as penned in books written by herbalists. It is used for a naturopathic system of treatment of disease. according to those books, bay leaf is useful in:
- clearing up mucus in the lungs, colds, sore throat
- curing rheumatism(joint pain)
- lessening dandruff, itchy scalp
- Healing gastrointestinal problems like epigastric bloating, impaired digestion, flatulence
Methods of Making Bay Leaf Tea
There are many methods for preparing your favorite bay leaf tea. We would be discussing 4 very famous and widely used methods. Know that tea is a unique beverage, which can be prepared and customized n any way you like. It may be that you do not like someone’s favorite preparation and prefer your creation.
Among the many preparation techniques, you can choose one, or have your method.
PROCESS 1: Pure Bay Leaf Tea
Ingredients:
- A kettle
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 3 cups of water
Steps to Prepare:
- Put the kettle on with 3 cups of water.
- Bring it to boil.
- Turn the flame off.
- Add dried bay leaves in small pieces.
- Keep the leaves unstrained overnight.
- Now, strain the water in a cup with a sieve.
You have prepared a majestic yellowish-orange color tea, which is a treat to the eyes and your palate. You may warm it up, or have it cold depending on your preferences.
PROCESS 2: Mix Bay Leaf Tea
Ingredients:
- A kettle
- 4 cups of water
- Ginger
- Black salt/sugar
- Crushed black pepper
Steps to Prepare:
- Put the kettle on with 4 cups of water.
- Heat the kettle till bubbles appear.
- Add about an inch of ginger, a pinch of rock salt/sugar(as per your taste), 1/4th teaspoon of crushed black pepper.
- Boil all ingredients for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the flame.
- Let all the ingredients settle down and cool for 5 minutes.
- Take a sieve and strain it in a cup.
Now all you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy your cup of tea.
PROCESS 3: Bay Leaf Green Tea
Ingredients:
- A kettle.
- 2 bay leaves.
- Green tea.
- 3-4 cups of water.
Steps to Prepare:
- Put the kettle on with 3 cups of water.
- Bring it to boil.
- Put off the flame.
- Add 1 full teaspoon of green tea.
- Add 1\4th teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
- Add to it 2 bay leaves in small pieces.
- Soak all the ingredients for 10 minutes.
- Let it cool down.
- Strain it in a cup now. Your cup of bay leaf green tea is ready.
This is not the last method - let us look into the most preferred method for traditional tea enthusiasts.
PROCESS 4: Traditional Bay Leaf Tea:
Ingredients:
- A kettle
- 3 cups of water
- 4 bay leaves
- Black tea
- Sugar/jaggery/honey as a sweetener.
Steps to Prepare:
- Put the kettle on with 3 cups of water.
- Bring it to boil
- Add 1 teaspoon of black tea and boil it for 5 minutes.
- Add 4 bay leaves cut into small pieces.
- Add 1 cup of milk to it.
- Boil the mixture for another 5 minutes.
- Strain it in a cup
- Add sugar/jaggery/honer as per your taste.
Let your worries and tension disappear with every sip of bay leaf green tea.
Final Words
Start your morning with a cup of bay leaf tea and share it with your friends and family. What are you waiting for then? Start preparing your cup of immunity, the bay leaf tea and, fight many diseases with bay leaf tea.
We have mentioned some of the most popular ways of producing dried bay leaf tea, but there are other preparation methods too. You can always discover your way and we, at teaswan.com , would love to hear about that and try it out. We believe sharing recipes is the best way to incite love for tea among people.