T Stands for Tisanes

Last week there were several comments about Tisanes.  Most of the comments referred to the fact you had no idea what a tisane was.  Since I didn't have time to take new photos for today because I spent my day helping my neighbor find homes for or trash massive amounts of cosmetics, old make-up, beauty products, old and some never used skin care products, never used toothbrushes, and such, I am bringing back the photos, but adding new content to the post I wrote earlier on tisanes.  I'm sure some of you who were curious also went to the internet and found much the same information I found.

So let's head to my herbal garden as it looked last year.

I'm actually glad I used last year's photos because my herb garden looked much better back then.  Since this post is all about tisanes, let's start with what they are.

According to Coffee, Tea at about.com: 

With a title like "herbal tea," you'd think that chamomile, mint, rooibos and the like would be tea. However, all "true teas" (green tea, black tea, etc.) are from the same plant, Camellia sinensis.

What is commonly referred to as an "herbal tea" is actually an infusion or decoction made from a plant other than Camellia sinensis. For this reason, there is a trend toward the use of terms like "tisane" (pronounced tea-zahn).

For my previous post I wrote that common tisanes include mint and rooibos.  However, I've also learned that tisanes are usually categorized by the part of the plant they come from.  According to Wise Geek:

Simply put, tisane is a fancy word for "herbal tea." Actually, tisane (also, “ptisan”) is the better and more accurate term because most herbal "teas" by definition contain no actual leaves from the tea bush. Typically, they are made by mixing any number of dried flowers, such as chamomile or jasmine blossoms; seeds; plant roots; and spices, such as cinnamon — the combination possibilities are endless.

It's fairly obvious my chocolate mint is a leaf tisane, which also includes lemon balm, lemongrass, and French verbena.
 
My spearmint is also a leaf tisane, but rose, chamomile, hibiscus, and lavender are flower tisanes.  Cinnamon, slippery elm, and black cherry bark are bark tisanes, while echinacea, ginger, and chicory are root tisanes.

Fruit and berry tisanes include raspberry, blueberry, peach, and apple, while cardamom, caraway, and fennel are seed and spice tisanes.

Tisanes are sometimes classified as medicinal simply because many tisanes are high in antioxidants and nutrients.  "Detox teas" are a popular category of medicinal tisanes which have been popular staples in both the kitchen and the infirmary for centuries.  According to Herbs Info:

Tisanes are often the most basic and most commonly employed herbal medicines, not only due to its ease of preparation, but also because of its easily absorbable nature. More often than not, most herbal remedies will call for the creation of a tisane before any other method, simply because tisanes are easily made, even by novice herbalists.

If you are using fresh leaves your tisane should be infused.   After gently washing and patting the mint dry, I got out my stacking cup and teapot that has no lid.  I thought it would be perfect for this experiment.  I used the strainer/infuser in place of the lid,

placed the bruised leaves in the strainer/infuser

(I bruised them by rubbing them and rolling the mint into a ball),

then poured the boiling water over the bruised leaves, which I pressed down even more with a spoon as I poured the water over the leaves.  According to Coffee, Tea at about.com:

Brewing times and proportions for tisanes vary widely. They may be as short as two minutes or as long as 15 minutes, and may require as little as a pinch of plant material per cup of water or as much as several tablespoons per cup. 

Coffee, Tea at about.com further warns:

Never use an aluminum pot to prepare a tisane. Aluminum is a reactive metal, so it can react with the herb and, depending on the plant type, it may produce a very toxic beverage.

I removed the strainer/infuser and replaced it with the stainless steel holder that accompanies the strainer/infuser.  I was pleased at how well the metal holder fit in the tea pot (Oh look! My fingers still have remnants of paint and spray mists).

I played the waiting game while the tea "brewed," especially since I had no idea how long to wait.   Just to be on the safe side, I thought I'd pour the tea over the leaves as I added it to the cup.

I was thrilled that I got a lovely yellow color in my cup, which meant it had actually brewed.


I added lemon for taste and a tiny sprig of the chocolate mint for decoration.   I really enjoyed this tisane experiment the first time I created it, and will hopefully do something similar again this year, if I ever get time away long enough to take photos.  After all, I have loads of mint and all the other accouterments.  BTW, the tea didn't taste as good as it looked, but I'm more a coffee drinker.

I hope this answered any questions about tisanes.  Remember that tisanes are caffeine free, unlike drinks made from the tea plant.  So I'm off to get a cup of coffee loaded with caffeine, while some of you enjoy this caffeine free drink and I get this post created just under the wire.

Now it's your turn.  What's been brewing (pun intended) at your place this week?  Please join us with your drink related post.  Anything is possible as long as you can relate it, in some way, back to a drink.  Photos do not have to be taken on Tuesday (or even this year, which is obvious from this post), but you must link below in order for Bleubeard, the "T" gang, and me to visit.  Or drop by to say hello and consider joining us in the future.  We'd love to have you.