Minty Citrus Tea – Perfect for Summer!

This Minty Citrus Tea blend makes a delicious & refreshing iced tea for a warm summer day! Best of all, most of the ingredients can be grown in your own garden!

For those of you who don’t know me personally, I come from a very small family. I have one sister, Amanda. And, like many siblings growing up, we didn’t have a lot in common except for a strong desire to annoy the crap out of each other. ? 

But, as we got older, we found out that there are actually a lot of things that we have in common! For instance: we both love to grow pretty things in our gardens. We both love tea. And we both are terrible at measuring things for recipes!

My sister has been making her own herbal tea blends for several years. She went above and beyond to share the recipe for her delicious Minty Citrus Tea Blend with us. Plus, she even recorded a video to talk about some of the wonderful properties of the tea and to show us how to make it!

You can check out the video of my sister making her tea below or over on my Instagram IGTV:

All About Amanda’s Minty Citrus Tea Blend:

This Minty Citrus Tea Blend is so good on a hot summer day! Many of the herbs (mint, echinacea and rose hips) have cooling properties, so it makes a very refreshing iced tea! Plus, it’s a great way to get some extra water in your system on those hot days. I try to always keep herbal iced tea on hand because I find that I’m much more willing to drink it over than plain water. 

But the best part about this Minty Citrus Tea (and many other tea blends!) is that you can grow most of the ingredients at home! In the IGTV video, my sister talks a little bit about how she lives on a small city lot but still makes space to grow some fun plants to make tea blends with.

Growing a tea garden is not only productive, but it’s ideal for small spaces! Many of these plants can even be grown in containers or pots! Plus, they are gorgeous plants that will fool even the most strict HOA association, making them ideal for a front yard garden bed! 

Let’s talk a little about the awesome herbal ingredients in this tea! But, first…. the dreaded disclaimer. Dun-dun-dun!

Disclaimer: Herbs act differently upon every individual person since we are all different. It’s important to try new herbs in moderation and to fully research how each herb interacts with the different body systems. If you are interested in learning more about herbs and herbal medicine, I highly suggest Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, which is where I am studying herbalism. And, of course, this wouldn’t be a proper disclaimer if I didn’t say that the information provided here is purely for educational purposes and to consult your doctor before using any herbal remedy.

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Some of my favorite herbs featured in the Minty Citrus Tea Blend:

Mint (Mentha spp.):

Mints are one of the easiest herbs to grow in the home garden! In fact, they are so hardy that you might find yourself with an abundance of this fast-spreading herb! If you are shy on space, consider planting your mint in a large container or using a rhizome barrier to contain it in a planting bed.

There are many varieties of mint, but what makes them all so special is the menthol oil that they produce. The menthol oil is what gives mint its distinct smell and its cooling sensation. Mint is a fantastic herb to calm the stomach when it’s upset or queasy. It’s also a very calming but energizing herb, making a great choice for times of anxiety or fatigue. 

In additional to teas, there are infinite uses for mint in both the home garden and the kitchen! Mint is a wonderful plant to use as an olfactory disruptor to confuse pests and keep them away from your cherished garden plants. I often infuse mint leaves with garlic to make a strong tea to spray on my plants that are being eaten by insects. And, if you let your mint bloom, you will find the blossoms packed with pollinators!

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea):

Echinacea is a favorite North American herbal flower. Its uses can be traced back the Indigenous people of North America who used this herb for everything from sore throats to treating snakebites! Today, the leaves and petals of Echinacea are primarily used for treating and preventing upper respiratory infections due to its immune-stimulating actions. 

In the garden, echinacea is a hardy show-stopper! The brilliant purple blossoms are a favorite for attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects. Often called purple coneflower, there are many variations and cultivars that have been developed over the years. If you want to grow the plant for medicinal uses, stick to Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, or Echinacea pallida as these varieties have been studied for their medicinal benefits. 

Rose Hips (Rosa spp.):

Did you know you can eat your roses? All rose petals are edible and can be used as a garnish for dishes or in teas, jams or other goodies. However, if you choose to leave the blossoms on the plant, you will be rewarded with delicious rose hips!  

Rose hips are the fruity flesh that surrounds the seed after the blossoms have faded. Harvest them in the fall after a frost or two. Once you remove the seed (and sometimes fine hairs depending on the variety), you can use them fresh in jams and other food dishes, or dry them to use later.

Rose hips contain very high levels of Vitamin C compared to other fruits and veggies. They also have cardio-protective bioflavonoids. Rose hips are extremely nourishing and contain folate, polyphenols and Vitamins A, B, K and E. It’s like a multivitamin you can grow in your own backyard! 

Want to read about the other herbs featured in this recipe? Here area some great articles to get you started!

• Peony: How to Eat a Peony (And Other Ways to Use Them) from Practical Self Reliance
• Lemon & Lemon Peel: Medicinal Uses of Lemon Peel from the Complete Herbal Guide 
• Lemon Grass: Featured in How to Grow Culinary Herbs in Containers: 10 Healing Plants for your Porch or Patio from Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine  
• Green Tea: Beneficial Effects of Green Tea: A Literature Review by NCBI 

Amanda’s Minty Citrus Tea Blend:

Ingredients: 

Note: All measurements are approximate. Feel free to get creative with the recipe! You can use this recipe as your base and then alter it to your liking!

• 1/2 cup mint leaves, dried (I used Orange Mint but you can experiment with different varieties)
• 2 Tbsp echinacea petals or leaves, dried
• 2 Tbsp lemon pieces of lemon peels, dried
• 1 Tbsp lemongrass, dried
• 1 Tbsp rose hips, dried
• 1 tsp – 1 Tbsp Organic Jasmine green tea
• Optional: 12 peony petals, dried (adds an extra pop of color!)

Don’t have your own homegrown ingredients yet? No worries! You can purchase ingredients for this recipe:

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix. You can stir the ingredients together in a big bowl and then store them in an air-tight container. Or, you can measure the ingredients into a quart-size mason jar, secure the lid, and then shake to combine the ingredients. 

Yields: About 1 quart of dry tea mix

To Prepare the Tea:

• Once you are ready to use your dry tea mix, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mix into a loose leaf tea infuser. Pour 2-3 cups of boiling water into a heat-proof mug and add the tea infuser to the hot water. Allow it to steep for 2-6 minutes before enjoying. Longer brewing time will yield a bolder flavor.
• This tea can be enjoyed hot or cold. For a fun twist, you can make a big batch for a delicious iced tea or sun tea! Since many of the ingredients (mint, echinacea and rose hips) have cooling properties, it’s a refreshing tea to enjoy on a warm summer day!

And don’t forget a fun tea infuser! Here are some of our favorites!

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