Tea Journal · Herbal and caffeine free

Chamomile tea: how to brew it and what to expect

Chamomile is the tea people drink in the evening, and it has been for a very long time. The Egyptians drank it. It is made from the small daisy like flowers of the chamomile plant, dried whole, and it tastes gentle, golden and faintly of apple with a honeyed edge, though there is no honey in it. Here is how to get a proper cup out of it.

Whole flowers versus bags

Most chamomile tea bags contain chamomile dust, the broken bits left after the flowers are sorted. It brews fast and tastes flat. Whole flowers hold their oils and give a rounder, sweeter cup. Ours are whole Egyptian chamomile flowers, and you can see the little yellow heads in the pouch.

How to brew it

Two heaped teaspoons per 200ml, because the flowers are light. Freshly boiled water. Cover the mug and brew five to seven minutes. Like peppermint, the flavour is in volatile oils that escape with steam, so the cover matters. It does not go bitter, so a long brew is fine. Use a basket infuser, a bag or a pot, as the flowers swell.

What it tastes like

Soft, floral, a little like apple, with a natural honey note and a smooth finish. I will be honest, it is not my own favourite, I find it a touch strong on the floral side, but a lot of people love it and it is one of the most popular evening teas in the world for a reason.

If it is too floral

Blend it. Half chamomile and half honeybush is rounder and sweeter. Half chamomile and half peppermint is fresher. A spoon of chamomile in a pot of rooibos adds a floral note without taking over. A squeeze of lemon and a spoon of honey also soften it.

A note on claims

You will read a lot online about what chamomile does. We are a tea shop, not a chemist, and we are not going to tell you it does anything other than taste nice and contain no caffeine. Those two things make it a good cup for the end of the day, and that is the honest reason to drink it.