5 Easy Steps to Make Chamomile Tea Properly
Chamomile tea is a popular herbal drink made from dried chamomile flowers. See how to make this caffeine-free tisane, hot and cold.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is an herbal infusion made from dried chamomile flowers steeped in water.
It can be made hot or cold and is a great option as a nighttime drink since there’s no caffeine.
What is Chamomile?
Chamomile is a flowering plant with white petals and a mustard-yellow center that looks like a daisy.
There are a few varieties of chamomile and only two types are used for tea: German chamomile and the Roman Chamomile.
It’s a popular herb used in traditional medicine.
RELATED: How to Make Herbal Tea Properly
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Chamomile Tea Formula
Whether you make chamomile tea hot or cold, the same ratio of water to chamomile is used:
1 tablespoon chamomile loose tea for every cup of water (8 fl. oz.).
My Chamomile Tea Pick:
Chamomile
Dried Egyptian chamomile flowers for tea. Only contains chamomile and nothing else, which is what you want.
(The shipping is free!)
How Do You Pronounce Chamomile?
There are two ways to pronounce chamomile and both are correct. The “h” is silent so it’s pronounced as either KAM-MAH-MEEL or KAM-MUH-MILE.
What Does Chamomile Tea Taste Like?
Chamomile tea has a strong, heady aroma and tastes earthy with floral and apple notes. If it’s steeped for too long it has a very medicinal taste that I’m not a fan of.
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Is There Caffeine in Chamomile Tea?
Nope, there’s not a trace of caffeine in chamomile tea. It makes for a great nighttime drink since it’s caffeine-free.
Are There Any Calories in Chamomile Tea?
There are no calories are in chamomile tea as long as you don’t add any milk or sugar.
Is Chamomile Tea a Real Tea?
All herbal teas, including chamomile, are not real or true teas.
Tea is only from the camellia sinensis plant, and since chamomile comes from the chamomile plant it’s not a real or true tea.
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What are the Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea?
- Helps promote sleep and relaxation
Chamomile contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which may help reduce insomnia and help you sleep better. - Aids in digestion
Chamomile is widely used to help with stomach issues like indigestion, upset stomach, and heartburn. - Reduces menstrual cramps
If you suffer from menstrual pain, chamomile tea may help reduce cramps.
Just a quick note that there isn’t any hard evidence that chamomile tea has any significant health benefits.
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What I Use to Make Chamomile Tea
- Chamomile loose tea (Chamomile tea sachets)
- Filtered water
- Glass teapot with strainer
I use this all the time since it’s so easy to clean. - Gooseneck electric kettle
A must for all tea drinkers.
How to Make Chamomile Tea Properly
STEP 1: Boil water.
The best tea is made with the best water. Use filtered water if possible.
I always make tea using my trusty electric kettle with temperature setting. I set the water to 208°F for chamomile tea, which is a bit under a full boil.
Boil more water than needed for the cup you’re going to drink since you want extra to warm up the teapot.
STEP 2: Warm up teapot.
Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around. Discard the water.
When the teapot is nice and warm, the water when brewing the tea won’t cool down as fast.
RELATED: How to Make Tea Properly
STEP 3: Put chamomile loose tea into teapot and add hot water.
The formula: 1 tablespoon of chamomile tea to every cup of water.
If you want a less fragrant or more subtle flavor, go down to 2 teaspoons of chamomile tea for every cup of water.
STEP 4: Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
The minimum time to steep herbal tea is 5 minutes. Go ahead and steep it for longer if you like but I’ve found that 5 minutes to be the optimal steep time.
Herbal tea like chamomile won’t get bitter when it oversteeps so it’s not as fussy as black tea or green tea so don’t worry if you steep it for more than 5 minutes.
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STEP 5: Strain chamomile solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.
TA DA! You’ve got yourself a perfect cup of fragrant and soothing cup of chamomile tea.
I don’t like my chamomile tea sweetened, but if you do, try sugar, honey, or date syrup.
How to Make Iced Chamomile Tea Properly
If you want to make iced chamomile tea, the best way is to make it cold brewed.
STEP 1: Put chamomile tea and water in a pitcher or glass container.
Use cool or room temperature water. Hot water isn’t involved in the cold brewing process.
Use filtered water if possible for the best tasting cold brewed iced tea.
I used a glass teapot with strainer but you can also use a cold brew maker which is specifically made for making cold brew tea or coffee.
STEP 2: Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
You can leave it in the refrigerator to cold brew for up to 24 hours.
STEP 3: Strain out chamomile solids and pour tea into a cup.
With cold brew, adding ice is optional.
If you want to sweeten your chamomile tea, use simple syrup (half water, half sugar). It’ll be the easiest to incorporate into your tea.
Make simple sugar at home by mixing equal parts sugar and hot water until the sugar dissolves.
Chamomile Tea Tips
- Use loose chamomile tea instead of tea bags.
- I prefer to use a glass teapot to make herbal tea so you can see the pretty herbals in water.
- Cold brewed chamomile can be steeped for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- You can make different kids of simple syrup by dissolving honey, brown sugar, or date syrup instead of regular sugar in hot water.
Recipes with Chamomile
Chamomile Tea Latte
Take your herbal tea game to the next level with this Chamomile Tea Latte.
Iced Herbal Tea with Fresh Fruit
Cold brewed herbal iced tea with fresh fruit.
Chamomile Tea
How to make the best chamomile tea properly, hot and cold.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chamomile tea
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Boil water.
Boil a little more water than needed so that it can be used to warm up the teapot.
If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to 208°F.
(Filtered water is best.) - Warm up teapot.
Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around a bit to warm it up. Discard water. - Put chamomile tea into teapot and add hot water.
- Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain chamomile solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.
Notes
To make cold brew chamomile tea:
- Put chamomile tea and cool or room temperature water in a pitcher or glass container. (I like using this teapot with strainer.)
Cold brewed tea tastes best with filtered water. - Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Strain out chamomile solids and pour tea into a cup with ice.
To sweeten your tea:
If you want to sweeten your chamomile tea, use simple syrup.
You can easily make simple sugar at home by mixing equal parts sugar (or honey, date syrup, or brown sugar) and hot water until the sugar dissolves.
Such an interesting article! I love chamomile tea for its taste and lightness, when ordinary black tea bothers me, I turn to chamomile. I did not know that there were any subtleties in its preparation. Usually I just make boiling water and let the tisane brew. Chamomile tea calms well and helps with stomach-ache.
Hi Ann, I like to drink chamomile at night since it’s so calming. Try it cold brewed in the summer!
Great article. I am planning to make a litre of chamomile tea (roughly 4.5 US cups/ 34fl oz), every night to drink at room temperature the next day. I only have chamomile teabags to use. My plan was to boil water and leave it on the kitchen table to brew overnight. Do you know roughly how many teabags I should use for this? I’m assuming it’s fewer than the amount you’d use ratio-wise for having the same amount of individual mugs Many thanks.
Hi Beth, if you’re using tea bags, I would suggest 5-6 for your 4.5 cups.