How 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.
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.
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.
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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Where to Buy Chamomile Tea Online
Get loose chamomile or in tea sachets instead of tea bags.
Tea bags contain a lot of broken chamomile bits and powder instead of whole chamomile flowers and won’t give off as much flavor.
- Chamomile loose tea (Free shipping, no minimum)
- Chamomile tea sachets (Free shipping, no minimum)
What I Use to Make Chamomile Tea
- Chamomile loose tea (Chamomile tea sachets)
- Glass teapot for hot tea (I use this all the time since it’s so easy to clean.)
- Gooseneck electric kettle
A must for all tea drinkers.
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.).
How to Make Chamomile Tea Properly
Herbal tea like chamomile won’t get bitter when it oversteeps so it’s not as fussy as black tea or green tea.
STEP 1: Warm up teapot.
Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around a bit to warm it up. Discard the water.
When the teapot is nice and warm, the tea won’t cool down as fast.
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STEP 2: Put chamomile tea into teapot and add hot water.
1 tablespoon of chamomile tea to every cup of water is the ratio I like to use. If you want a less fragrant or more subtle flavor, go down to 2 teaspoons of chamomile tea for every cup of water.
If you’re using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set it to 208°F, otherwise you can just use boiling hot water.
STEP 3: 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 5 minutes is the optimal steep time for me.
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STEP 4: Strain chamomile solids and pour hot tea into tea cup.
TA DA! You’ve got yourself a perfect cup of fragrant and soothing cup of chamomile tea.
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.
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 cup.
With cold brew, adding ice is optional.
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.
- 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.
Recipes with Chamomile
Chamomile Tea Latte
Take your herbal tea game to the next level with this Chamomile Tea Latte.
Chamomile Tea
How to make the best chamomile tea properly, hot and cold.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chamomile tea
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- 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.
- Steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain chamomile solids and pour hot tea into tea cup.
Notes
To make cold brew chamomile tea:
- Put chamomile tea and water in a pitcher or glass container.
- Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Strain out chamomile solids and pour tea into cup with ice.
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!