Dried chrysanthemum flowers can be infused in water to make a caffeine-free tea. Refreshing with a mild honey flavor, it’s easy to make hot and iced.
Chrysanthemum Tea
- Chrysanthemum tea, also known as mums, is an herbal infusion made by steeping dried chrysanthemum flowers in water.
- It’s naturally caffeine-free.
- A mild, pleasantly sweet drink that can be made hot or iced.
- Chrysanthemums have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
- It’s commonly used as a ‘cooling’ herb.
RELATED: How to Make Chamomile Tea Properly
What You’ll Need
TO MAKE HOT CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA
- Chrysanthemum tea
I find the dried chrysanthemums from Korea are the best quality. - Filtered water
- Teapot with strainer
I use this glass teapot to make all my herbal teas. - Electric kettle with temperature setting
A must for all tea drinkers.
TO MAKE COLD BREW CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA
My Electric Kettle Pick:
Photo Credit: amazon.com
How to Make hot Chrysanthemum tea Properly
STEP 1: Boil water.
If possible, use filtered water to make any kind of tea. The better the water, the better the tea.
I like to boil water using an electric kettle with a temperature setting. I set the water to 208°F, which is just under a full boil.
Make sure you boil extra water so that you can use it to warm up the teapot.
RELATED: Best Water Filters for Tea
STEP 2: Warm up teapot.
Pour some of the freshly boiled hot water into a glass teapot, swirl the water around, then throw out the water.
I always make sure to warm up the teapot since doing so reduces a big drop in temperature once the boiled water is poured into the teapot.
STEP 3: Put chrysanthemums into teapot and add hot water.
STEP 4: Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
Chrysanthemum tea is very forgiving — it’s tough to oversteep.
I find 5 minutes to be the ideal brew time for most herbal teas, but you should experiment to see how you like it best.
It’s good to keep the teapot covered so the water stays nice and hot.
STEP 5: Strain chrysanthemum flowers and pour hot tea into a teacup.
You got yourself a lovely cup of hot chrysanthemum tea!
I find chrysanthemum tea to be sweet on its own but if you want it to be sweeter, add sugar, honey, or even date syrup.
RELATED: How to Make Rooibos Tea Properly
How to Make Iced CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA Properly
Want to know my secret to making the best iced tea EVER? Cold brew it! It’s how I always make my iced tea and it’s AMAZING.
RELATED: 30 Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes
STEP 1: Put chrysanthemums and water in a pitcher or glass container.
Put cool or room temperature filtered water into a pitcher and stir in the chrysanthemums.
Tea Sommelier’s Tip: There’s only two ingredients in making tea so use the best water possible. Go with filtered water if you can to make the best tasting cold brewed tea.
STEP 2: Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
Chrysanthemum tea can be left to steep for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
To make cold brewing even easier, get a cold brew glass pitcher.
STEP 3: Strain chrysanthemum flowers and pour tea into a cup.
Ice is optional when it comes to cold brewed tea since it’s already chilled.
Tea Sommelier’s Tip: To sweeten your cold brewed chrysanthemum tea, try honey simple syrup. It’ll be the easiest to incorporate into your tea since it’s a liquid. Combine equal parts hot water and honey and stir until honey dissolves.
CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA TIPS
- A glass teapot is ideal for making herbal tea since you can watch the beautiful flowers open up and float around.
- Chrysanthemum flowers can be cold brewed again if they haven’t fully opened.
- If you want to sweeten your chrysanthemum tea, use honey. The flavor will compliment the natural honey notes in the tea.
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE
Slightly similar in taste to chamomile, chrysanthemum tea has a floral, herbal flavor that is super aromatic. It is mildly sweet with notes of honey. Because of the herbal flavor, it can be a bit of an acquired taste. I’ve noticed most people don’t love it when they first try it.
Since this herbal tea is made only from chrysanthemum flowers, it doesn’t contain any caffeine.
Use loose, whole chrysanthemums to make a higher quality (and better tasting) tea.
Chrysanthemum is an herbal tea, so it’s not a real tea. For a tea to be a real tea, it has to come from the camellia sinensis plant, like black or green tea. No herbal tea is a real tea since they don’t come from the camellia sinensis plant.
Related
- How to Make Chamomile Tea Properly
- Easy Steps to Make Rose Tea Properly
- Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
- How to Make Barley Tea Properly
- Ginger Tea from Scratch
Chrysanthemum Tea
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup water + more to warm teapot
- 1 teaspoon dried chrysanthemums
INSTRUCTIONS
- Boil water. If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to 208°F. Boil a little more water than needed so that it can be used to warm up the teapot. Filtered water is best.
- Warm up teapot.Pour some hot water into a teapot and swirl it around a bit. Discard the water.
- Put chrysanthemums into teapot and add hot water.
- Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain chrysanthemum flowers and pour hot tea into a teacup.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
TEA: 1 teaspoon dried loose chrysanthemums
WATER: 1 cup (8 fl. oz.)
WATER TEMPERATURE: 208°F
STEEP TIME: 5 minutes TO MAKE COLD BREW CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA
TEA: 1 teaspoon dried loose chrysanthemums
WATER: 1 cup (8 fl. oz.)
WATER TEMPERATURE: Cold water
STEEP TIME: 12 hours