How to Make Fresh Chamomile Tea – Hot or Iced

Chamomile is well known for its calming, soothing nature. Many of us are used to drinking chamomile made from from chamomile tea bags. But if you have access to fresh flowers, making homemade chamomile tea definitely takes the flavor, health benefits, and comfort level of this delicious drink up a notch! It’s so easy to make, and you can enjoy it as either a hot or iced tea. If you’ve ever wondered how to make fresh chamomile tea, here are some of the easiest ways to do it – and tips for how to spruce up your tea, too! 

How Do You Make Fresh Chamomile Tea?

Chamomile is an herbal tea made with the flowers of the plant. The beautiful, daisy-like flower of the chamomile plant produces a rich, yellow tea color that’s delicious by itself or blended with other flavors. If you have this beautiful plant available, it’s so easy to make your own chamomile tea! 

To make chamomile tea, start by collecting some fresh flowers. The best way to do this is by pinching them off below their base or using a scissors to cut the flowers. Don’t pull on the stem, or you may risk pulling the whole plant out. Pinching or snipping off just the flowers is easy, and it also encourages more future growth. (See tips below for the best time to harvest your flowers.)

Add a couple of tablespoons of fresh flowers to a mug, and pour some hot water over them. This is one of those things where you kind of have to experiment and see how you like your tea. The measurements don’t have to be precise, and it’s honestly hard to mess up. But, for those precise-measurement-type people, start with 2-3 Tablespoons of fresh chamomile blossoms to 8-10 oz of water. 

Next, let your tea steep for 5-10 minutes. A longer steeping time will produce a stronger tea. However, if you let it go too long, it can become bitter. Play around with it and see what you prefer (again, you really can’t mess it up too badly!).

When the steeping time is complete, strain the flowers from the hot tea. 

Do You Need Special Tools to Make Loose Leaf Tea?

If you’ve never used loose leaves (or petals) to make tea before, it can be a little intimidating. Don’t let it be! Making a cup of tea should be relaxing, and you don’t necessarily need special tools to do so. 

If you have a tea infuser (whether a tea ball, infuser teapot, or otherwise), you can use that, of course. But if you don’t have any of these, you can always just use a fine mesh strainer or even create a makeshift tea bag using a coffee filter or cheesecloth.

And if you don’t have a tea kettle for heating your water, just use a small saucepan. Nothing fancy! 

Tip: Actually, if you have a few inches of the stems still intact, you can actually just flip them upside down, steep your flowers, and then pull them out by the stems when your steeping time is over. No strainers, tea bags, or infusers required! 

Truly, all you really need to make a soothing, delicious cup of chamomile tea is:

• A few tablespoons of fresh (or dried) chamomile
• 8-10oz hot water
• A tea kettle or saucepan for heating the water
• A fine mesh strainer, tea infuser, or makeshift tea bag
• Any preferred sweeteners or flavors (see suggestions below)

How to Make Iced Tea

Hot tea is perfect for the winter months and rainy evenings, but on steamy summer days, chamomile tea is just as delicious iced as it is hot! To make your tea iced, simply brew the same amount of fresh flowers (a few tablespoons works well) with half the amount of hot water. 

Let it steep for 5-10 minutes.

Then, strain your tea and fill your cup the rest of the way with ice cubes and cold water.

When Should You Harvest Chamomile for Tea?

The best time to harvest your fresh chamomile flowers is when the lovely white petals are open flat. Generally, late morning is a good time of day to pick, after the dew has dried but before the hot sun has evaporated the essential oils of the plant. 

You can definitely harvest the flowers before or after peak season, and they’ll still taste great. The medicinal properties are simply at their best when the flowers are open flat. 

Benefits of Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is naturally caffeine-free, so you can enjoy it anytime of the day. Whether as a morning wake-up, for an afternoon break, or as you’re winding down after a long day, chamomile is a smoothing and delicious drink to add to your daily routine.

More than just tasting and smelling good, though, chamomile is known to have all sorts of health benefits.

Some of the top health benefits of chamomile tea include:

• Better sleep quality
• Promotes digestive health and may soothe an upset stomach
• Naturally soothes a sore throat 
• May protect against cancer and improve heart health

(There are a bunch more potential health benefits of chamomile tea, but I am not a doctor and many of them are merely speculations. Regardless, chamomile tea is soothing, tastes great, and could promote health in all sorts of ways!) 

What’s the Difference Between German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile?

German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile are similar and both have calming, soothing properties. You can use either one for your tea, but German Chamomile is more typically used in its whole form and often grows more prolifically. Although these herbs have many similarities, they do have different phytochemical profiles.

We’ll leave the more exact details up to the experts, but here are a few differences you’ll notice between these herbs.

German Chamomile

• Stronger flavor and aroma
• Cone-shaped yellow center with larger while flowers
• Tends to bloom more prolifically
• Grows a few feet high on long stems

Roman Chamomile

• Milder, sweeter aroma
• Small, white flowers with a yellow center
• Only grows 3-4″ high
• Typically used more as an essential oil than in its whole form for tea

How to Spruce Up Your Chamomile Tea – Adding Flavors

Personally, I think chamomile tastes delicious on its own, but not everyone is amazed by the flavor of this plant. There are tons of ways to spruce up your tea, whether you like different herbs, fruity flavors, or a sweet taste. Here are some delicious twists to try on your regular cup of chamomile.

• Lemon-chamomile tea. Add a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or some lemon slices. This flavor is especially delicious when enjoyed iced!
• Soothing herbal infusion chamomile tea. Soothing herbs like mint are a delicious way to add extra flavor (and get even more health benefits!). Add a mint sprig or a few leaves to your chamomile to make chamomile mint tea. (In fact, I’m drinking a warm cup of this soothing blend as I type right now!)
• Cinnamon-chamomile tea. A dash of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick can be the perfect way to spice up the flavor of your tea.
• Sweet tooth chamomile tea. A drizzle of maple syrup of spoonful of honey add hints of sweetness to your drink. 

Can You Dry Chamomile?

If you have an abundance of chamomile in your herb garden, you can certainly dry it to store for later. A food dehydrator is an easy way to do this. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can lay your flowers on a sheet pan and heat in the oven on the lowest setting until dry. Alternatively, you can also lay them on a flat surface or mesh screen and let them dry. 

Store your dried chamomile in airtight glass jars. 

When using dry chamomile flowers to make tea, you’ll only need about half the amount of dry flowers as you would fresh flowers.

Related Posts