On the 7th day of DIY... Loose Leaf Tea

Loose leaf tea shops are popping up everywhere! For the price of a single cup, you can make a whole jar of your favourite tea blend to give as gifts to friends and family. You can purchase herbs and spices from any herb store, bulk store or health food store. I love Mountain Rose Herbs because they have an enormous selection of organic and wildcrafted herbs and spices at very reasonable prices. For just a few dollars you can make multiple batches of tea for gift giving or enjoying yourself.

I have a few favourites that I enjoy throughout the year. They are very easy to make and only require a few ingredients and some nice containers to put them in. Tea tins make a nice choice for gifting and they come in a variety of sizes to suit any need. You can order them from many packaging suppliers such as New Directions Aromatics, Specialty Bottle or Mountain Rose Herbs.

Recipes

Licorice Mint Soother 
1 part Licorice Root
1 part Peppermint
This tea has soothing licorice root which is great for coating a sore throat. The mellow minty sweet flavour is sure to please any herbal tea lover!

Evening Calm
1 part passionflower
1 part lemon balm
1 part chamomile
I love this blend after a hard day. If I'm feeling a bit frazzled, it helps calm my nerves and I sleep like a baby!

My Chai
1 part cardamom seeds
1 part clove buds
1 part crystallized ginger
2 cinnamon stick (in chunks)
2 vanilla beans (cut up)
3 parts black tea
You can adjust this recipe to suit your taste, but I find this version very rich and yummy! You can also substitute Red Rooibos Tea in place of black tea for a very mellow tea.