Mint Tea with Lemon Verbena Recipe

Name: Mint Tea with Lemon Verbena
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients: 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (not the stems, they're bitter), rinsed, lightly packed (about 20 leaves); 1/2 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves, rinsed, lightly packed (about 10-15 leaves); 2 cups water

A while ago I ordered some herbal tea at the Chez Panisse Café in Berkeley. The tea arrived in a large, clear, glass teapot, filled with green leaves and hot water.

The tea was lovely — light, lemony, minty.

After we finished it, my curiosity got the best of me and I started fishing out the leaves from the pot, wondering what was in this tea anyway?

Our server noticed this odd behavior and quickly came to the table offering to provide us with fresh leaves. "These leaves here are mint, but what are these long green ones?" I asked. "Lemon verbena," was the answer and she happily addressed my battery of questions about this herb.

Lemon verbena is a bushy shrub that grows quite well in Northern California. It originally comes from South America, but has been cultivated in Europe since the 1600s.

Lemon verbena has a strong lemon scent and is used to add a lemon flavor to many dishes.

In anticipation of making my own verbena mint tea, I planted some this spring. True to expectations, the not-yet-a-bush plant is thriving. Here's the method for making simple mint tea with lemon verbena:

Mint Tea with Lemon Verbena

Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Yield 2 cups

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (not the stems, they're bitter), rinsed, lightly packed (about 20 leaves)
1/2 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves, rinsed, lightly packed (about 10-15 leaves)
2 cups water

Heat water:

Bring a pot of fresh water almost, but not quite to a boil.
Pour over mint and lemon verbena in tea pot:

Put the mint and verbena leaves in a teapot. Pour the hot water over the leaves. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Strain into tea cups.

Links:

Lemon Verbena Sorbet - Splendid Table

Berry and Lemon Verbena Jelly - a creation of Maki from I Was Just Really Very Hungry

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
11	Calories
0g	Fat
2g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories	11
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 26mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 3mg	16%
Calcium 62mg	5%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 110mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.