How to Make Loose Leaf Herbal Tea: 4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Herbs
Updated: Oct 9
Did you know that how you prepare your herbs can make a difference in what you get out of them?
One of the best things about loose leaf herbal tea is that there isn’t just one way to make it!
Different herbs contain different beneficial compounds, and the way you prepare them can influence what gets extracted into your tea. Some herbs benefit from a simple hot infusion, others from a slow overnight steep, and certain roots and barks do best with a gentle simmer.
The good news? Making loose leaf tea is incredibly simple once you understand the basics.
These methods aren’t strict rules, either. Many herbs can be prepared multiple ways depending on what you’re hoping to extract, the flavor you prefer, and how much time you have.
Let’s go over four ways to prepare herbal tea and when to use each one.
1. Hot Infusions
Best for: Leaves, flowers, aromatic herbs, and most everyday herbal tea blends.
Hot infusions are the most common way to prepare herbal tea, and for good reason! Hot water helps extract many of the beneficial compounds found in herbs, including polyphenols, flavonoids, water-soluble nutrients, and aromatic compounds.
This method is especially wonderful for herbs like chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint, tulsi, elderflower, hibiscus, and echinacea.
The temperature and steeping time can make a difference. A shorter steep is often ideal for delicate flowers and aromatic herbs, while a longer steep can help extract additional compounds from certain leaves and other plant materials.
How to Make a Hot Infusion
Heat 8–12 oz of water until hot or just boiling, depending on the herbs.
Add 1–2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea to a mug, teapot, or heat-safe jar.
Pour the hot water over your herbs.
Cover while steeping! This helps retain heat and aromatic compounds that can otherwise escape with the steam.
Steep for 15–20 minutes, then strain and enjoy.
What About Longer Hot Infusions?
Some herbs benefit from steeping for 30–60 minutes instead of just 15–20.
This can be especially useful for certain mineral-rich leaves or herbs with compounds that take longer to extract.
Longer steeping isn’t always better, though. Some herbs become increasingly bitter or strong, especially those containing larger amounts of tannins or bitter constituents.
Herbalist tip: Most loose leaf blends containing a combination of leaves, flowers, berries, and smaller amounts of roots can be prepared with a covered hot infusion for 15–20 minutes. It’s a simple, effective method for everyday herbal tea.
2. Cold Infusions
Best for: Mucilaginous herbs and smooth, refreshing herbal drinks.
Cold infusions use cool water and time instead of heat to extract beneficial compounds from herbs.
This method is especially useful for mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow root and slippery elm.
These plants contain mucilage, a type of water-soluble polysaccharide that creates a slippery, soothing texture when extracted into water.
Mucilage is one of the reasons marshmallow root is so wonderful for soothing irritated throats and supporting the digestive tract.
Cold infusions are also a delicious way to prepare herbs like hibiscus and rosehips, especially when you want a smoother, less tart or bitter flavor.
Because cool water generally extracts fewer tannins and bitter compounds than hot water, cold infusions often produce a naturally smoother-tasting tea.
How to Make a Cold Infusion
Add 1–2 tablespoons of dried herbs per 8–12 oz of cool water to a clean glass jar.
Stir or shake to thoroughly wet the herbs.
Cover and refrigerate for approximately 2–8 hours, depending on the herb.
Strain and enjoy!
For a larger batch, use approximately ¼–½ cup of dried herbs per quart of water, adjusting based on the herb and desired strength.
Some herbs, particularly marshmallow root, benefit from soaking for several hours or overnight.
Herbalist tip: I love making marshmallow root cold infusions and freezing them into ice cubes. They’re easy to add to tea, juice, or other drinks whenever you want a little extra throat-soothing support.
Store cold infusions in the refrigerator and use within 24–48 hours.
3. Long Herbal Infusions
Best for: Mineral-rich, nourishing herbs like nettle, oatstraw, and red raspberry leaf.
This is one of my absolute favorite ways to prepare herbal tea!
Many herbs are naturally rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and manganese.
While a short steep can extract some of these minerals, giving certain herbs more time in hot water can help draw additional minerals and other water-soluble compounds into your infusion.
Long infusions are especially wonderful for nourishing herbs like:
Nettle: Contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and other trace minerals. A wonderful herb for everyday nourishment.
Oatstraw: Contains calcium, magnesium, and trace minerals. Often used in nourishing herbal preparations for nervous system support.
Red raspberry leaf: Contains manganese, calcium, and other naturally occurring minerals.
Alfalfa: Contains calcium, potassium, magnesium, and a variety of plant nutrients.
The exact amount of minerals in your finished infusion depends on the herb, how much you use, water composition, and steeping time.
How to Make a Long Herbal Infusion
Add approximately ¼–½ cup of dried herbs to a quart-sized, heat-safe jar.
Heat water until just boiling.
Pour the hot water over the herbs.
Cover and allow to steep for 4–8 hours.
Strain, squeezing the herbs to extract the remaining liquid.
For a larger 64 oz batch, use approximately ½–1 cup of dried herbs.
Refrigerate as the infusion cools rather than leaving it at room temperature for hours. Enjoy within 24–48 hours.
Herbalist tip: I love preparing a big jar of nettle or oatstraw infusion to keep in the refrigerator. It’s such a simple way to incorporate mineral-rich herbs into your daily routine.
Can Every Herb Be Used in a Long Infusion?
Not necessarily!
Long infusions are particularly beneficial for certain nourishing leaves and stems.
Strongly aromatic herbs like peppermint, rosemary, lavender, and lemon balm generally don’t need such long steeping times. Extended steeping can change their flavor and create an overpowering or bitter infusion.
Herbs like ginger, echinacea, and certain bitter roots can also become unpleasantly strong when steeped for hours.
That doesn’t mean these herbs are automatically unsafe in a longer infusion. It simply means that more isn’t always better, and the ideal preparation depends on the plant.
4. Decoctions
Best for: Tough roots, barks, seeds, and woody plant materials.
Some plant parts are much tougher and denser than delicate leaves and flowers.
Roots, barks, and certain seeds often benefit from a gentle simmer to help soften the plant material and extract beneficial compounds.
This process is called a decoction.
Decoctions are especially useful for herbs like:
Ginger root: Contains gingerols and other pungent compounds associated with digestive support and warming properties.
Cinnamon bark: Rich in aromatic compounds and polyphenols.
Dandelion root: Contains bitter compounds often used to support healthy digestion.
Burdock root: Contains inulin and other beneficial plant compounds.
Astragalus root: Contains polysaccharides commonly used in immune-supporting herbal preparations.
Licorice root: Contains naturally sweet compounds and is commonly used in throat-soothing herbal blends.
How to Make a Decoction
Add approximately 1–2 teaspoons of dried herbs per 8 oz of water to a small saucepan.
Bring the water to a gentle simmer.
Cover and simmer on low for approximately 15–40 minutes, depending on the herbs.
Remove from heat, strain, and enjoy.
For particularly dense roots and barks, a longer simmer may be beneficial.
Herbalist tip: Lightly crushing cinnamon sticks, seeds, or other hard herbs before simmering can help expose more surface area to the water and improve extraction.
Decoction measurements can vary considerably depending on the herb, so follow
herb-specific directions when available. Some roots, such as licorice, also require extra care because of their effects on blood pressure and certain medications.
What If My Tea Contains Both Roots and Leaves?
This is actually very common!
Many herbal tea blends contain a combination of leaves, flowers, roots, berries, and bark.
And the good news is that you don’t have to prepare every ingredient separately to make a wonderful cup of tea.
For everyday herbal tea blends: A covered hot infusion for 15–20 minutes is often a simple and effective method, even when the blend contains a combination of plant parts.
Which Herbal Tea Brewing Method Is Best?
It really depends on the herbs you’re using and what you’re hoping to get out of them!
Hot infusion: Wonderful for everyday herbal tea blends, leaves, flowers, and aromatic herbs. Typically 15–20 minutes, or 30–60 minutes for certain herbs.
Cold infusion: Especially useful for mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow root, or for making smooth, refreshing herbal drinks. Typically 2–8 hours.
Long infusion: One of my favorite ways to prepare nourishing, mineral-rich herbs like nettle and oatstraw. Typically 4–8 hours.
Decoction: Often best for tough roots, barks, and seeds that benefit from a gentle simmer. Typically 15–40 minutes.
A Final Thought
The most important thing to remember is that herbal tea isn’t one-size-fits-all.
The same herb can sometimes be prepared multiple ways, with each method bringing out different flavors and beneficial compounds.
You don’t need to overcomplicate it, either! Even a simple covered hot infusion can make a wonderful, beneficial cup of herbal tea.
But learning how to prepare different herbs gives you more ways to enjoy them and make the most of what they have to offer.
That’s one of the things I love most about herbalism. There’s always something new to learn
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