Blend your own herbal teas.
Half the fun of growing tea herbs is mixing them. These are simple, good-tasting blends - a calming bedtime cup, a bright morning brew, a fruity iced tea - with the parts to use and a plain method. Grow the herbs, dry them, and make them your own.
Mix your dried herbs by the "parts" below (a part = any equal scoop). Use about 1 tsp of dried blend (or 1 tbsp fresh) per cup, pour over just-boiled water, cover so the aromatic oils don't escape, and steep 5-7 minutes. Strain and sweeten to taste. For per-herb temperatures and times, use the herbal steep timer.
🌙Wind down in the evening
Soft, floral and earthy blends many people enjoy as a bedtime ritual.
- 2 parts chamomile
- 1 part lavender
- 1 part lemon balm
Taste: Gentle, honeyed and floral.
A calm cup an hour before bed.
- 1 part valerian
- 1 part passionflower
- 2 parts chamomile
Taste: Earthy and deeply mellow.
For evenings you really want to slow down.
⚠️ Valerian is strongly sedating - don't drink before driving, and skip it if you're pregnant or on sedatives.
- 2 parts linden
- 1 part chamomile
- 1 part lemon balm
Taste: Delicate, honey-sweet and floral.
A soft, soothing cup for a quiet evening.
🌅Bright morning cups
Caffeine-free but lively - crisp, minty and herbaceous ways to start the day.
- 2 parts peppermint
- 1 part spearmint
- 1 part ginger
Taste: Cool, sharp and refreshing.
A wake-up cup with no caffeine.
- 2 parts holy basil (tulsi)
- 1 part rosemary
- 1 part lemon verbena
Taste: Bright, savoury and lemony.
A herbaceous mid-morning brew.
🍵After a meal
Warming, settling blends traditionally sipped after eating.
- 2 parts peppermint
- 1 part fennel
- 1 part ginger
Taste: Sweet, minty and gently spiced.
A classic post-dinner cup.
- 2 parts ginger
- 1 part lemongrass
- 1 part stevia
Taste: Spicy, citrusy and naturally sweet.
A warming cup on a cold day.
- 1 part anise hyssop
- 1 part fennel
- 2 parts peppermint
Taste: Sweet, licorice-like and minty.
A fragrant cup to settle a full stomach.
🧣Cold-weather warmers
Fragrant, savoury blends for autumn and winter evenings.
- 2 parts elderflower
- 1 part rosehip
- 1 part thyme
Taste: Floral, tangy and fragrant.
A comforting seasonal cup.
⚠️ Use elderflower only - raw elderberries and other parts of the plant need proper preparation.
- 1 part sage
- 1 part thyme
- 2 parts lemon balm
Taste: Savoury, herby and warming.
A cosy evening brew.
⚠️ Keep sage occasional and light, and avoid strong sage tea in pregnancy.
- 1 part yarrow
- 1 part elderflower
- 2 parts thyme
Taste: Bittersweet, herby and warming.
A traditional cup for a cold, blustery day.
⚠️ Yarrow is potent and traditionally avoided in pregnancy - keep it occasional and light.
🧊Fruity & refreshing (great iced)
Tart, colourful blends that shine over ice on a warm day.
- 2 parts hibiscus
- 1 part rosehip
- 1 part lemongrass
Taste: Tart, ruby-red and zesty.
Lovely iced with a little honey.
- 2 parts butterfly pea flower
- 1 part lemongrass
Taste: Mild and floral - and it turns from blue to purple with a squeeze of lemon.
A colour-changing party trick, served iced.
- 1 part lemon verbena
- 1 part lemon balm
- 1 part spearmint
Taste: Zesty, green and cooling.
A bright cup, hot or iced.
- 2 parts jasmine
- 1 part lemongrass
- 1 part spearmint
Taste: Perfumed, citrusy and cool.
Fragrant and lovely over ice.
🌱Fresh & clear-headed
Crisp, herby blends for when you want a bright, awake sort of cup - no caffeine needed.
- 1 part rosemary
- 2 parts peppermint
- 1 part holy basil
Taste: Piney, minty and invigorating.
A fresh cup for a focused afternoon.
- 2 parts peppermint
- 1 part lemon verbena
- 1 part lemongrass
Taste: Sharp, zesty and refreshing.
A bright reset any time of day.
- 2 parts bee balm
- 1 part spearmint
- 1 part lemon balm
Taste: Minty, citrusy and lively - the old 'Oswego tea'.
A cheerful, aromatic garden cup.
Want to grow the herbs first? Browse the tea plant library, time your brew with the steep timer, or turn a harvest into syrups and cordials in infusions & cordials.
⚠️ These are recipes for enjoyment, not remedies, and nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can be potent: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication, or have a health condition, check with a professional before drinking herbal teas regularly, and only use plants you have identified with certainty. Introduce a new herb on its own first in case of allergies.