Merry Mint Tea DIY

Tea has become a regular part of my life. While the lifelong coffee addiction still runs strong it became clear that cutting back a bit would be a good idea. Additionally, the calming effects of tea are a wonderful part of good sleep hygiene. So, most every night for the past couple of years there has been cup of tea on my nightstand. Of course, our tea drawer is stuffed with different teas we have received and bought. Lately, there is a Christmas mint tea that I enjoy nightly. The tea is a blend of wonderful herbs and had a surprise of candy cane pieces. The result was a sweet mint tea. After seeing other holiday teas with candy cane pieces, the inspiration for this easy Merry Mint Tea DIY was born. My version is simple with two ingredients for a sweet peppermint tea with lots of gift appeal!

A bit of experimenting revealed a couple of things. Firstly, use candy canes you have crushed yourself. My first batch I used package pre-crushed candy cane which resulted in cloudy tea. It was clear that they used some sort of powdering agent in the candy cane pieces to keep it from clumping. The resulting tea wasn’t attractive. Secondly, for it to work well a 1:1 ratio was best. I started at 1:4 and worked my way up. To achieve a pleasingly sweet peppermint tea equal parts dried peppermint and crushed candy cane are used. Of course, you can play with the amounts if you like. This is just was I recommend. On a side note, the presentation factor is better with the 1:1 ratio.

Merry Mint Tea DIY

Can be doubled, tripled, etc. as needed.

1 cup dried peppermint leaves (I found these in bulk at a local natural grocers)

1 cup of crushed candy canes

Cute jars or containers

Combine peppermint leaves and crushed candy cane in a dry bowl. Portion out as desired and label. Store in a cool dry location.

To use: fill tea strainer with a heaping teaspoon of tea and play in a mug of hot water.

Have a cheerful day!