101 ways to enjoy raspberry leaf tea...

Ok, so maybe I don't have 101 ways to enjoy raspberry leaf tea, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Many people who have never tried raspberry leaf are expecting to taste raspberries... sorry you will be disappointed. Raspberry leaf tastes a bit sweet, a bit bitter, and a bit bland. For those who in a previous time in their life drank black tea, if you make it strong enough, and ice it, it can make a nice substitute for ice tea.

Why drink raspberry leaf? There are a few reasons and while some are female specific, raspberry leaf is not just for females... I will list a few but for a more in depth look at raspberry, check out my thesis:
-balances female hormones and thus eases the monthly cycle (women and teens can benefit from drinking a cup a day)
-prepare the body for pregnancy and child birth (many midwives have recommended it for those who have a tendency to miscarriage, many midwives recommend it to help prevent or ease afterbirth pains, tones the uterus, etc.
-lots of vitamins and minerals (there is a table of this in my thesis)
-specific for colds and flues (thins mucus in the lungs)
-cleanses mucus membranes
-assists in milk supply in moms (this is more of an observation than a typical notation in the literature regarding raspberry leaf)

Before I get into the different ways to enjoy it, let me review how to make raspberry leaf tea.
1 tsp of leaves per cup. I typically use a quart mason jar and put something like the mesh tea infuser (I have that one) or the celestial strainer from Mountain Rose Herbs in the jar. I put about a tablespoon and a little more in the basket and then let it sit at the top of the jar. I pour boiling water over the top and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. I usually put a small plate on top. I don't use the tea balls from large box stores or the grocery store because they don't typically allow enough water circulation to utilize the leaves that are in the middle so you are wasting a lot of herbs and ending up with weak infusions. If you can't find anything locally, then just brew in the jar and strain out with a fine mesh strainer. You can drink the RRL cold or hot. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I would take a muslin tea bag put the herbs in(it held about 1/3 cup), fill a sun tea jar with water and make sun raspberry leaf tea. Sometimes I would boil 2 quarts of water in a stainless steel pot with a lid, turn off the heat and stir in raspberry leaf, put the lid on and go to bed. In the morning, I would strain through a mesh strainer put the infusion in the refrigerator. Previously made raspberry leaf will store in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If you have need of it on a daily basis and aren't good at remembering to steep some, then make a batch and have it ready to go. If you wish to reheat it, do so until it is just drinking temperature. NEVER boil your infusions.


Since raspberry leaf is my most used herb, and I get bored easily, I have come up with several ways to enjoy raspberry leaf tea.
1. Just the way it is hot with a little honey
2. Hot with a little honey and sqeeze of lemon
3. Mix in peppermint (let the raspberry leaf steep for 15 minutes and then add the mint for an additional 5 minutes but be sure to put a lid on your container because you don't want the mint essential oils escaping with the steam)
4. Find a favorite fun tea blend like Celestial Seasonings English Toffee or Lemon Zinger or Yogi tea Calming or Cocoa Spice or whatever and steep like the peppermint at the end of your raspberry leaf steeping time. Those teas tend to get bitter if steeped too long.
5. Stir in 1 T of blackstrap molasses per cup. This will give you a little sweet as well as a nice boost in iron, calcium, etc. beyond what raspberry leaf already provides. I found this method wonderful when I was a little tired mid-afternoon and needed an energy pick-me-up. You could also add some almond milk here too.
6. Cold with honey
7. Cold with a little 100% juice added (I liked 1/4 cherry juice with 3/4 raspberry infusion and a twist of lemon juice)
8. Use as the base liquid for a green smoothie you will be getting all those great greens along with your raspberry leaf! Be prepared that you will taste the tannic taste of the raspberry leaf but not too strongly. My kids love raspberry leaf with spinach, apples, bananas, peaches, and organic lemon with peel and maybe a touch of honey if it needs to be sweetened.