It’s been raining for days and it’s going to keep raining the rest of the week. At least it’s not snow, is all I can say. These kinds of days call for cuddling up with my pugs, a good book and a hot cup of tea. The book I’m reading is Stella Bain by Anita Shreve. The tea I’m drinking is a copycat recipe of the tea I get at my favorite hair salon.
I love the tea I get at my salon, but it is so expensive! I found several recipes on some online message boards and tweaked it to my own liking. I found all of the ingredients in bulk at my food co-op for less than $10. It’s mostly a combination of sweet licorice root and peppermint leaf. There’s some fennel and basil in there too. Look for my version of this comforting salon tea below.
I’ve never made loose leaf tea before, so I had no idea how to brew it. I’m a big tea drinker, but I’ve always just bought bags. I ended up buying this mesh ball tea infuser from Republic of Tea. It was about $3.00 and works pretty well. I do wish the mesh was finer, because I get small particulates in my cuppa. Someday I think I’ll invest in a real tea pot, like this one.
Important FODMAP Information:
According to the Monash FODMAP App, peppermint tea is low in FODMAPs, but fennel tea is high in FODMAPs. Licorice root has not been tested. Therefore, it should not be consumed on the elimination phase of the diet. However, I hope you can eventually test it to see if it works for you, like it does for me.
It may keep raining, but at least I have this beautiful orchid I bought at a fundraiser this weekend. Bring a little spring inside while it pours outside. I couldn’t resist photographing it and using it as a prop! My husband is helping me take care of it so I don’t kill it. Do you know how to water an orchid? Just put three ice cubes in the pot once a week. Pretty cool.
Copycat Comforting Salon Tea
Not Low-FODMAP
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups licorice root
1 cup dried peppermint leaves
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely chopped
(I use my coffee grinder)
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
Directions
Combine all ingredients in an air-tight container. Use as desired to make lovely cups of tea.
*Post updated 03/01/2015
Can I find all of these ingredients in the spice section? And just regular basil?
Thank you,
Terri Bateson
I usually find these herbs in the bulk spice section in the natural/health food section of the grocery store. Yes, just regular basil.