How To Make Cilantro Tea
Cilantro tea is gaining popularity and for a good reason!
This tea is not only extremely easy to make, but it has a ton of potential health benefits and is very budget-friendly. Not to mention, it is refreshing when served warm or when turned into an iced tea!
So, how do you make cilantro tea? There are two main methods you can use. You can steep some fresh cilantro leaves in boiled water for 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, you could steep cilantro tea bags or loose leaf cilantro tea in a tea strainer or pot.
Once it has properly steeped, you can serve it immediately with some lemon juice or lime juice.
And, if you like your tea sweet, add some organic honey or another type of sweetener of your choice. Just never serve this tea with milk, even a plant-based one! It completely ruins it.
Today, we will explore the many faces of cilantro teas and dive deep into the potential health benefits they could have. And, we will also look at how to make your own cilantro tea at home using either fresh leaves or dried ones.
What Is Cilantro Tea?
Many people are not yet familiar with cilantro tea. This tea carries a ton of nutrients and along with it, some interesting health benefits, not to mention it is absolutely delicious and can be extremely refreshing.
Cilantro tea is made using mostly fresh cilantro leaves. In other regions in the world, this herb is also commonly known as coriander, dhania, or Chinese parsley.
Whichever you know it by, this herb is naturally soft and has thick finger-like leaves on a long thin stalk. It almost looks exactly like fresh parsley leaves!
By itself, this ingredient is especially popular in Asian cuisines, specifically Indian cuisine. You will also find it commonly used in Northern African dishes, where it grows in abundance.
However, while the tea itself is ancient in Asian cultures, it has made its way into Western cultures and now is very common.
Characteristics Of Cilantro Tea
As we have mentioned, often cilantro tea is made using fresh cilantro leaves. These leaves are steeped in boiling hot water and immediately served.
That is all you need! This makes this tea exceptionally healthy as it doesn’t contain any additives, preservatives, or flavor enhancers.
This tea produces very interesting flavors. We would describe it as having a strong herbaceous flavor with notes of citrus. It also has a slight tanginess to it.
You will often find that not many people like the flavor of this herb. So, if you are one of them but still would like to have all of the benefits the tea can give you, simply add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the water.
You can also use lime juice instead. And, for those of you who like your teas sweet, you can add a teaspoon or two of fresh honey.
Naturally, once you add ingredients like these, the flavor of the tea will be drastically altered.
One thing to keep in mind is that you never serve milk with this tea or any fresh-herb tea. It makes the tangy flavors astringent and unpleasant.
Forms Of Cilantro Tea
As we have mentioned, this tea is often made from fresh cilantro leaves. However, you can also find some other forms of it.
Some people also use dried cilantro leaves. Yes, like the ones you usually use for spices! They claim that it has a more concentrated flavor and is easier to steep. In our opinion, we haven’t found it to be more or less flavorful.
But, we absolutely hate it when our loose leaf tea strainers accidentally release some dried herb pieces. There is nothing worse than having them stuck between your teeth.
Another form of cilantro tea you will find is actual tea bags (such as these ones). Then, even within this category, you will find a variety. Some of these products only contain dried cilantro leaves.
Others may include lemon flavors or even honey flavors. And finally, you will be able to get some interesting herb teas that include a variety of types, including cilantro.
How To Make Cilantro Tea From Scratch with Fresh Leaves
Here is the easiest and best recipe for making cilantro tea ta home. We always prefer using the freshest leaves you can find. If you have a fresh living cilantro plant, that is even better!
Ingredients
- 10 sprigs of cilantro, washed
- 4 cups water
Equipment
- Kettle or pot
- Thermometer
- Teapot with strainer
Instructions
- First, start by removing any blemished leaves or pieces of stalks.
- Once you have chosen the best pieces, immediately wash the leaves in cold running water.
- Then, gently dry them on a piece of paper towel or kitchen cloth to remove any excess debris.
- Place the cleaned and prepared cilantro stalks and leaves into the teapot.
- Next, you can use a kettle or stainless steel pot to boil some clean water. Once it has been boiled, take the temperature of the water. For cilantro tea, the best temperature is between 170-185°F.
- Once it has reached 185°F, pour the tea into a teapot over the leaves. Remember, as you decant the water it will drastically cool as well as when it is steeping. You don’t want cold tea by the time you are ready to serve it.
- Allow the cilantro tea to steep for 5-7 minutes so that the flavors are completely released as well as the nutrients.
- Finally, after the tea has been steeped, immediately serve it while it is still warm. You can then add your flavoring ingredients like lemon juice, lime juice, honey, or other sweeteners.
How To Make Store-Bought Dried Cilantro Tea
Whether you are using dried cilantro leaves or a specific cilantro tea bag, they will both work in virtually the same way.
For loose leaf cilantro tea, you can add about 1-2 teaspoons of dried leaves to your strainer or teapot. This will be enough for one cup of cilantro tea.
Then, add your boiled water to a cup or your teapot. Allow the dried leaves to steep for 5-7 minutes before removing them and serving the tea warm immediately. You can still add any flavoring of your choice.
Tips And Tricks For Making Cilantro Tea
- Regardless of which form of this tea you are making, they all can be made using the same water temperatures and steeping times. As we have already mentioned, the water needs to be between 170-185°F, which also applies to most herbal or green teas. Furthermore, all of these teas can steep between 5-7 minutes, regardless of the amount.
- You can also make ice tea from these recipes. Simply allow the tea to completely cool after it has finished steeping. Remember to remove the cilantro from the water. Then, once cooled you can add some ice cubes and sweetener if you want to.
- Do not serve this tea with milk. Herbs and milk do not mix well and create an extremely unpleasant flavor.
- You can substitute the cilantro in this recipe with other similar herbs including oregano, mint, parsley, and rosemary. Their steeping times may vary slightly depending on the intensity of the herb itself.
Benefits Of Cilantro Tea
Like most teas, cilantro tea also has a ton of potential health benefits. Now, it is important to know that when it comes to health benefits, especially with ingredients, nothing is ever based on fact.
There simply isn’t enough long-term research on any of the nutrients to be absolute proof.
So, just make sure to consult your doctor before trying to use any herbal tea as a nutrient supplement in your diet. The benefits mentioned may not work for everyone, but could potentially work well for others.
Vitamin K
Cilantro is an excellent plant source of vitamin K. This vitamin could potentially help your blood properly clot (for injuries) and may even help strengthen your bones.
Detoxifying Ingredient
Like many other herbal teas, cilantro tea is also believed to have detoxifying properties.
What this basically means is that by drinking this tea, your body will be flushed from toxins such as lead and other heavy metals or diseases.
Quercetin Levels
Now, don’t worry if you have never heard about this nutrient before, because it isn’t commonly talked about.
This is a flavonoid found in some plant foods. It is a fantastic antioxidant and has incredible anti-inflammatory properties. So, naturally, people believe that it could have similar health benefits, especially long term.
Cilantro Tea
This cilantro tea is jam packed full of nutrients and health benefits. Be sure to give this one a try!
Ingredients
- 10 sprigs of cilantro, washed
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- First, start by removing any blemished leaves or pieces of stalks.
- Once you have chosen the best pieces, immediately wash the leaves in cold running water.
- Then, gently dry them on a piece of paper towel or kitchen cloth to remove any excess debris.
- Place the cleaned and prepared cilantro stalks and leaves into the teapot.
- Next, you can use a kettle or stainless steel pot to boil some clean water. Once it has been boiled, take the temperature of the water. For cilantro tea, the best temperature is between 170-185°F.
- Once it has reached 185°F, pour the tea into a teapot over the leaves. Remember, as you decant the water it will drastically cool as well as when it is steeping. You don't want cold tea by the time you are ready to serve it.
- Allow the cilantro tea to steep for 5-7 minutes so that the flavors are completely released as well as the nutrients.
- Finally, after the tea has been steeped, immediately serve it while it is still warm. You can then add your flavoring ingredients like lemon juice, lime juice, honey, or other sweeteners.
