I've been growing a lemon balm plant over the summer and was wondering
how to best brew it. I've just been cutting sprigs off and putting them
in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I usually only get 1 decent
infusion however, and it takes a lot of leaves. Is there a better way
to extract the oils? Does it matter whether I brew both the leaves and
stems or should I be throwing away the stems.

Thanks,
halcy0n

On Sep 2, 9:36 pm, halcy0n wrote:
I've been growing a lemon balm plant over the summer and was wondering
how to best brew it. I've just been cutting sprigs off and putting them
in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I usually only get 1 decent
infusion however, and it takes a lot of leaves. Is there a better way
to extract the oils? Does it matter whether I brew both the leaves and
stems or should I be throwing away the stems.

Thanks,
halcy0n

It seems as if you have not posted to this list previously.
Actually, this is a tea group - camellia sinesis. Not herbs.
There are many herbal groups available online that may give you
appropriate information. Lemon Balm is an herb whose leaves are
usually dried before steeping.
Good luck in finding an appropriate group for your interests.
Shen

On 2007-09-02 23:03:45 -0600, Shen said:

On Sep 2, 9:36 pm, halcy0n wrote:
I've been growing a lemon balm plant over the summer and was wondering
how to best brew it. I've just been cutting sprigs off and putting them
in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I usually only get 1 decent
infusion however, and it takes a lot of leaves. Is there a better way
to extract the oils? Does it matter whether I brew both the leaves and
stems or should I be throwing away the stems.

Thanks,
halcy0n

It seems as if you have not posted to this list previously.
Actually, this is a tea group - camellia sinesis. Not herbs.
There are many herbal groups available online that may give you
appropriate information. Lemon Balm is an herb whose leaves are
usually dried before steeping.
Good luck in finding an appropriate group for your interests.
Shen

Thanks for the tip; I appologize for posting in the wrong list.

On 2007-09-03, halcy0n halcy0n wrote:
I've been growing a lemon balm plant over the summer and was wondering
how to best brew it. I've just been cutting sprigs off and putting them
in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I usually only get 1 decent
infusion however, and it takes a lot of leaves. Is there a better way
to extract the oils? Does it matter whether I brew both the leaves and
stems or should I be throwing away the stems.

I've only rarely gotten my hands on fresh leaves, and the lemon aroma
fades significantly with drying. Since you are using fresh leaves,
have you tried crushing or chopping the leaves before infusion? (This
works superbly for mint, which I find also needs a huge amount of leaf
otherwise to get a tolerable strength.) Also, have you tried a longer
infusion time?

I wouldn't expect to be able to get much out of a second infusion,
though. I'd be curious how it would affect the flavor to steep it for
longer with water well below boiling. If you like it, that might get
you a second infusion, too.

Instead of using more leaf, I usually combine it (n.b. dried) with
stronger smelling herbs like lavender, spearmint, or most often
verbena/lemon myrtle/(fresh) lemongrass to make the flavor more
potent.

Thanks for the tip; I appologize for posting in the wrong list.

Nothing to apologize for -- discussion of herbal teas (though not of
their medicinal properties) are explicitly on-topic according to the
newsgroup's charter. There is overlap between tea drinkers and herbal
tea drinkers, also. I think Shen just meant that you may get more or
better quality responses in groups specifically for herbal teas. (If
you do ask elsewhere and get a good answer, please post a summary
here, as well.)


HTH,
N.

halcy0n wrote:
On 2007-09-02 23:03:45 -0600, Shen said:

On Sep 2, 9:36 pm, halcy0n wrote:
I've been growing a lemon balm plant over the summer and was wondering
how to best brew it. I've just been cutting sprigs off and putting them
in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I usually only get 1 decent
infusion however, and it takes a lot of leaves. Is there a better way
to extract the oils? Does it matter whether I brew both the leaves and
stems or should I be throwing away the stems.

Thanks,
halcy0n

It seems as if you have not posted to this list previously.
Actually, this is a tea group - camellia sinesis. Not herbs.
There are many herbal groups available online that may give you
appropriate information. Lemon Balm is an herb whose leaves are
usually dried before steeping.
Good luck in finding an appropriate group for your interests.
Shen

Thanks for the tip; I appologize for posting in the wrong list.

So tizanes are not topical according to the charter? I don't want to nit
pick, but there is enough overlap with 'tea' that I don't see what the
big deal is...

--
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HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/ The Sushi Otaku Blog
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/ Sushi-Ya-Pedia Restaurant Finder
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/ The Tea FAQ
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On Sep 23, 7:12 am, Warren Ransom wrote:
halcy0n wrote:
On 2007-09-02 23:03:45 -0600, Shen said:

On Sep 2, 9:36 pm, halcy0n wrote:
I've been growing a lemon balm plant over the summer and was wondering
how to best brew it. I've just been cutting sprigs off and putting them
in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I usually only get 1 decent
infusion however, and it takes a lot of leaves. Is there a better way
to extract the oils? Does it matter whether I brew both the leaves and
stems or should I be throwing away the stems.

Thanks,
halcy0n

It seems as if you have not posted to this list previously.
Actually, this is a tea group - camellia sinesis. Not herbs.
There are many herbal groups available online that may give you
appropriate information. Lemon Balm is an herb whose leaves are
usually dried before steeping.
Good luck in finding an appropriate group for your interests.
Shen

Thanks for the tip; I appologize for posting in the wrong list.

So tizanes are not topical according to the charter? I don't want to nit
pick, but there is enough overlap with 'tea' that I don't see what the
big deal is...

--
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/The Sushi FAQ
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/The Sushi Otaku Blog
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/Sushi-Ya-Pedia Restaurant Finder
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/The Tea FAQ
HTTP://www.jerkyfaq.com/The Jerky FAQ
HTTP://www.omega3faq.com/The Omega 3 Fatty Acids FAQ- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The RFDT charter states that tisanes are topical as long as the
discussion doesn't center on medicinal properties, etc. Tisanes as a
beverage are very much on topic for this group. This is an excerpt
from the RFDT FAQ:

5.3. What is rec.food.drink.tea?

Rec.food.drink.tea is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion of
tea and related beverages. It was inaugurated in 1995 with the
following charter:

Discussion relating to tea, the world's second most consumed
beverage
(after water), made by infusing or boiling the leaves of the tea
plant
(C. sinensis or close relatives) in water. Discussions of herbal
teas
(e.g. chamomile, sassafras, etc.) are also approved, but this
newsgroup should NOT be used for advertising herbal tea products or
discussing tea as anything other than a beverage. Tea-as-medicine
discussions should take place in misc.health.alternative.

So, while many of us tea snobs would rather discuss camellia sinensis,
tea as a beverage in the broader sense is completely on topic.

Alan