Fruit teas are an infusion of a blend of dried fruit with herbs, petals, leaves and blossoms. The addition of hot water brings out the flavour from all the ingredients. Fruit teas are characterised first and foremost by their colours, which can range from a light pink to a dark red, or a pale yellow to a deeper, almost brown, yellow.
Fruit tea can be drunk hot or cold, making them a perfect choice all year round, but hot water is always used in the preparation of either to ensure the tea is flavourful.
What are the Benefits of Fruit Tea?
A refreshing fruit tea brew is full of vitamins and antioxidants that boost the immune system and fight toxins within the body. Fruit tea also has no added sugar because the natural sugars in the fruits are enough to sweeten the tea. The lack of caffeine, due to the lack of tea leaves, makes fruit tea an option for any time of day.
Fruit teas are also very low calories, so they are ideal for those looking to lose weight. The 100% natural ingredients help to rehydrate, refresh and sooth the body. If you’re looking for a beneficial new tea to help you unwind after a long day, fruit tea could be the choice for you.
Ingredients Used in Fruit Teas
Berries are a common choice for fruit teas. You can make fruit tea with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, elderberries, blackcurrants and blackberries.
Other popular choices for fruit teas are pomegranate, passion fruit, orange, lemon, mango, papaya, pineapple and peach.
Three key fruits that appear in the majority of fruit tea recipes are apples, rosehip and hibiscus. This is because they are baseline ingredients that are then fused with the other ingredients to give fruit tea its flavours and health benefits.
For maximum flavour, fruit teas blend a multitude of different fruits together, even some you may not expect to work. The three common baseline ingredients give these mixed teas a basis for other flavours. Apple, for instance, is a sweet baseline that can then be paired with other sweet fruits, like strawberries or peach, or with sharper fruits, like citrus fruits or sourer berries.
The most typical leaf used in fruit tea is mint, which gives these blended teas a stronger, more refreshing flavour. A common complementary herb in fruit tea is ginger, which is full of antioxidants and has a softer flavour.
How to Make Fruit Tea at Home
Most large tea companies will offer fruit teas, whether in the form of tea bags or loose tea. With these, you simply add hot water to extract the flavour, wait longer than you would for a regular tea for it to brew (sometimes up to 8 minutes) and then drink hot or wait until the cup has gone cold to enjoy it.
If you are making fruit tea from scratch yourself, then you can either buy dried fruit or dry the fruits yourself. Then, simply blend them with your chosen leaves or herbs and add hot water. If you are drinking your fruit tea cold then you can add some fresh fruits, like berries, or a mint leaf.
Using a clear glass mug, or a tall clear glass if you’re enjoying it cold, is a great way to drink fruit tea because it displays the interesting colour of fruit tea.