Dandelion Tisane (Tea)

One should be so lucky to be like a dandelion.  When they are torn down they reappear even stronger and more resilient than before, the phoenix of the garden they are.

Dandelion flowers, mint, lemon bee balm, lavender, echinacea, and chamomile

For those who don't drink alcohol, there's a very easy and delicious way to enjoy dandelions that is sure to make you break out into extreme happiness.  Make a dandelion tisane!

What's a tisane?

Tisane is a fancy word for what most everyone refers to as herbal tea.  Tea is technically only made from the camellia sinensis plant though.  Which makes white, green, oolong, black and puerh teas all variations of the exact same plant.  A drink that is made from something that is not the camellia sinensis plant is therefore not tea and is in fact a tisane.  Now you know another almost useful fact!

Why didn't you use this fancy tisane word in the last post about dandelion wine?

The majority of people have no idea what a tisane is and tea is used interchangeably in our society to basically describe all herbal beverages that are not coffee.  That article was already long enough with no room to explain the difference between tea and tisane so tea was just easier to use!  There is (usually) a method to my madness!

Chai?

Chai is just a different word for tea.  It literally means tea.  If you say, "I'd like a chai tea."  You're literally saying, "I would like a tea tea."  Don't be that person.

Back to the dandelion tisane.  You can use all parts of the dandelion for this: flowers, leaves, and root or just one, you choose.  I'd suggest starting with just the dandelion flowers.  Pick a few dandelion flowers, throw them in a cup along with mint, lemon bee balm, lavender, echinacea, and chamomile (if it's night time), all from your very own garden of course.  Pour some hot water over top, let it steep for at least 5 minutes then enjoy.

Enjoying a hot summers day and you're not up for a steaming hot beverage?  Start by making this the exact same way.  After the herbs have steeped in the hot water for 5 minutes pour it into a second glass that is filled with ice.  Suddenly you have a chilled, refreshing drink that has all the same herbal goodness of a hot tisane.

There's your quick, easy and non-alcoholic way of enjoying dandelions.

Do you still think it's a useless weed?

Pro Tip:  Experiment with different temperatures of water to get different tastes.  Even different types of water can affect the final product.  Experiment with it all to see what you enjoy.  Personally, 198 degrees is the perfect temp for an herbal tisane to get the taste that I enjoy.

Side Hustle Idea:  Make and sell tisanes!