Herbal Teas - Kemangi (Lemon Basil) Tea



Kemangi leaves and flowers

 I enjoy tasty herbal teas as addition to having a healthy diet so I started on a quest to discover herbal teas that can be produced from Malaysian plants.  After my experiment with Misai Kucing, my next experiment was with Kemangi (Lemon Basil) (Botanical Name : Ocimum x Citriodorum).  Kemangi planted on the farm was growing very well, producing substantial quantities of leaves and flowers - more than what I can sell on a weekly basis at the market.  As the plants need to be pruned on a weekly basis to ensure quality production of leave and flowers, I decided to try making tea leaves out of it mainly due to the lovely citrusy fragrance which I theorized should produce a citrusy tasting tea which I hope would not also include a bitter taste.  In my research, I had found that this leaves have been turned into tea.
What I have found is that if water remains on the leaves for a long period of time, the leaves will bruise, causing them to turn brown.  With this is mind, I rinse the stems of leaves and shook off the excess water, and hung them "upside down" to dry them off as quick as possible.  To preserve the nutritional values of the flowers and leaves, it was air-dried out of direct sunlight. It takes about one week for it to totally dry. 
Once it was dry, I only crush the leaves and the flowers turning them into my tea.  I store the leaves in air-tight containers and in the chiller but I am also experimenting in storing them in containers on the shelves.  I want to see what is the best way to store them and I hope storing them on shelves produce favorable results as sometimes out fridge fills up so there is no place to store them in cool places, with our lovely warm, tropical climate.
To make the tea, I use about 1 teaspoon of tea and let it steep in just-boiled water for about 3-5 minutes.  It produces a golden brown color tea with a fragrant citrus smell, that wakes up the senses.  True to its English name, the tea has a refreshing, lemony taste to it and yes, not bitter at all, and taste great with or without honey.  For me, I avoid using white sugar and use either brown sugar or raw sugar if I want to have the sweet taste and do not have honey handy.  It can be served hot or cold - I prefer chilling it if I want it cold rather than adding ice as it will then water down create an uneven tea flavor. 
Since Kemangi is purported to aid in strengthening the heart and helping reduce stress, I call this my Heart Love tea, which I enjoy sipping in the late afternoon whilst enjoying the green scenery of Helang Lui.  One thing for sure, this is a definite great addition to Suria Helang Lui Herbal Teas.  Now, on to the next experiment......:)