sun tea for the summer solstice

sun season

Growing up, my mom would make sun tea all summer long for us to enjoy. She would always use Lipton black tea bags with fresh spearmint from our garden. I still make sun teas, especially around the summer solstice, as a way of honoring and capturing the long sunny days. I like to think that drinking warm-from-the-sun tea is part of my preventative care for coping with the dark days of winter that are so common in upstate New York.

black tea + lemon + mint

A take on my mom’s classic sun tea. Lemon balm or lemon verbena would also be delicious in place of the lemon slices.

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5 from 1 vote

black tea + lemon + mint

Ingredients

1 qt water
2 black tea bags
2 lemon slices
3 sprigs of mint

Instructions

Place all the herbs and fruit in a quart jar. Fill with water.
Cover jar and place in a sunny spot to infuse for about 3 hours.
Strain out herbs and fruit. Sweeten with honey if desired.

lemon balm + tusli (holy basil)

Lemon balm and tulsi (also called holy basil) are the herbs I most often reach for when making tea. They both have calming scents that help to relax the nervous system.

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 1 vote

lemon balm + tulsi

Ingredients

1 qt water
2 tbsp fresh lemon balm or 1 tbsp dried
2 tbsp fresh tulsi (holy basil) or 1 tbsp dried

Instructions

Place all the herbs in a quart jar. Fill with water.
Cover jar and place in a sunny spot to infuse for about 3 hours.
Strain out herbs. Sweeten with honey if desired.

hibiscus + orange + mint

This beautiful sun tea gets its bright red color from hibiscus. Hibiscus is a subtropical plant that is often used to make cooling teas to help withstand the summer heat. Its tart and tangy flavors pair wonderfully with mint and citrus. I especially love this tea mixed with seltzer.