Kitchen notes

How to Make Lemon Balm Tea From Powder, Hot or Iced

Half a teaspoon of lemon balm powder extract in a cup of water, stirred until it disappears. How to make it hot, iced, by the pitcher, how to sweeten it, and how to store the pouch.

Half a teaspoon of lemon balm powder extract in a cup of water. Stir until it disappears. That is the whole method, hot or iced. There is no steeping, no strainer and no bag to fish out, because the extract dissolves completely.

Lemon balm is Melissa officinalis, a leafy herb in the mint family. The powder extract is a 10:1 extract of the leaf, which is why so little goes into each cup and why one pouch makes about 300 servings. The taste is mild, lemony and a little minty. Below is how to make it hot, how to make it iced, what to sweeten it with and how to keep the pouch in good shape.

How much lemon balm powder per cup of tea?

Half a teaspoon per cup. Start there. If you like a lighter drink, use less. If you want more lemon, use a little more. The extract is concentrated, so a small change in the spoon makes a noticeable change in the cup. Measure with a real measuring spoon the first few times. After that you will have the feel of it.

How to make hot lemon balm tea from powder

1. Heat water. Just off the boil is fine. It does not need to be a rolling boil.
2. Put half a teaspoon of powder in your cup.
3. Pour in the hot water and stir for a few seconds until the powder dissolves.
4. Drink it as is, or sweeten it (more on that below).

Powder first, water second, is the easier order. If you add powder to a full cup, it sits on top for a moment before it goes in. Either way works. It just takes a bit more stirring.

How to make iced lemon balm tea from powder

The extract dissolves in cold water, so there is no need to brew hot and wait for it to chill. Two ways:

• Straight into cold water. Half a teaspoon in a glass of cold water. Stir well, since cold water takes a few more seconds than hot. Add ice.
• A shaker or a jar. Powder, cold water, lid, shake. This is a quick way to a clear glass with nothing settling at the bottom.

A squeeze of fresh lemon plays up the lemon side of the flavor. A few torn mint leaves play up the mint side.

What to sweeten lemon balm tea with

It is fine unsweetened. If you want more:

• Honey in hot tea. Stir it in while the water is hot so it dissolves.
• Plain sugar or maple syrup work in either. Maple goes well with the minty edge.
• Monk fruit extract powder for no added sugar. A tiny pinch goes a long way, so add less than you think and taste.
• Simple syrup for iced tea, since granulated sugar is slow to dissolve in cold water. Keep a jar in the fridge.

Lemon balm pairs with lemon, mint, ginger and cucumber. A spoon of hibiscus powder stirred into an iced batch turns it tart and ruby red, which makes a good summer pitcher.

How to make a pitcher of lemon balm tea for a crowd

Keep the same ratio, half a teaspoon per cup, and count the cups your pitcher holds. A two quart pitcher holds eight cups, so it takes four teaspoons of powder.

1. Put the powder in the empty pitcher.
2. Add a cup or so of warm water and stir until clear. This step keeps the powder from clumping when the rest goes in.
3. Fill with cold water and stir again.
4. Sweeten the pitcher now if you want it sweet. Syrup, or honey dissolved in that first bit of warm water, mixes in evenly.
5. Chill. Serve over ice with lemon slices.

It keeps in the fridge like any iced tea. Give it a stir before pouring. A hot pot works the same way: powder in the pot, hot water over it, stir.

How to store a pouch of lemon balm powder extract

The pouch is resealable. Press the zip closed after each use. Keep it in a cupboard away from the stove and the kettle, since steam is the main thing that gets into an open bag. Use a dry spoon. A damp spoon in the bag is how clumps start. If it does clump, break it up with the back of the spoon.

Every pouch carries its pack date. Powders are packed in small runs, so the date on your bag tells you how long it has been sitting on a shelf.

What is in lemon balm powder extract?

One ingredient: lemon balm leaf, extracted and dried to a powder. No blends, no fillers, no flow agents, no anti-caking agents, nothing artificial. No added sugar. Caffeine free. It is a 10:1 extract, which means a large amount of leaf goes into a small amount of powder. That is what makes half a teaspoon enough for a full cup.

Where to get it

Lemon Balm Powder Extract comes in a resealable 16 oz pouch at $28.99 direct from nobleslothfoods.com, and the same pouch is on Amazon. It is packed in our own facility, which is dedicated gluten-free, SQF certified and GFCO certified. Questions about the product go to a real person at the facility: admin@nobleslothfoods.com.

Half a teaspoon, a cup of water, a stir. Hot in winter, iced in summer, a pitcher when people come over. That is lemon balm tea from powder.