I'm sure this has been done a thousand times, but it tastes so much better than the store bought variety. I used to have while living at home, chocolate mint and it would get very big in the summer, so i would make tea from the leaves, then one summer while in B.C I tried the boxed stuff, no comparision! I see the land lord has mint bush in his garden and has said i could take from it, hope he enjoys mint tea! I've aslo take camamile flowers and mde tea from that, or mixed the two together! Tell me if you have used garden herbs to make a tea with, and what you used, Prayers to all

 I grow chocolate mint, also, and dry it for winter time because I drink hot tea all winter long. I've also made tea from strawberry leaves and rose hips. I dig dandelion in the fall and make dandelion "coffee," but only started that the last couple of years and this year I got really hooked on it. Traditional Medicinals has it commercially,so I bought some to tide me over, but I'll be digging a lot more this year because it's free in my backyard.

I also grow chamomile, but never get a big crop, and always wanted to grow echinacea, but it never did well here. 

 I have lots of spearmint, and I dried some to use for tea... but I've not had good luck with it using the loose tea ball; I don't know if I didn't use enough dried leaves, if I dried the leaves too much, if I didn't let it steep long enough... but I'd like to try again.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 This might be a silly/stupid question but where to you get seeds for mint?   I have never seen any.

Gigi:

 I have purchased rosehips from an herb farm, but I have not harvested them myself. Have you ever harvested them? From what I have read, it is a bit of work.

It's really not hard. You have to wait until first frost, or until they turn red/orange. Just cut them from the bush, spread them out to dry in a warm place for a couple of days and that's all there is to it. Store them in an airtight container, like you would any herb. You're always told to use them whole for tea, but it works better if you cut or crush them when it's time to make tea.  Wild roses are the best. It's been a long time since I've had tea from wild roses. I may not get many this year because I took out the best rose hip producer to have more room for vegetable gardening. 

 Some mint is stronger than others. It might have to do with where it's grown, I'm not sure. If the tea isn't strong enough, use more leaves. Also, mint should be steeped around 10 minutes before drinking. 

chocolatechic:

 This might be a silly/stupid question but where to you get seeds for mint?   I have never seen any.

 

I bought mine as a plant from a nursery. It spreads like wildfire once it gets going.  

I was just thinking I might do this next summer...or this summer, if I get my tail in gear in the next few days.  If I can learn to exactly duplicate Twining's Earl Grey with bergamot, I'm afraid they will lose a lot of revenue from this very loyal customer!