Fresh Stinging Nettle Tea with Mint

With a cool, refreshing flavor like a walk in the forest after a spring rain, mint and nettle tea is my new obsession. If you love this plant like I do, prepare to see them in a whole new light and embrace your inner elf. Today we'll go over how to make stinging nettle tea from fresh leaves or dried leaves, and a few ways to enjoy it.

If you'd written off tea as a novelty for granola eating hippies like I did, the mint and nettle tea recipe in this post will have you happily drinking your words. First though, I should mention that common nettles (Urtica dioica) or likely any close relative in the Urticaceae are what will make the best tea.

I tried making wood nettle tea (Laportea canadensis) a few different ways and unfortunately it's nothing like it's cousin. Take a look at the two different teas made the same way with fresh plants below. The classic nettle tea tastes rich and woodsy, while the wood nettle was surprisingly mild and not really comparable.

How to Dry Nettles for Tea

One of the best things about making tea from nettle plants is that it allows foragers to extend the season as the plants don't need to be as tender as a vegetable.

Older plants will also have a stronger flavor. But, older plants will also concentrate oxalates, so those sensitive to them should probably stick to younger plants, or just the tender tops which are what I usually prefer.

You can harvest nettle plants any time, but early summer will give the best yield. I might cut one or two feet long sections then remove the leaves from the central stalk.

The tops of the plants can be dried whole (pictured below) and require less processing. You could also tie whole plants up and hang them in a windy, sunny spot to air dry.

The plants are dried in a dehydrator at around 90F for 24 hours. Keeping the temperature low will ensure they stay nice and green.

Once they're dry I pulse them in a food processor and sift through a colander to remove long stems. You can also crush the dried leaves by hand but you'll want to wear a mask-ask me how I know.

After drying and sifting the leaves can be stored in a jar in a pantry where they'll keep for years.

How to Make Nettle Tea

You can make the tea from fresh or dried leaves, and I'll go over both methods I've use. I've also had success making "cold-pressed tea" by adding herbs to cold water and infusing overnight.

Dried Nettle Tea

Tea made from dried nettle leaves is what most people will know as coops often sell organic dried nettle leaf in their bulk herb and tea section. To make it, I put about 2 tablespoons (or more) of dried leaves in a pot with a quart of simmering water, turn of the heat and let it infuse.

Unlike other teas that can become bitter or too strong after, say, 5 minutes of infusing, the sweet spot for me is around 10-20 minutes.

Fresh Nettle Tea

The first time I made a tea from fresh nettle leaves I poured hot water over very young plants and let it cool. The flavor was mild, and uninteresting.

Then, on a whim after cooking some nettle tops to eat I drank some of the cooking water. Surprised by the rich flavor, I sweetened a quart with mint and lemon, served it on ice, took a sip and burst out laughing it was so good.

Later I spoke with Sam Thayer and he told me he boils the plants, adding mint later during the cooking process and finishing with a touch of maple syrup. Our conversation confirmed my hunch that when making tea from the fresh plants, boiling, not infusing, will give the strongest flavor.

Technically speaking, boiled infusions of plants are a decoction, but tea reads better on a menu so I'm going with that.

Step-by-Step

For the fresh tea I recommend you try first, the nettles are boiled for a few minutes, then fresh wild mint is added and boiled for a shorter time. Sam said boiling the mint changes the taste slightly, giving the tea a flavor he compared to horehound (Marrubium vulgare).

When the tea is done I like to cool it for the strongest infusion, but It's good right away too. A bonus is that as the tea sits the the color changes. After a few hours in the fridge, the color deepens into a verdant green so saturated it looks black. The same polychromatism is noticeable when the plants are made into soup.

Served with a touch of maple syrup and a sprig of mint the cool, woodsy flavor will win over any skeptic. I've been serving it to people without telling them what it is first, and the immediate reaction is just: "wow, this is so good!".

Advantages of Nettle Tea

The plants are nutrient dense and richer in chlorophyll than any plant I know. Besides that they're also high in potassium, magnesium and iron and contain all essential amino acids. Nettle tea is also is caffeine free. The benefits of the tea (using the term loosely for this section) aren't limited to the kitchen. The plants have been used medicinally since ancient times, but some of the other uses might surprise you.

Nettle Fertilizer

Just like comfrey, the leaves are high in nitrogen and can be used to fertilize garden plants. To make the "tea" take fresh plants and weigh them down in a bucket, cover with water and leave them for a week or two. I've been making a by-product version with leftover boiled plants.

The tea you serve your plants will be a dark, bubbling witch's brew with an awful smell. It should be diluted 1 part of liquid to 10 parts water. Apparently it's best for older plants with developed root systems, although my chervil hasn't died yet.

Nettle Tea and Hair

I thought it was funny a few years ago when someone commented about rinsing their hair with nettle cooking liquid. But, after seeing it mentioned in Stephen Barstow's excellent book curiosity got the best of me. The reduced cooking liquid has a subtle mucilaginous quality to it and I can confirm it leaves hair silky smooth like conditioner.

There's plenty of claims that it prevents dandruff, stimulates hair growth and lowers inflammation, but not a lot of data to back it up. I do see the appeal though, and the fact that there's a plethora of nettle shampoos available online is worth looking at. It makes a fun experiment.

Related Posts

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• Classic Stinging Nettle Soup
• Turkish Nettles with Cheese