DIY Rose Petal Tea

Forget the margaritas this summer and invite the girls over for rose tea instead!

(Okay, maybe do both).

I’ve known about making tea from rose buds (the dried flower) for a while but wanted to experiment with fresh rose petals from the garden to make this herbal infusion (technically a tisane); the result is a gently aromatic, delicately sweet and soothing tea that you can enjoy warm or iced while peacefully swinging in the hammock (or as your salvation after a day of wrangling the kids) — both work.

Tell me More About Rose Petal Tea:

• how it works: when you steep fresh rose petals, the flower’s natural aromatic oils are infused into the water creating a gently fragranced tea — this is not an overwhelming “perfumy” aroma or taste but rather a delicate rose essence, really beautiful; the pigments in the petals are also released into the water creating a vibrant hue (at the end of the steeping process, the petals will be a much paler shade as their color drains into the water).
• dried rose buds vs fresh petals: a dried rose bud infusion will generally be a light yellow/beige color (with a lovely fragrance) whereas a fresh rose flower infusion will result in a much brighter color (the final shade will depend on the color of the roses used and steeping time).  It does require more fresh flower petals however to infuse the rose aroma ~ (like herbs, the dried flower/buds are more concentrated).
• rose vs rosehip tea: rosehip tea is made from the fruit of the rose plant as distinct from the flower; these are two different teas.

Health Benefits of Rose Oil 

Rose essential oil (sometimes referred to as rose otto) is extracted from the petals of a variety of roses, notably the rosa damascena (damask rose) which is well-known for being one of the most aromatic (oil concentrated) roses. Rose oil has a long history of being used medicinally in skin care, as an anxiolytic (to reduce anxiety) and as an anti-inflammatory.  A few fascinating studies evidencing the potential health benefits of rose essential oil (all links are to published scientific studies):

• Cognitive Health: The role of REO in delaying Alzheimer’s Disease symptoms
• Stress Relief: The role of REO in decreasing stress hormones
• Anxiety, Surgical Site Pain & Recovery: the role of REO in reducing extubation time, surgical site pain severity, and anxiety in surgical patients
• Hormonal Balance: the role of REO in relieving perimenopausal symptoms

Tips for Success

• choose organic (non-sprayed) roses from a place you trust – roses are among the most heavily sprayed crops in North America which is one of the reasons why organic brands of rose waters/oils/teas etc. are expensive; to avoid drinking toxins, it’s best not to source from places like flower shops etc. and ideal to use roses grown in environments you trust like a simple home garden (yours, your neighbors, friends, family); or  from an organic grower at the farmers’ market.
• the more fragrant the roses, the more flavorful the tea – simply put, if you make this infusion with non-fragrant roses, you will end up with a non-fragranced tea which will disappoint; try to source from the most fragrant roses possible — you can use the sniff test for this (and remember the tea will be an attenuated version of what you smell on the rose, there is little risk of it being too strong).
• the more colorful the roses, the more colorful the tea — the color of the roses will determine the shade of the tea – the more deeply saturated (pinks/purples/reds), the more deeply colored your tea; steeping longer can influence color as well.

i’ve had this tea cup for 38 years …

By the way, this a great small hands project; fun, colorful and couldn’t be any easier!

Is it science or is it art?  I’ll leave that to you but I think it’s both (with a little poetry tossed into the mix).

5.0 from 2 reviews

DIY Rose Petal Tea

 

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A beautiful, uplifting & delicately fragranced rose flower tea that is perfect for sipping through the summer -- enjoy warm or iced

Author: kelly

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups gently packed rose petals (organic/non-sprayed, gathered from a trusted garden/grower)
• 3 cups near boiling water
• Optional: drizzle of honey
• For Storage: jar with covered lid

Instructions

1. Gather roses from a trusted garden (you can absolutely use roses that are on their way out -- they tend to be sweeter/more fragrant anyway);
2. Snip the roses, discarding the stems and placing the flower portions in a bowl;
3. As you lift the roses out of the bowl, turn them upside down (I do this over the sink) and give them a gentle shake (you can also tap/flick them with your finger) to remove any debris (dust/soil) or little garden friends (there are always hitchhikers in a natural garden :). I don't over-sanitize but if you prefer, you can gently rinse the petals with water - keep in mind though that this may remove some of the fragranced oils -- they'll go down the drain instead of into your tea.
4. Place the blooms on a work surface, remove the petals and gather enough for 2 cups gently packed.
5. Pre-warm a tea pot by filling with hot or boiling water and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
6. Drain the tea pot and then place the 2 cups of petals inside.
7. Pour 3 cups of boiling water (near boiling ideally) over the petals in the pot.
8. Place the lid on the pot and let the petals steep for 20-30 minutes.
9. Sample a taste of the tea (using a tea strainer as required) at 20 minutes - be sure to smell the tea before sipping, so beautiful! - and then decide whether to let it sit for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Add a splash of honey if you like (or other preferred sweetener) -- I find the taste of the rose so unique and lovely, I like it just as it is.
11. For iced version - I recommend first cooling the tea in the fridge (more on this below) - when ready to enjoy, simply pour over a couple cubes of ice in individual glass/cup and enjoy straight away (I don't recommend letting this particular tea sit on ice in fridge or at room temp - the ice will melt and dilute the rose flavor/aroma - best to pour over ice when you're ready for sipping).
12. Your rose tea will last up to 4 days in the fridge -- once steeped and cooled, pour the tea into a jar and cover with lid (I use a mason jar) and store in fridge. In the depth of summer heat/humidity, I don't recommend leaving the tea out at room temp for more than a few hours; it's best to store in the fridge. If you like, you can always reheat it to enjoy warm.

3.5.3251