Simple Bay Leaf Tea Recipe (and Benefits)
Did you know there are a couple types of bay? Common bay laurel or sweet bay is popular in Mediterranean cuisine. West Indian bay is widely found in the Caribbean and this bay leaf tea recipe uses its leaves.
To help distinguish the two types, the botanical name of sweet bay is Laurus nobilis whereas West Indian bay has the botanical name, Pimenta racemosa. The latter is sometimes called ciliment or bay rum and is actually related to allspice, another potent spice.
The flavor profile of West Indian bay is similar to cinnamon and clove so you are sure this tea has an incredible, comforting taste.
Before getting into the recipe, if you are interested in another exotic teas, check out these soursop leaf, lemongrass, and holy basil tea recipes.
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Ingredients for bay leaf tea
Equipment
You don’t need any special equipment to make this tea. But, you can use an electric kettle with tea infuser here.
How to make bay leaf tea
Boil the leaves
Place a small pot on medium heat. Add water and leave to come to a boil. Wash the bay leaves and add to the pot of boiling water. Brew for 15 to 20 minutes.
Steep
Turn off the heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes or so. The tea will be this beautiful brown color.
Serve
Strain the tea. If you want you can sweeten the tea at this point but I usually omit sweeteners. You can also add your choice of milk, whether it is dairy or plant-based.
Serve the tea hot for a comforting warm drink. Or chill in the fridge and serve cold as a refreshing afternoon summer tea.
Bay leaf tea benefits
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of studies looking at the benefits of drinking West Indian bay leaf tea. Funny enough, its essential oil is extensively studied and has some incredible benefits ranging from being a powerful antimicrobial to having possible anticancer activity.
You do see a little of the oil floating on the surface of the tea after brewing. And the smell is also as strong as the essential oil. So brewing and drinking the tea MAY provide similar benefits to the oil.
As for the tea itself, this 2018 Egyptian study showed the tea is used for gastric disorders, flatulence, colds, fever, rheumatism, and osteoarthritis. It is also used for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. The study actually identified a number of antioxidants in bay leaves including quercitin.
More tea recipes
West Indian bay leaf tea recipe
Bay Leaf Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 mature bay leaves
- 3 cups water
- sweetener (optional)
- milk (optional)
Instructions
- Place a small pot on medium heat.
- Add water. Allow to come to a boil.
- Wash bay leaves.
- Add the leaves to the pot.
- Brew for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Turn off heat.
- Leave to steep for at least 15 minutes.
- Strain.
- Sweeten and add milk (optional).
- Serve hot.
The tea was great. Had no idea about its benefits. How cool?