Without a doubt, my favourite bush tea has got to be mint tea.  Whenever I’m offered a steaming cup of bush tea, there’s always some burning hope in the back of my mind that “bush tea” means “mint tea”.  I always have to hope because, here in the Caribbean, the term bush tea is used very generally.  In the same way that some people in the region call all toothpaste "Colgate" or all chocolate powder "Milo", so too bush tea can mean anything from nu-nu balsam to eucalyptus tea. So, I just sit in hope because, unless options are listed, I’m not going to be rude and ask for a specific thing.

As a young lass growing up on at least one cup of bush tea per day, I understood that mint tea was generally thought to be a great start to any morning. Parents were always insisting that some hot tea be had in the mornings- no matter how hot the mornings. It was never really explained to me- just something about needing to break the fast in the morning.  I missed my mint tea once. Couldn’t concentrate on anything for the whole day- I was constantly on the lookout for the end of the world or something.

I also remember mint tea was supposed to be very effective at “breaking gas” and so was a double treat for gas sufferers. And, mint tea was also supposed to be great at aiding with digestion.  Thus, parents would have us drink that with our lunch and dinner, rather than let us have any sort of cold juice. In addition, the tea, unlike the store bought mint tea/teabags, was treated as an entirely wholesome thing to drink on a daily basis.

An interesting thing to note about the mint is that I’ve met several people from the different islands who will each point out a different bush to me. And, it’s not a there’s peppermint, spearmint, apple mint sort of thing. I had one person describing the nu-nu balsam as the mint bush. And another who thought a cup of mint tea could only mean one thing- eucalyptus tea.  So I had to describe my mint while happily drinking what they offered…because who turns down a cup of bush tea?

Mint Tea Recipe:

Source- Memory

(Makes 1 cup of refreshing mint tea.)

 Ingredients:

5-6  fresh mint  leaves (you can use less)

1 cups water

Sugar/honey

Method:

 Step 1: Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

 Step 2: Remove the water from the heat and pour it over the leaves in a cup or bowl.

 Step 3: Place a saucer over the cup or bowl and let the tea steep for 3-4 minutes

 Step 4: After 3-4 minutes, you can opt to strain the tea to remove the leaves. My sort of mint isn’t bitter- so you may leave the leaves alone.

 Step 5: Sweeten to taste.   Or don’t sweeten at all.

Disclaimer:

The contents of this page are meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. Statements published here ought not to be taken as expert medical advice designed to treat/cure any diseases or health related conditions. Please talk to your doctor or any qualified healthcare professional if you need medical advice (Believe me, WE at RE:BELE would!)