Alright, let’s talk about making herbal tea with a Keurig. I’d seen those pre-made herbal K-cups, but I have a bunch of loose leaf herbal stuff I really like, and I wondered if I could just use my machine for that. So, I decided to give it a whirl.
Getting Started
First thing I did was grab my Keurig machine, obviously. Then I needed one of those reusable K-cup filter pods. I actually have a couple of different kinds, some mesh ones and some with a solid bottom and side filter. I decided to try the full mesh one first. And of course, I needed my tea. I started with some basic loose chamomile I had in the pantry.
The First Attempt – A Bit Messy
So, I opened up the reusable pod. I just scooped the chamomile leaves in there. Didn’t really measure, just sort of filled it maybe two-thirds full? Snapped the little lid shut. It felt secure enough. I popped it into the Keurig like any other K-cup and pressed the brew button – used the medium cup setting, I think it was 8 ounces.
Well, the tea came out looking pretty pale. And when I took a sip, it was really weak. Like, chamomile-flavored water. Plus, I noticed a few tiny bits of tea leaves had gotten through the mesh and were sitting at the bottom of my mug. Not ideal.
Trying Again – Adjustments
Okay, so round one wasn’t great. I figured maybe I didn’t use enough tea, or maybe I needed to pack it down a bit. I dumped out the old leaves, rinsed the pod. This time, I put a little more tea in, maybe closer to three-quarters full. And I gently pressed the leaves down with the back of the spoon – not super hard, just enough to make it a bit more compact.
I made sure the lid was snapped on really tight this time. Put it back in the machine, same 8-ounce setting.
Success and More Experiments
This time? Much better! The color was deeper, and the flavor was definitely there. It tasted like a proper cup of chamomile tea. And fewer stray leaves in the cup too, which was good. Seemed like packing it lightly did the trick.
Since that worked, I got adventurous. I tried it with some peppermint tea next. Used about the same amount, packed it gently again. Worked like a charm. Then I tried a chunkier blend, one with bits of dried ginger and lemon peel. For that one, I found I didn’t need to pack it quite as much, the bigger pieces brewed fine without being squished.
The Routine Now
So now, it’s pretty straightforward:
- Choose my loose herbal tea.
- Fill the reusable pod, usually about three-quarters full.
- Gently tamp it down a bit, depending on the tea leaf size.
- Snap the lid on tight.
- Brew it on the 6 or 8-ounce setting (stronger setting sometimes helps too).
- Enjoy my tea.
- Clean the pod right away – this is key! Dump the leaves, give it a good rinse. If I let it sit, it’s harder to clean.
It’s actually pretty convenient once you get the hang of how much tea to use for your taste. Saves buying special herbal K-cups and I can use all the different loose teas I already have. Took a bit of trial and error, but totally doable.
