What is a tea infusion? 

Infusion is the process by which you steep plants or fruits in hot water. It allows for the water to take on the flavour of the plants or tea and for you to consume the flavour of them via infused water. It is similar to making tea, however fruit infusions do not come from tea plants and often do not have any tea leaves in them. 

Fruit infusions are a great way to enjoy a caffeine-free cuppa, with no additional sugar or the flavours of tea if this is not your “cup of tea”. 

How do you make tea infusion? 

Making tea infusions can be more than just steeping it. It can bring people together, encourage you to forage for new and safe flavours and become quite a ritual. 

An infusion is prepared by bringing water to the boil and then pouring it over the plants or fruits you would like to steep. Depending on your ingredients can determine how long you leave it to steep for, but usually at least 3-5 minutes. This fruit infusion can then be enjoyed hot or cold. 

When using our fruit teas for infusions, these can simply be added to your second ferment without adding boiling water and left to infuse over 1-3 days. 

Once the flavour is infused, you can simply strain the fruit out before drinking your fruit infused cuppa or ferment. 

What are the benefits of infusion teas? 

Tea, fruit and herbal infusions offer a myriad of benefits. Essentially you are consuming and taking on the benefits of each ingredient. For example, many fruit and herbal teas consist of hibiscus. Hibiscus is known to have antioxidant properties offering many health benefits. 

Is tea infusion the same as steeping? 

While one can find many different answers to this question, especially if we go down the rabbit warren of tea brewing conversations. To make it simple, tea infusion and steeping refer to similar processes. Some texts divert by saying the two differ in terms of ingredient used, process time and temperature added. However, both terms describe the method of soaking tea leaves, fruits or herbs in hot water to extract flavors, aromas, and beneficial compounds. May people use the terms interchangeably when discussing the preparation of tea, however be warned there is literature out there that gets into the minor details that distinguish these two processes from each other. 

The difference between tea infusion and decoction? 

Tea infusions are usually used for more delicate plant matter, where they do not need to be exposed to prolonged high heats. Decoctions usually refers to infusions for tougher plant materials, whereby the infusion process uses ongoing boiling temperatures for a length of time to extract the properties. Decoction is usually used for more medicinal purposes.