Basil doesn't stop at the spaghetti pot. Dried and steeped, the leaves give a golden, light-toned liquor that opens spicy on the nose but settles into something earthier and minty in the cup, with an unexpected creaminess underneath. It's the kind of tea that surprises people who only know basil as a kitchen herb.
The plant's reputation as a tea goes back centuries across Iran, India, and other parts of tropical Asia. In Hindu tradition it holds a particular status as the "Holy Herb," linked to the god Vishnu and used in religious ceremony, and it has long had a place in Ayurvedic medicine alongside that. Basil tea has traditionally been reached for with colds, headaches, stomach upset, inflammation, and other minor complaints — worth noting as folk use rather than anything a cup of tea can promise to fix.
Practically, it's a loose-leaf herbal, so there's no caffeine to worry about. A teaspoon of the dried leaf per cup is the starting point, pushed up to about a teaspoon and a half if you want more strength. Use freshly boiled water and give it five to ten minutes to infuse — basil holds up well to a long steep. Honey or lemon both work if you want to soften the spice, though plenty of drinkers find it holds its own with nothing added.
