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There are few teas that divide people the way chamomile tea does. Some people love it. Some hate it. The biggest sticking point for most people is the taste. Many people think it tastes just fine, flowery, fruity, and slightly sweet. Others find it to be bland and weak and not worth the water it is steeped in.
Some people even think chamomile tea tastes terrible. Most people fall somewhere in the middle or they are indifferent about it. Regardless of where you fall in this eternal debate, I have good news for you. There are many ways to improve the taste of chamomile tea. Whether you love chamomile and are just looking for a new flavor sensation.
Looking For Your Next Favorite Tea? Check Out The Great Teas, Blends, and Herbal Infusions at the Art Of Tea. They have teas for every taste and occasion.
For a great chamomile tea to try these flavor upgrades on I recommend Buddha Teas Organic Chamomile Flower Tea. Hopefully, there is something for you here on our list. That way everyone can get those great benefits that chamomile tea affords. Enjoy our look at how to make chamomile tea taste better.
#1 Use Pure Spring Water
One of the best ways to make any tea taste better is to use the proper type of water. You want water with a balanced pH and bottled spring water is great for that. However, you will burn through a lot of plastic bottles that way. Filtered tap water is often a could compromise as it still tastes good when brewed and doesn’t have the environmental impact of all that plastic.
Water is particularly important for a cup of chamomile tea since it tends to be on the weaker side when it comes to flavor. Any flavor the water has when you add it is going to be much more notable than it would be with a cup of black tea for example.
#2 Proper Steeping Temperature
Temperature is incredibly important when steeping tea. If the water is too hot you can literally burn the tea leaves or herbal plants and cause them to taste bitter and all-around awful. Herbal teas are not as delicate when it comes to temperature but you should still try to keep the water under boiling for the most part. In the case of chamomile tea, a good temperature is 95°C.
You should use this temperature as a starting point and adjust it to your individual tastes. But it is a pretty good baseline to start with. Just remember that it is your cup of tea, as the saying goes, make it how you like it.
#3 The Right Steep Time
Herbal teas often take much longer than some true teas to steep properly. A Sencha Green tea, check out some of our favorites here, needs to steep for only a minute or two to get the full flavor of that tea.
But chamomile is different and needs to steep quite a while to get the best flavor out of it for you. The suggested time is 5-10 minutes for a cup of chamomile. My personal preference is right around the 7-minute mark. Basically somewhere in the middle of the suggested range. I feel like this gives the tea enough flavor without it getting too bitter or overwhelming.
#4 Chamomile And Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an all-time favorite flavoring for almost all types of tea. It is particularly wonderful in black tea. But it makes a delightful combination with chamomile tea as well. The spicy kick that a nice stick of cinnamon brings to the proceedings is a great way to spice up your sometimes boring chamomile tea. It complements the tea without overpowering it. One of my favorite flavors to add to chamomile tea.
#5 Chamomile Black Tea
Black tea is a common additive for a cup of chamomile tea. However, the black tea overwhelms the chamomile tea most of the time and you really only taste the black tea. The reason behind this is that many people just can’t stand the taste of chamomile and just want the benefits that this herbal tea provides. So technically this makes chamomile tea taste better by making it taste like black tea. It still counts.
#6 Chamomile With Soy Milk
It is like regular milk in your tea. Only from a soybean. Milk in tea is a classic combination. Milk of any kind is great to add a creamy texture and flavor to any cup of tea.
Soy milk and chamomile tea are no exception. This does add extra calories to your tea and if you are on a keto or fasting diet it might not work for you. You can read more about green tea and intermittent fasting in our article here. But if you are not concerned about a few extra calories this is a great way to flavor your chamomile tea to make it more drinkable.
#7 Chamomile And Hibiscus Tea
Adding hibiscus tea to your chamomile tea is a double shot of wonderful health benefits. Hibiscus can even help your blood pressure(source). And both seem to have ingredients that make you drowsy so drink with caution.
The flavor of the 2 together is delightful the slightly sweet flowery chamomile blends nicely with the lovely red color and flowery taste of the hibiscus making a drink that is as pretty to look at as it is delicious.
#8 Chamomile Green Tea
Green tea is an excellent companion for chamomile tea. It is not as strong as black tea and therefore won’t overpower the chamomile tea to such a great extent. Depending on the type of green tea it will add a nice grassy flavor to your chamomile and make for a very nice combination of flavors. I recommend a nice Sencha green tea as the base for the mixture, check out some of our favorite sencha here, But just about any green tea will do.
#9 Ginger And Chamomile Tea
This complex flavor adds a ton to your cup of chamomile tea. In fact, it is one of my go-to flavors for just about any type of tea. The spicy yet cool flavor that ginger adds is really one of a kind.
Plus, when you throw in the smell it becomes a bit of sensory delight. And it will go a long way to clearing up any nasal issues you have. Adding a couple of slices of ginger to the boiling water is the way I like to add that wonderful ginger flavor to my chamomile tea.
#10 Chamomile And Jasmine
This flowery flavor adds so much to your chamomile tea. Not just in the taste either. The smell of fresh jasmine is something that is almost indescribable.
It is a field of delicately fragrant flowers that you just want to pause and absorb. It brings that same level of flavor to your cup of chamomile tea. You can either add jasmine to your tea or you can make jasmine tea and mix the two together. There are also quite a few prepackaged jasmine teas that you can use if you can’t get a hold of jasmine leaves.
#11 Lemon Chamomile Tea
This citrus stalwart is the most popular flavor to add to tea. You might be hard-pressed to find a pitcher of iced tea without one tucked nicely on the side.
But it works just as well for chamomile tea. But be careful not to overdo it. The sharp sour flavor of the lemon can easily overpower the delicate chamomile and you will lose much of the flavor of the tea by adding too much lemon. Unless, of course, overpowering the taste of chamomile tea is your objective. In that case, squeeze away.
#12 Honey Chamomile Tea
Honey is a good substitute for sugar in your chamomile tea. It brings some of its own benefits and adds a lovely sweet flavor to the tea. Don’t overdo it or you might have a sugary syrupy mess. But sweeten to your taste. The best part about honey is that you can add just about anything else on this list with it and get a nice sweet chamomile tea with a bonus flavor as well.
#13 Orange Peel And Chamomile
Another citrus flavor to add to your chamomile tea. By just adding the peel we are getting a lot of the oils and extracts from it. It adds a nice flavor without overpowering the chamomile.
Plus you add very few, if any, calories to your tea by using the peel and essence of the orange. All the flavor with none of the guilt. Adding the peel to the boiling water is one way to add this or you can simply add some as a garnish to the steeped tea and let the flavor slowly seep in.
#14 Rose Petals With Chamomile
Roses? Yep roses. They are edible and they make great tea all by themselves. When you add the to chamomile you get a wonderful light flowery taste and a bit of zest or tanginess as well.
They are an almost perfect addition to what some consider a pretty bland tea in your standard chamomile. It is something that you might not think of first, but I recommend you give rose petals a try as an additive to your tea and as a tea themselves. They really are surprisingly good.
#15 Orchids And Chamomile
Orchids are a great flower to add to your chamomile. These edible flowers steep nicely in a cup of chamomile. They add a sweet, slightly bitter flavor to the proceedings and make for an interesting combination for your tea.
Some have described it as a slightly cucumber or vegetable flavor with a little more sweetness. I guess that is an accurate description of them. But I find less of a cucumber taste than some other people do.
Regardless, they are a wonderful way to liven up your chamomile tea and make it go down a lot easier for those that have issues with it.
#16 Ginseng And Chamomile Tea
Ginseng is another root that brings a wonderful aroma to your chamomile tea. But it brings the flavor in droves as well. It has a slightly earthy flavor that is cut with what I would describe as a licorice-type flavor, though not as strong.
It has a slight sweet vibe to it as well. I have heard it described as a carrot minus the sweetness. There is also a slightly bitter not when you steep it but it seems to be noticeable when mixed with the chamomile tea.
#17 Mint And Chamomile Tea
Mint is a great addition to chamomile tea. It has a cooling bite that really perks up your cup of tea. You can either add a couple of mint leaves to your steeping chamomile tea or make peppermint tea and mix the two together.
I find that making a full cup of mint tea and adding it to the chamomile tea is the better way to handle this combination. I just think it adds more flavor when you mix the chamomile tea with a properly steeped cup of mint tea.
The downside is that the mint tea will overpower the chamomile if you are not careful when mixing them. A little mint tea goes a long way when adding it to chamomile tea.
The Finish
Chamomile tea is a divisive tea. Such fuss over such a little delicate flower. Some people love it some hate it. Hopefully, you can find something on our list that will make it more palatable for you.
Because there are some great benefits(source) that you can get from chamomile tea that is really worth having. But for some, no amount of flavor is going to be enough for you to enjoy a cup of chamomile tea.
The good news is that there are plenty of other teas that you can choose from. They all have their own health benefits and you can prepare them just the way you like so they fit your tastes.
You can check out some of our favorite green teas right here. With all that said I hope you have found our article to be informative and enjoyable and I hope to see you back here soon.
Looking For Your Next Favorite Tea? Check Out The Great Teas, Blends, and Herbal Infusions at the Art Of Tea. They have teas for every taste and occasion.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day.
