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Lemon balm tea is an herbal leaf infusion that is growing in popularity seemingly by the week. It has a wonderful minty lemon flavor that makes it fresh and appealing to just about anyone. Even people who are not traditional tea drinkers.
The friendly flavor has also made it a great candidate for blending with other herbal to create some wonderful lemon balm tea blends. Including the increasingly popular Lemon Balm Valerian Tea, which is the highlight of our look at these tea blends.
The refreshing flavor of lemon balm can be used to make these other teas a little more palatable or add a little flavor to some that are lacking in that area.
Here are 7 of my favorite lemon balm tea blends. Experiment with your own lemon balm blends and see if you can come up with some wonderful flavor combinations.
For loose leaf ingredients, I like to use Starwest Botanicals(*affiliate link) for my tea blends. They always have great quality herbs.
If I use a teabag for my lemon balm tea blends then I typically use Buddha Teas(*affiliate link) as they have one of the most extensive selections of herbal tea bags around.
With that out of the way let’s dive into these wonderful lemon balm herbal tea blends.
Valerian Root Makes A Good Lemon Balm Tea Blend
Image by GOKALP ISCAN from Pixabay
Lemon Balm Valerian Tea
Our first lemon balm tea blend is a soothing, relaxing bedtime tea that sees us pair the minty, fresh lemon balm with the earthy and pungent valerian root tea. It might not seem like a perfect match but the two complement each other well.
The Taste Of Lemon Balm Valerian Tea
The flavor profile of the lemon balm valerian tea is fairly straight forward and a bit complex. It is a fun little tea blend that will relax even after the most taxing day and it tastes pretty good to boot. The lemon balm makes a good pairing for this root herbal tea and helps make it a little more palatable.
Let’s dive into the flavor notes that I find in this interesting lemon balm tea blend. Your taste experience might differ so just use this as a guide.
Lemon Balm Brings A Lemony Note
True to its name lemon balm brings a little bit of lemon flavor to the lemon balm valerian tea. I always find the lemon balm to be an approximation of a true lemon flavor. It tastes lemony but there is something a little off or not quite right about it.
But in this blend it makes for a nice counterpoint to the strong pungent valerian root, we’ll get to that in a minute.
As Well As A Little Mint Flavor
Lemon balm is a member of the mint family and as such has a bit of a minty flavor to it. I would compare its mintiness to lavender more so that peppermint or spearmint. It is not quite as minty as the latter two.
But still has a nice minty tingle even in the valerian root blend. I think the minty flavor helps to break up the earthy valerian root taste a little bit and makes for a smoother overall cup of tea.
Pungent Earthy Notes From The Valerian Root
Now we get to the earthy flavors of the pungent valerian root. There is a reason why valerian root is used sparingly in tea blends. It can easily overpower many other herbal tea flavors if you get carried away with it.
When mixed in the right amounts with the lemon balm it brings it’s telltale earthiness and bitterness to the blended tea but doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the lemon balm. In fact, I think the lemon balm helps to cut through some of the earthy bitterness to make it a much more palatable tea than just valerian root alone.
A Bit Of A Pine Flavor As Well
I always seem to think of a little pine flavor or evergreen flavor when I drink valerian tea. Some people don’t taste it, but I am sure it is there. The pine flavor compliments the minty lemon balm quite well and adds a nice layer of flavor to this tea blend.
The Aroma Of Lemon Balm Valerian Tea
There is really no way around it. The pungent, some would argue smelly, the aroma of the valerian root is what really comes across in this lemon balm tea blend.
In my experience the strong earthy and somewhat pine aroma of the valerian root gets stronger the longer you steep your tea, so be careful not to over steep it or it will be quite bitter and even more pungent.
How To Make Lemon Balm Valerian Tea
I tend to use more lemon balm for this blend because valerian root can be quite strong. Use the amount that is right for your tastes but remember a little valerian root goes a long way.
DIY Lemon Balm And Valerian Root Tea
- 1/4 teaspoon of cut and sifted valerian root, you can also use valerian root powder but I prefer the roots themselves.
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of lemon balm leaf
- 205°F/96°C water temperature will give you enough heat to draw out all the flavors
- Steep to your personal tastes. I like a good 4 minute steep for mine personally.
- You can use valerian root tea bags and lemon balm tea bags if you want more convenience for this blend. 1 teabag of each and double the water to about 16-20oz.
The Lemon Balm Valerian Tea Finish
This is a soothing tea blend with a little minty bite to it. The valerian root is commonly used to help with sleep issues and you definitely get a relaxing sense of the valerian root with this blend.
But it is still at its heart a lemon balm tea blend. The minty, lemony flavor of the lemon blam is still front and center as long as you get your measurements and the balance right. Neither lemon balm or valerian root has caffeine so the is a relaxing sleepytime tea to have just before bed.
Lemon Balm Green Tea
For this particular blend, I have chosen to use sencha green tea. The flavor profile will change depending on what type of green tea you use. I feel that sencha gives me the best option to blend with lemon balm tea.
How Does Lemon Balm Green Tea Taste?
This is another pretty straight forward flavor profile for this lemon balm blend. Nothing too complex. Just a nice green tea with a bit of lemon flavor from the lemon balm
Let’s have a look.
A Grassy Green Tea Base
When you make your cup of lemon balm green tea I think you were going to notice that the wonderful grassy or vegetable flavor of the sencha green tea is still the predominant flavor overall.
Unless you get really overzealous with your lemon balm leaves then the balance of the flavor profile should still lean towards the green tea. That’s not to say that the lemon flavor doesn’t come through it certainly doesn’t add that I nice bit of citrus to the overall flavor of the tea.
Lemon And Citrus Add A Refreshing Note
Of course, we are going to get a nice lemon citrusy flavor from the lemon balm. The green tea is not going to overwhelm this Citrus flavor, in fact, it’s going to compliment the grass he notes of the green tea quite well.
A Slight Sweetness
Any good sencha green tea is going to give you a slight sweetness to the overall flavor of the tea. The great thing about lemon balm green tea is that it retains the sleigh sweetness from the sencha green tea which makes for a very smooth finish and complements the lemon flavor of the lemon balm quite well.
Steeping Instructions For Lemon Balm Green Tea
When making a cup of lemon balm green tea you need to be a little bit more careful with the overall steep time and temperature than with the other herbal infusions. Green tea is fairly delicate and can be burned with water that is too hot.
- 1/2-1 teaspoon of lemon balm. You can also use a teabag here as well but I would add more water if you go that route.
- 1 teabag of Sencha Green Tea or 1 teaspoon of loose-leaf sencha
- Steep for 3 minutes, covered
- Water Temperature should be around 170°F/°C
- Enjoy
The Lemon Balm Green Tea Finish
This is easily one of the most palatable and drinkable lemon balm blends around. It takes the sweet goodness of sencha green tea and adds a little citrus lemon flavor to it. I find it a little more subtle than adding real lemon juice to green tea.
Too much lemon juice can really kill the flavor of the green tea so this is a great way to get that lemony edge without overdoing it. Plus you get the benefits of lemon balm tea as well as the green tea benefits.
Ginkgo and Lemon Balm Tea
I think this blind is a little bit more for the benefits of Ginkgo and lemon balm then it is for the flavor of the blend. Ginkgo is pretty bland and doesn’t bring a whole lot to the flavor of this herbal infusion although you can’t taste a little bit of the earthiness. So this blind is really going to have a lemon balm flavor to it.
How Does Ginkgo and Lemon Balm Tea Taste?
This is the least complex flavor of the lemon balm blends on this list, I think. I never found ginkgo to have that much flavor really. I would call it bland. But it is full of benefits and makes a great blend for just about any tea because it’s flavor and fragrance are so mild.
Citrusy
The citrus lemon flavor fo the lemon balm is what you are predominantly going to taste in this blend. Ginkgo really has a mild taste that is easily overwhelmed so the lemon flavor really peaks with this lemon balm blend.
Earthy
Ginkgo has a mild earthy flavor with a little bit of bitterness in there as well. This comes through in the lemon balm ginkgo blend a little bit. A very little bit. You can wipe it away almost completely by adding a little bit more lemon balm than ginkgo.
Make Your Own Ginko and Lemon Balm Tea
I think loose-leaf works the best for this blend but you can use ginkgo and lemon balm tea bags if you want, just a little more water to the infusion.
- 1 teaspoon of ginkgo leaves (I use Starwest Botanical Organic Ginkgo Leaf(*affiliate link)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon balm leaves
- Water temperature should be around 205°F/°C
- Steep for 5-10 minutes. I like to let mine steep for around 6 minutes
- Steep covered and Enjoy
The Ginko and Lemon Balm Tea Finish
I think lemon balm Ginkgo tea is probably for more experienced herbal tea drinkers. You’re not going to get a lot of variation in the flavor when you simply add Ginkgo to the lemon balm. It’s still going to be a lemon balm tea at its heart.
If you’re okay with that then this is a great plan to get the benefits of Ginkgo tea and actually have some flavor when drinking the Herbal infusion.
Lemon Balm And Peppermint Tea
Lemon Balm and peppermint work very well with each other and combine to create a very smooth and refreshing tea blend that plays to the strength of each of the individual ingredients.
But we’re going to recommend one lemon balm tea blend to someone who’s new to herbal teas this is probably the one that I would recommend because it’s crisp and it’s smooth and it’s a very easy to drink.
The Taste Of Lemon Balm And Peppermint Tea
Out of all the Blends on this list, this one might make the most sense. Peppermint and lemon balm are both members of the mint family and they have very complimentary flavors. The lemon balm brings the lemony note to the blend and the peppermint brings a peppery note to the blend.
Peppery And A Little Spicy
The peppermint brings a little extra bite to the tea blend. I love peppermint tea and its spicy peppery flavor that lingers on the lips after a sip. You still get that with this lemon balm blend plus the added lemon flavor and a little extra minty kick from the lemon balm.
But that peppery flavor of the peppermint tea is still very noticeable and crisp even in this blend.
Minty With a Touch Of Lemon
Both peppermint and lemon balm are part of the mint family and it definitely shows when you blend the two together. I have often found the mint aspect of peppermint to take a back seat o the pepper flavor but with the added boost of the lemon balm, the mint flavor is much more noticeable than it is with just peppermint tea.
Add in the namesake lemon flavor and you have a wonderful minty lemon tea that is smooth and remarkably refreshing.
Making A Cup Of Lemon Balm And Peppermint Tea
This is a very simple and straightforward blend. Use equal amounts and steep as you would a regular cup of lemon balm tea.
- 1 teaspoon of peppermint leaves or 1 peppermint tea bag
- 1 teaspoon of lemon balm leaves or 1 lemon balm tea bag
- If you use teabags you might want to double the amount of water or you will get a very strong cup of tea
- 205°F/96°C Water temperature. The standard for this list I think.
- I like to steep for about 4-5 minutes but it is a personal choice for this herbal tea blend
- Always steep covered and enjoy
The Lemon Balm And Peppermint Tea Finish
This is an incredibly solid lemon balm tea blend if not a particularly exciting one. These are two relatively similar flavors that combine to create an interesting and very refreshing cup of herbal tea.
They are differentiated, I think, by the lemon flavor of lemon balm in the peppery flavor of the peppermint so that when you bring them together they bring their own little nuanced flavors to the lemon balm tea blend.
Chamomile Lemon Balm Tea
Another great blend to try if you hate the taste of chamomile tea. The lemon balm smooths out the mild chamomile flavor while leaving just a bit of the overall floral taste.
How Does Chamomile Lemon Balm Tea Taste?
I think the overall flavor of this blends lean quite heavily to the lemon balm flavor. It’s another one of those Blends vent is really used to get the benefits of chamomile tea without having to deal with the taste of chamomile tea that a lot of people do not like.
But I think this is an enjoyable lemon balm plant. It has a nice citrusy flavor with a tiny bit of floral notes to it. Let’s dig a little deeper into the flavor profile of this lemon balm blend.
Slightly Floral
Even though chamomile tea is one of the weaker flower herbal infusions when it comes to floral taste there still is a slightly floral flavor that it brings to this lemon balm blend.
It is quite subtle and it can be virtually eliminated if you get the balance of the lemon balm and the chamomile wrong. Unless of course, that is your goal.
There’s a lot of dislike out there for the flavor of chamomile so trying to get the benefits of chamomile tea without having to deal with the flavor of it is definitely on some people’s list.
Citrusy
The flavor of the lemon balm more precisely the lemony Citrus flavor of the lemon balm is going to be the major flavor in this blend.
chamomile just doesn’t have the strong flavor profile to really challenge the dominance of the lemon and citrus flavor of the lemon balm. It’s not a bad thing because the whole idea is to get a little bit of flavor added to the lemon balm with this blend.
And that’s exactly what you get. You got a nice lemon base with a tiny bit of floral flavor on top of it.
A Little Medicinal And Earthy
The chamomile also brings a slightly medicinal herbal flavor to the infusion. It’s certainly not that noticeable and if you put a little bit more lemon balm in it almost completely goes away.
It’s a bit earthy and bitter like you would find in many flower herbal infusion, but it’s not overwhelming and it can dissipate very quickly when you add the lemon balm to the infusion.
Steeping Instructions For Chamomile Lemon Balm Tea
Teabags are also an option and there are many to choose from. Pick your favorite and add one bag of each to your water.
- 1 teaspoon of loose-leaf chamomile flowers
- 1 teaspoon of lemon balm leaves
- Your water temperature should be around 205°F/°C
- Steep, covered, for 5 minutes or to taste
- Enjoy
The Chamomile Lemon Balm Finish
Chamomile and lemon balm is a pretty popular combination that you can find in many stores. However, they tend to have other flavors added to them as well. So if you want just lemon balm and chamomile tea you will probably have to make it yourself.
If you want a convenient blend that you can pick up in a store I recommend Microtea Relax Nighttime Tea, available on Amazon.
The flavors in this blend are:
- Organic Chamomile
- Organic Lemon Balm
- Organic Lemon Grass
- Organic Lemon Peel
- Organic Sage
- Organic Broccoli Micro Greens
It is about as close to a homemade cup of chamomile lemon balm tea as I could find, but it is very citrusy and the chamomile is pushed well into the background. Plus the micro-greens are a neat idea. It is a nice option, but I still recommend trying a homemade cup first.
Fennel Seed And Lemon Balm Tea
Fennel seed and lemon balm really compliment each other well when you blend them together into an herbal infusion. This is a blend that I don’t think is on a lot of people’s radar but it probably should be.
Licorice lemon balm tea is a pretty popular lemon balm blend and this is similar to that with slightly less licorice flavor from the fennel seed. So, in essence, it’s a lighter version of a more popular lemon balm tea blend.
The Taste Of Fennel Seed And Lemon Balm Tea
The taste of fennel seed and lemon balm tea is very smooth and pretty refreshing due to the crisp refreshing citrusy lemon flavor and the smooth, slightly sweet flavor of the fennel seed. Let’s look a little deeper at the flavor profile, shall we?
Slightly Licorice Flavored
The main flavor from fennel seed is a slight licorice flavor. Along with the subtle licorice flavor of the fennel seed, there is a slight sweetness to it as well. Licorice tea has a very sweet flavor to it however in fennel seed the sweetness is very much reduced compared to licorice tea. The licorice taste comes from the flavor of the fennel seed.
With Citrus Notes
All the citrusy notes of the lemon balm are there in abundance in this blend. When you’re just using two ingredients like this you tend to get all the flavors of each one without either one drowning the other one out as long as you get the balance of the ingredients right.
Smooth and Slightly Earthy Finish
I always find lemon balm tea to be a pretty smooth herbal tea and fennel tea is a very smooth herbal infusion. When you put them together they have a smooth refreshing flavor.
There’s also a little bit of an earthy flavor from the fennel seed. It’s kind of difficult to detect but I think there’s enough there that I should mention it.
Make Your Own Fennel Seed And Lemon Balm Tea
You can find fennel seed just about anywhere and it will be fine for making a cup of tea. However, try and find seeds that are a little fresher than what you would find in a spice rack for best results.
You can steep the seeds whole or crush them into a powder or just buy fennel seed powder to use in your tea. I don’t use the powder because I can never get it to dissolve completely and it bothers me. But that is a personal problem.
- 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, you can also use 1 teaspoon of fennel seed powder or a 1 fennel seed tea bag
- 1 teaspoon of lemon balm leaves or 1 lemon balm tea bag
- Steep in 8-10oz of water at around 205°F/96°C, double the water if you plan on using teabags or you will get a very strong cup of tea
- I like to steep for around 5-7 minutes but the steep time is a personal choice for the most part
A Convenient Alternative
If you are a little more adventurous you can also try Tealyra – French Countryside Tea(*affiliate link), available on Amazon. It is a fennel lemon balm tea blend with a good amount of other wonderful flavors mixed it.
It includes:
- Fennel Seed
- Peppermint
- Lemon Balm Leaves
- Lavender Flowers
- Thyme Leaves
- Sage Leaves
- Mallow Blossom
- Rose Petals
You can, of course, make this 8 ingredient lemon balm and fennel seed blend for yourself if you get a hold of all the ingredients but it is so much simpler to buy a large blend like this. I tend to only use 3 or 4 ingredients at the most when making blended teas at home. It is much easier to get the balance right with fewer ingredients.
The Fennel Seed And Lemon Balm Tea Finish
Making a cup of lemon balm fennel seed tea can be as easy as shaking a whew fennel seeds into your cup of steeping lemon balm tea. It won’t be as flavorful if you take the time to steal the two ingredients together properly but you’ll get a little bit of that licorice flavor that fennel seed is known for.
With all that said, I’ve always found a seed herbal teas to be a little problematic when trying to draw out all the flavor from the seeds themselves. Typically when I’m going to make a seed tea like fennel or anise seed tea, I tend to find tea bags of the seed that have the ground-up seeds in them.
At this point there pretty popular and easy to find and when I want to make it my fennel seed and lemon balm blend I simply use one teabag of each and double the amount of water. It just means I have to drink two cups of this wonderful lemon balm tea blend.
Lemon Balm Rose Tea
Lemon balm rose tea is a strange combination at first glance. A strong floral tea blended with a lemony minty one might not seem like the best idea, but the results say otherwise. These two flavors for a nice balance that compliments each other and makes for a flowery but refreshing cup of herbal tea.
What Does Lemon Balm Rose Tea Taste Like?
There are really no surprises in this herbal infusion blend. The lemon balm brings its traditional flavors and the rose brings its own. Not of the flavors are really forced into the background and they all work together to make a very nice tea. The lemon balm helps to smooth out a bit of the earthiness and bitterness that is common among flower herbal teas.
Dried Roses Ready To Steep
Lemon Balm And Rose Tea Is Very Floral
This lemon balm blend runs the risk of turning into a rose tea with a little bit of lemon flavor if you overdo it with the rose petals. I always find rose tea to be incredibly flowery, almost to a fault.
Be careful with the amount of rose you put into your tea and be conservative at first then add more once you get a feel for how many flowers you want to taste in your lemon balm tea.
Slightly Earthy
Rose tea has a bit of an earthy streak to it. Most flower herbal teas seem to have a bit of this earthy flavor that can get a little bitter at times. The minty lemon of the lemon balm help to smooth out the earthy flavor and make the tea a little more drinkable, especially for someone who is not a typical tea drinker.
Lemon And Minty
Speaking of the minty lemon flavor, it is still here. The powerful flower taste of the rose tea doesn’t overwhelm the lemon balm if you take a balanced approach to the measurements. I always use more lemon balm that rose petals in this particular tea blend just to be sure I still get a good amount of lemon blam flavor.
How To Make Lemon Balm Rose Tea
You can mix your loose leaf ingredients on a per cup basis or you can mix them ahead of time in larger quantities. Just be sure to give the loose leaf container a good shake to ensure you get a nice mix of lemon balm and rose petals in every cup.
Also, keep in mind that each cup will have a little bit different lemon balm to rose ratio if you mix them ahead of time. So your tea might taste different from cup to cup. Personally I mix my ingredients on a per-cup basis to get the exact flavor I want for this particular herbal blend.
- 1/2 teaspoon of rose flowers
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of lemon balm leaf
- Rose and lemon balm tea bags can also be used but you will need to up the water amount and it is probably best to make 2 cups if you use teabags.
- 205°F/96°C is the standard water temperature I use for most of my lemon balm herbal tea blends, green tea blends being the major exception. Use this handy conversion table if you need to convert the temperature.
- Steep to taste. I like to let it steep for about 4-5 minutes for loose leaf and a little less for tea bags
- Always steep your tea covered and enjoy
The Lemon Balm And Rose Tea Finish
I think this particular herbal tea blend will be a little bit divisive. Rose tea can be overwhelmingly floral at times and that can put people off. The lemon balm does its best to smooth out the flavor but it might still be too much for many people.
However, if you love floral teas like lavender or calendula that this lemon tea blend might be right up your alley. Actually lavender and calendula might be two great options for a future lemon balm blend. I’ll have to write that down.
Wrapping Up These Wonderful Lemon Balm Tea Blends
That brings us to the end of our look at lemon balm Valerian tea and the other lemon balm Blends on our list here.
As you can see from the variety of Blends lemon balm is a very versatile herbal infusion. It has a strong enough flavor that you can add to some very strong-willed herbal infusions and not have it wilted way into the background.
But it’s not so overpowering that it completely wipes away the flavor of some less flavorful herbal infusions.
Because of its familiar lemon and citrus flavor, it’s very palatable and very welcoming to new tea drinkers which is another reason why I think it’s such a good tea to with other teas and herbal infusions.
The sense of familiarity really goes a long way to making the whole tea drinking experience a little bit better for anyone who is not your traditional everyday tea drinker.
I hope you enjoy drinking the teas that we’ve laid out here for you today and I certainly expect many of you to craft your own lemon balm tea blends and find the one that is perfect for you.
I wish you the best of luck on your tea journey and thank you for stopping by.
As always have a wonderful day.
*Where To Buy Lemon Balm Tea?*
I always get asked this question about herbal teas so I will leave it here at the end. For lemon balm tea you can find it in most of your popular online stores like Amazon but here are my 2 favorite places to get it both bagged and loose-leaf.
For a bagged version of Lemon Balm Tea(*affiliate link), I Like to use Buddha Teas.
If you are interested in loose leaf lemon balm then I recommend Starwest Botanicals Organic Lemon Balm Leaf(*affiliate link).