Throat Coat Blend with Honey and Fresh Lemon
A strong Throat Coat Blend infusion steeped 9 minutes, as our catalog lists it, finished with honey at 60°C and fresh lemon: thick-bodied, sweet and caffeine-free.
This is the simplest, most direct way to enjoy Throat Coat Blend: brewed as our catalog lists it, then finished with honey and lemon, the two ingredients people have added to thick herbal infusions for generations. The slippery elm and marshmallow root give the cup its body, honey deepens the licorice sweetness, and lemon brightens what could otherwise be a flat, earthy cup.
Brewing time matters more here than with most herbal teas — the catalog's full 9 minutes at 100°C with 3 g per cup, covered, lets the mucilage from the slippery elm and marshmallow release into the water, giving the drink its characteristic thicker, almost silky body rather than a thin, watery infusion.
Add the honey only once the tea has cooled slightly, around 60°C, since very high heat can dull some of honey's delicate aromatics. A squeeze of lemon at the end keeps the drink from tasting one-note sweet.
Sip slowly, ideally in the evening. This is a drink meant to be savored over ten or fifteen minutes, not gulped — the thick, slow texture is the whole point. Licorice is the one ingredient to keep occasional: the Throat Coat Blend page sets out what Europe's medicines agency and the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health say about it, with sources, and a licorice-free version of the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 Throat Coat Blend tea bag (or 1 heaping tsp, 3 g, loose blend)
- 1 cup hot water (100°C)
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 thin lemon slice, for garnish
- Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
How to make it
- 1Pour hot water over the tea bag or loose blend in a mug. Cover and steep for 9 minutes to release the mucilage.
- 2Remove the tea bag or strain out the loose blend. Let the tea cool for 1–2 minutes until it is warm rather than scalding.
- 3Stir in the honey until fully dissolved, then add the fresh lemon juice.
- 4Garnish with a lemon slice and a light dusting of cinnamon if desired. Sip slowly while warm.
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