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Lemon balm tea is one of the most approachable herbals you can brew — fresh or dried, plain or blended, iced or hot. Melissa officinalis belongs to the mint family, and its soft lemon scent is unmistakable the moment you bruise a leaf between your fingers. This complete guide to lemon balm tea covers everything practical: how to brew it correctly, how to grow it without it taking over, how to store it, and five brew ideas worth trying at home.
What this post does not do is repeat the research covered in our separate piece on lemon balm calming properties. Here, I want to focus on what I consider the more immediately useful side: leaves in a cup, and what to do with them.
Lemon balm tea is a caffeine-free herbal infusion made from the leaves of Melissa officinalis, a perennial herb native to the Mediterranean basin. The name "melissa" comes from the ancient Greek word for honeybee. The flavour is gentle and clean: a citrus note that reads as lemon without sharpness, a faint hint of mint, and a thin, light body.
No tannins, so never astringent. Fresh leaves produce a brighter, more floral infusion. Dried leaves are slightly more muted and earthy.
Use 5–8 fresh leaves or 1–2 tsp dried lemon balm per 250 ml cup. Water at 90–95°C. Steep 5–7 minutes, covered.
Covering the cup matters. The aromatic compounds — citral and citronellal — are volatile and escape in steam. This is actually the most common brewing mistake I see: people leave the cup open and then wonder why the infusion tastes flat. Keep the lid on for the full steep time.
Fresh leaves: tear or bruise before steeping. Dried: 1–2 tsp, same temp and time. Cold infusion: 8–10 fresh leaves in 500 ml cold water, refrigerate 4–6 hours — notably clean result.
Container growing is the practical solution — a pot 30 cm or wider. The plant spreads aggressively in open ground. Harvest before flowering for best essential oil content.
Cut stems back by one-third. Harvest in the morning — traditional practice among growers, and the plant is most aromatic before the afternoon heat.
Drying: tie small bunches, hang in warm dry space 7–14 days. Leaves should crumble easily when done. Store in airtight glass jar, use within 6–9 months.
Documented use going back over two thousand years. Dioscorides, Pliny, monastery herb gardens.
Carmelite Water — Eau de Mélisse des Carmes — attributed to Carmelite nuns in Paris, with documented use from the early 17th century onward. Combined lemon balm with lemon peel, nutmeg, clove, coriander, angelica root in spirit base. Remained commercially available well into the 20th century.
John Gerard Herball (1597) described lemon balm as useful "for the heart and driving away melancholy." Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello.
1. Plain lemon balm with honey — The simplest. Brew standard, add acacia or wildflower honey after removing leaves.
2. Lemon balm and chamomile evening blend — 1 tsp each per cup. Water at 88–90°C. Steep 5–6 min covered. German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is our preference here — it has a rounder, more apple-like note that pairs better with lemon balm than Roman chamomile does.
3. Iced lemon balm tea — Cold infusion: 10–12 fresh leaves in 500 ml cold water, refrigerate 4–6 hours. Serve with lemon slice and mint sprig over ice.
4. Lemon balm with green tea — Brew Gunpowder at 80°C for 2 min, add 3–4 fresh lemon balm leaves, lid on, 2 more minutes. Useful afternoon cup.
5. Lemon balm mojito-style mocktail — Muddle 6–8 fresh leaves with 1 tsp cane sugar. Add juice of half a lime and 150 ml cold-brew lemon balm tea. Top with sparkling water, ice, fresh mint sprig.
We've served versions of this at Valley of Tea events and people genuinely love it — especially paired with shortbread cookies. A tip worth trying: add a small amount of the lemon balm cold-brew liquid directly into the cookie dough as well.
Dried lemon balm: airtight container, away from light and heat, use within 9–12 months. Test: crush a pinch — clear lemon scent means still good. Look for green leaf colour, intact structure, printed harvest date.
Fresh leaves: 3–5 days in fridge wrapped in damp paper towel. Freeze: spread flat on tray, freeze, transfer to airtight bag.
Cover the cup while it steeps — that one step keeps the volatile aromatics in the brew. Start with the plain honey version, then try the chamomile evening blend or cold-brew iced version. We stock dried lemon balm at Valley of Tea — Melissa officinalis rewards a little attention without demanding much in return.
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