Tulsi Holy Basil Tea

Tulsi, or holy basil, is the leaf of Ocimum tenuiflorum, a mint-family plant native to India and Southeast Asia. The tea is warm and spicy, with clove, pepper and mint notes. Steeped in a covered mug at 95°C for five to eight minutes.

Origin & Story

In many Indian homes tulsi does not live in the kitchen but in the courtyard. It is planted in a raised pot or platform called a Tulsi Vrindavan, watered each morning and circled in prayer, because Hindus regard it as an earthly form of the goddess Tulasi, a consort of Vishnu and an incarnation of Lakshmi.

The plant has its own festival. Tulsi Vivah, held in the bright fortnight of Kartika, celebrates the marriage of the tulsi plant to the Shaligram, a sacred stone that represents Vishnu. The town of Vrindavan takes its name from Vrinda, the tulsi personified.

Botanically, tulsi is Ocimum tenuiflorum, a many-branched subshrub of the mint family. It comes in three main forms. Rama tulsi, the most common in India, is green and mellow. Krishna tulsi, or Shyama, has purple-tinged leaves and a spicier, more peppery scent. Vana tulsi, the wild form, has light green leaves and a lemony aroma.

In the cup, the scent is strongly clove-like with hints of mint and pepper, sometimes compared to licorice. Tulsi has very little tannin, so a long steep does not turn it bitter. A teaspoon of dried leaf in water just off the boil for five to eight minutes is enough, and three or four fresh leaves, bruised against the cup, make a lighter, greener drink.

Steep 3 g of tulsi in 240 ml of water at 95°C for five to eight minutes in a covered mug.

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