Ihlamur Cayi (Linden Flower Tea)
Golden, honey-scented and deeply soothing, ihlamur is the herbal tea every Turkish family turns to at the first sign of a winter chill.
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Ingredients
4 tbsp (about 8 g) dried linden flowers
or 4 linden tea bags, if using bags instead of loose flowers
1 litre freshly boiled water
2 tbsp blossom honey, or to taste
1 lemon, cut into slices
1 cinnamon stick, optional
2-3 whole cloves, optional
3-4 thin slices fresh ginger, optional
Instructions
- 1
Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a saucepan or teapot, then take it off the heat.
- 2
Add the dried linden flowers (or tea bags) along with the cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger if you are using them.
- 3
Cover and steep for 8-10 minutes; for a slightly stronger brew, return the pan to the lowest possible heat and let it barely simmer for 2-3 minutes — never a rolling boil.
- 4
Strain the tea through a fine sieve into cups or heatproof glasses.
- 5
Let each cup cool for a minute, then stir in honey to taste — adding it off the boil protects both the flavour and the honey.
- 6
Add a slice of lemon to each glass.
- 7
Serve warm, ideally in the evening; leftover tea reheats gently the next day without spoiling.
- 8
For children, dilute with a little warm water and sweeten very lightly.
In Turkey, ihlamur is not just a tea — it is practically a family ritual. At the first sniffle of winter, someone puts a pot of dried linden flowers on the stove, and the whole house fills with their sweet, honeyed scent. Linden trees line the streets of Istanbul, and the dried blossoms have been brewed as a comforting evening drink for centuries.
The most important rule: never boil the flowers hard. Linden blossom is delicate, and a rolling boil turns the tea dull and slightly bitter. Bring the water to the boil first, take it off the heat, add the flowers, then let everything steep gently — or simmer on the very lowest heat for just a few minutes. The colour should be a soft amber gold.
Sweeten each cup with honey rather than sugar, add a slice of lemon, and drink it warm before bed. A cinnamon stick, a couple of cloves or a few slices of fresh ginger turn it into a proper winter tonic. Whether you prefer loose dried linden flowers or convenient tea bags, Turkish Online Market stocks both, alongside Turkish honeys, with delivery across the UK.
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