Yes, You Can Make Tea With Coffee Leaves. Here's How

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If you're ever stuck deciding between tea or coffee, ask yourself: Why not both? Coffee plants produce cherries, what we typically refer to as beans, but it's not the only part of the crop that makes a great brew. Coffee leaves are an underrated component and they just might be your cup of tea.

While most of the world drinks brews extracted from the coffee plant's fruit product, some countries in popular coffee-growing regions like Ethiopia, South Sudan, Indonesia, and Jamaica, have been brewing and drinking the leaves for years. Since they don't stem from the Camellia sinensis plant, coffee's leaves aren't technically tea, but they are regarded as a type of tea, similar to the way dried mint or chamomile leaves make teas. Like other herbal infusions, coffee leaves are said to be an antioxidant-rich ingredient that come with a range of health benefits.

Whether you're introduced to it as kuti by Ethiopians or Malawians or hear of kahwa daun from Indonesians, coffee leaf tea is generally prepared the same way. After the leaves are dried, either out in the sun, over a fire, or in the oven, they're crushed then steeped for as long as 30 minutes. You can sweeten the tea with sugar or honey, or enjoy the earthy taste of the coffee leaf tea as it comes.

Just like components such as farming practices, soil, and region will have an impact on the taste of coffee beans, coffee leaves develop their own unique taste. One thing is certain though — coffee leaf tea doesn't taste like your standard cup of joe. Despite its name, the herbal infusion lacks the strong, bitter taste traditionally associated with the brew. Instead, coffee leaves are likened to both green and black tea, though it has less caffeine than both.

The nuances found in coffee leaf tea often resonate with the notes that make a certain country's coffee special. Ethiopian coffee, for example, is known for having a fruity, acidic aftertaste, and this bleeds into the taste of its coffee leaves. Tea brewed from the plant is light-bodied and earthy, with a natural sweetness that makes the drink highly enjoyable. Malawian coffee on the other hand, has a rich, chocolatey flavor that's present in the plant's leaves.

Drinking coffee leaf tea without any add-ins is the best way to take note of its depth, but once you've associated yourself with the brew's notes, flavor it to enhance the taste. Milk can add a creamy, full-bodied effect to the drink, while ginger, cardamom, and other spices add a richness with new depth of flavor.

If you're keen to try it, dried coffee leaves can be bought online, such as this 200 gram packet of Daun Kopi arabica coffee leaves from Amazon.