Sage Leaf Tea | Dried Salvia officinalis Leaves

What Is Sage Leaf Tea?

Sage leaf tea is made from the dried leaves of garden sage (Salvia officinalis), an evergreen shrub of the mint family native to the Mediterranean. Its soft, velvety, gray-green leaves have a warm, earthy and slightly peppery aroma that becomes stronger when the leaves are rubbed.

The botanical name Salvia comes from the Latin salvere, to be well. Sage has been grown in European monastery and kitchen gardens since the Middle Ages, and sage tea, or salvia tea, has been a household drink in Southern and Eastern Europe for generations.

As a tea, sage gives a golden-green cup with a strong, herbal, slightly bitter and camphor-like taste. It is often sweetened with honey and served with a slice of lemon. Cooled sage tea is also traditionally used as a gargle and mouth rinse.

In the kitchen, the whole and cut leaves can be crumbled into stuffing, sausage, beans and roasted vegetables, or fried in butter. Many people also tie the dried leaves into bundles to burn as a fragrant smudge, or add them to homemade herb salt.

Our sage leaf contains only dried Salvia officinalis leaves with nothing added. It is sold by weight, from small packs to bulk.