Herbal teas are easy to buy in the grocery store, but there's so much reward in making your own tea at home, using the freshest ingredients possible—maybe even with fresh sage from your own garden?

A basic sage tea is easy to make. Simply pour about 1 cup boiling water over about 1 tablespoon of sage leaves and steep to the desired strength before straining out the leaves. However, you also can make a more refined (and surprisingly delightful) version of sage tea with the recipe below. It combines fresh sage leaves with lemon and a bit of sugar. You can, of course, customize the strength of the herbal taste to your liking, increasing the amount of sage while maintaining the same amount of water, if you would like the flavor to be more robust.

A naturally caffeine-free drink, sage tea can be enjoyed hot or iced anytime day or night, without causing the wakefulness that caffeinated drinks can induce. It can be a relaxing way to end your day, or a calm way to start your morning.

This recipe works well with any of the popular culinary sages including garden sage, dwarf garden sage, pineapple sage, Greek sage, golden garden sage, tricolor garden sage, window box sage, grape sage, and Spanish sage.

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 ounce fresh sage leaves (roughly 45 leaves)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring the water to a boil.
• Keep water at a simmer and add the sage leaves, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir well.
• Allow to steep for 20 to 30 minutes, or to taste, stirring occasionally. Then strain out the sage leaves and lemon zest.
• Serve hot or chilled with ice.

Sage pairs well with many other herbs and natural sweeteners, too.

• Try lavender for a floral note, or mint to play up the refreshing aspect of sage.
• Rosemary will accentuate the earthy pine taste of sage.
• Maple syrup will bring a sweet complexity, and honey will offer a bright sweetness along with a floral aroma.
• Fresh grated ginger will bring a little bit of heat and a zing to the tea.
• Make the tea iced instead—chill it after steeping—and infuse some fresh blackberries or blueberries instead of the raspberries in this recipe.