What does lemon myrtle tea taste like?

Lemon myrtle tea has an intensely clean, bright lemon flavor with no acidity (unlike actual lemon juice). It is the most lemon-forward herbal tea available because lemon myrtle leaves contain the highest concentration of citral (the lemon flavor compound) of any plant. The flavor is sometimes described as lemon but cleaner and more concentrated than lemon zest.

Where does lemon myrtle come from?

Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a rainforest tree native to subtropical Queensland, Australia. It has been used in Aboriginal Australian cooking and medicine for centuries and became commercially available internationally in the 1990s as Australian native ingredients gained broader interest.

Can you cook with lemon myrtle?

Yes, and it works extremely well. Lemon myrtle is used as a lemon substitute in baking, cooking, and food manufacturing in Australia. It adds lemon flavor without added liquid, making it useful in baked goods, marinades, and seasonings. Start with a small amount (it is more concentrated than lemon zest) and adjust to taste.

Lemon Myrtle Tea: Australia's Most Fragrant Superfood Herb

Most people outside of Australia have never heard of lemon myrtle, which is a significant gap in their tea vocabulary. Backhousia citriodora is a rainforest tree from the subtropical forests of Queensland, and its leaves contain more of the lemon-flavor compound citral than any other plant on earth, including lemons themselves. When you brew lemon myrtle tea, you get an intense, clean, almost impossibly lemon-forward flavor that real lemon juice and lemon zest can't quite replicate.

It's caffeine-free, it has a genuinely unusual flavor profile that's different from everything else in the herbal tea world, and it has some interesting research behind it. For anyone who loves bright, citrus-forward flavors in their tea, lemon myrtle is worth knowing about.

What Citral Actually Is

Citral is a combination of two closely related compounds (geranial and neral) that together produce the characteristic lemon scent and flavor. Lemon peel contains about 70% citral. Lemon myrtle leaves contain 90 to 98% citral in their essential oil. This extraordinary concentration is why lemon myrtle has been used in Australian cooking, cosmetics, and food manufacturing as a natural lemon flavoring.

When you brew lemon myrtle tea, hot water extracts the water-soluble flavor compounds and some of the essential oil. The result is a cup that smells and tastes intensely lemony but without the acidity of actual lemon juice. It's bright without being sharp. Our organic Lemon Myrtle is dried whole leaf from certified organic Australian farms.

Antimicrobial Properties

Lemon myrtle essential oil has been studied extensively for its antimicrobial properties. Research has found it effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria and fungi in laboratory settings, with efficacy sometimes described as comparable to tea tree oil (another Australian plant). A 2001 study in the Journal of Essential Oil Research found lemon myrtle oil to be one of the most potent natural antimicrobials tested in that study.

These studies test concentrated essential oil, not brewed tea, so the antimicrobial effects in a cup of lemon myrtle tea are much more modest. However, the compounds responsible for those effects (primarily citral) are still present in brewed tea, which may contribute to the traditional use of lemon myrtle for sore throats and respiratory congestion in Australian folk medicine.

Antioxidant Content

Lemon myrtle is high in antioxidant activity, with studies finding it comparable to other high-antioxidant herbs like rosemary and oregano. The antioxidants in lemon myrtle include flavonoids (particularly luteolin and apigenin, the same apigenin found in chamomile) and phenolic acids that contribute to its overall antioxidant capacity.

For a caffeine-free tea, this is a meaningful nutritional contribution. Lemon myrtle has the antioxidant credentials of a high-value herb along with a flavor that makes it genuinely enjoyable to drink rather than medicinal.

Lemon Myrtle in Cooking

One of the most interesting things about lemon myrtle is that it works as both a tea and a culinary ingredient. The dried leaves can be used as a lemon substitute in:

Baked goods (lemon cake, lemon cookies, shortbread)
Salad dressings and marinades
Fish and chicken seasoning
Cocktail infusions and mocktails
Whipped cream and dessert garnishes

If you buy a bag of our Lemon Myrtle primarily for tea, consider also using a small amount in your next baking project. The flavor is more complex and less one-dimensional than lemon extract, and it works beautifully in recipes where you want lemon flavor without added liquid.

How to Brew Lemon Myrtle Tea

Use 1 teaspoon of dried lemon myrtle leaves per 8 oz of water at 200°F. Steep for 5 to 7 minutes. The flavor is quite intense, so some people prefer starting with less (half a teaspoon) and adjusting. A longer steep increases the intensity further.

Lemon myrtle is excellent iced. Cold brew it (1.5 tablespoons per 16 oz, overnight in the fridge) for a cleaner, slightly less intense version that works well as a summer drink. Add a thin slice of cucumber or a few mint leaves during cold brewing for a more complex flavor.

It also pairs well with honey (the sweetness softens the lemon intensity), with ginger (the two citrusy-warm flavors complement each other well), and with chamomile (which adds a floral softness that rounds out the sharp lemon edge).

Is Lemon Myrtle Safe for Dogs?

Lemon myrtle is not recommended as something to share with dogs. The very high citral content (the same properties that make it interesting for humans) can be irritating to dogs in concentrated amounts. Brewing and drinking lemon myrtle tea around dogs is fine. Sharing it directly with them or leaving the brewed tea where they can drink freely from it is not recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Lemon Myrtle is sourced from certified organic Australian farms and available in both 4oz and 1lb sizes for everyday brewing or restocking your pantry.

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