If desired, you may chop the needles into small pieces. The chopping speeds up the
release of the pine needle oils.

Heat a cup of water per
serving of water to just before the boiling point. Avoid boiling pine
needle tea because you will lose valuable nutritional content. Vitamin
C, for instance, is heat-sensitive.

Pour the hot water over a
tablespoon of needles and then steep the tea for about 10 minutes. Cover
the tea while steeping for best results. The needles will settle to the
bottom of your cup, but if some of your needles are small, you may want
to use a strainer before drinking.

Pine needle tea has a very
pale color but a very strong aroma and flavor. Depending on the type of
needles you use, your tea color will range from nearly clear, to a light
golden brown shade, to a reddish brown.