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A mug of the best herbal tea can be a sort of balm to the body and soul. Unlike black, green, or oolong tea, herbal teas don’t use leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. Rather, these often caffeine-free blends will use combinations of different spices, roots, leaves, stems, flowers, and herbs. As a result, there are as many different types of herbal teas as there are tea drinkers, from functional infusions that soothe inflammation and nausea to tisanes that will help you wind down before bed. Whether it’s an Indian tulsi, a South African rooibos, or a Floridian yaupon, here are some herbal tea blends that leave Bon Appétit editors cocooned in comfort at the beginning, middle, and end of the day.
Harney & Sons Herbal Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea
The Harney & Sons website claims the black tea version of this flavor is its most popular product, but I am a sucker for the herbal option, made from naturally caffeine-free rooibos. I drink it by the gallon at my in-laws’ apartment, particularly when we visit over the holidays. The combination of cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel feels inherently festive but not overly Christmassy, which makes it right at home in my mug from October to March. And despite the tea’s distinctive sweetness, there is no sugar or sweetener added. H&S clearly fields a lot of disbelieving emails, because the product page reads, “Some of you ask if we add sugar or sweeteners to this tea; we assure you that we do not. The sweetness comes from the cinnamon.” —Kendra Vaculin, associate food editor
Qi Floral Teas
There aren’t many times I get to say “I’m just like Oprah,” but we do have this in common: Unless it’s a scorcher of a day or I’ve been exerting myself, I don’t love drinking water. It’s a bit banal taste-wise, so I’m always looking for ways to make it more interesting. Gorgeous glass vessels, pretty ceramics, let’s do it. Then I encountered The Qi, a line of teas that use organically grown whole flowers and nothing more to flavor their teas. I’m particularly fond of their Royal Chrysanthemum tea, which apparently reduces anxiety and promotes balance, as well as the Shangri-la Rose tea, which The Qi says aids digestion and calms inflammation. Both invoke their respective flower’s essence without overpowering the palette. To first feast with the eyes, bloom the teas in a glass vase or The Qi’s own delicate teapot so that you can see the flower bud floating, suspended in water. I don’t know that I’ll reap the beauty and health benefits the Qi touts, but I do know I’m drinking more water—and that alone I can get behind. —Dawn Davis, editor in chief
Mighty Leaf Mint Mélange
When I visit my parents, our nighttime routine is capped off with mugs of Mighty Leaf Mint Mélange tea while we watch TV. My mom likes to add a splash of milk and a spoonful of honey while I enjoy it plain. Each refreshing sip of spearmint helps to soothe my stomach post-dinner, and the calming scent puts me at ease and ready for bed. We’ve tried a lot of mint teas, but Mighty Leaf seems to best capture the pure, fresh essence of mint. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations associate
Luxmi Estates African Rose Tea
Luxmi Estates African Rose tea leaves me feeling revitalized before I even take my first sip. As I’m waiting for the brew to cool down, the sweetly floral scent of hibiscus, rose petals, and chamomile is like a jolt of sunshine. Luxmi Estates claims the rusty pink tea helps boost the immune system and offers detox support, but if the sweet-tart flavor isn’t your...cup of tea, they also offers a range of other options, including turmeric, an ashwagandha blend, a tulsi and ginger tea, and a relaxing valerian root and chamomile.
Yaupon Brothers Lavender Coconut
I’m normally a pretty loyal green/jasmine/oolong tea drinker. But when I first tried Yaupon Brothers’ lavender coconut tea, I was entranced: It was refreshing and summery and unlike anything I’d ever had before. The flavor is barely floral, fragrant with coconut and a slightly green undertone. While all of the other herbal teas on this list are caffeine-free, this blend contains roughly a third less than what’s in a cup of coffee. In fact, yaupon is the only known caffeinated plant native to the US. (It’s a tree, and the tea is made from its antioxidant-rich leaves.) Yaupon Brothers—based in Florida, where the Timucua tribe once drank, traded, and used yaupon in ceremonies——acknowledges Native Americans’ thousand-plus-year history with the plant by sending a portion of sales to NATIFS, a nonprofit cofounded by chef Sean Sherman that reestablishes Indigenous foodways to generate wealth and improve health in Native communities. In addition to the lavender coconut, the company also produces a yaupon-spiced chai and a smoky fire-roasted tea. I cold-brew a bag in a pint of water overnight, and the next day, it’s a lightly infused and ready-to-go iced tea. —Alex Beggs, contributor
Harney & Sons Rooibos Chai Tea
I am a coffee drinker who constantly seems to find himself surrounded by people who prefer drinking tea; in fact, I married one. While I will never fully understand what could motivate someone to extricate themself from bed for anything less than a cup of meticulously sourced, just-ground, just-brewed coffee (or at least something with caffeine), my wife’s choice of tea comes the closest to making a convincing argument. Harney & Sons Rooibos Chai brims with the piercing note of aromatic cardamom, backed up by cinnamon. Smooth and round, it has the kind of dense mouthfeel that most herbal teas completely lack; it pairs with any type of milk and truly takes off with a touch of honey for sweetness. When I have hit my caffeine limit for the day, it gives me an equally powerful dose of self-care and makes a 5-minute tea break feel like an event worth planning the afternoon around. —Chris Morocco, food director
Teapigs Snooze
I am about to contradict myself: I don’t enjoy lavender in culinary settings. Also, my favorite type of tea at the moment is this calming Snooze blend from Teapigs featuring heavy notes of…lavender. My boyfriend’s mom got me hooked on the stuff years ago, and maybe it’s because I associate the tea with being snuggled into her couch watching Jeopardy! that I find the floral notes actually appealing. Drinking a cup feels much like taking a bubble bath; warm, cozy, liable to make you nod off. The lavender mingles in the bag with chunks of real apple (not apple flavoring!) and chamomile flowers, so the tea tastes fruity-sweet, floral, and a little bit fancy. Teapigs, a UK-based company known for its emphasis on sustainability and sourcing, carries a number of other herbal teas, like its uplifting lemon balm Happy blend. Personally, I will top up my mug all evening after work with Teapigs Snooze, until I simply cannot stay—ZZZzzzzz. —Ali Francis, staff writer
Bushwick Tea
My partner used to work at a big tech company that stocked insanely high-quality snacks like individually packaged flavored marshmallows and matcha–black sesame protein bars (to say nothing of the kombucha on tap—literally why do I work in media?). But of all the fun treats he would squirrel away in his backpack to bring home for me to sample, the best was the endless supply of Bushwick Tea. With a jaunty goat on the label, these silky sachets (the teas are also available as loose leaf) boast a very coarse mixture, such that you can pick out the individual ingredients within. The bright golden turmeric and ginger root tea, with its majorly pick-me-up properties, is my favorite. Now that I can’t mooch this tea off a fancy workplace, I buy it myself and feel good about the sugarcane-based, glue-free tea bags that are entirely compostable. —K.V.
Alaya Tulsi Tea
A few years ago I wrote about Asian American–owed tea companies, and ever since I’ve been hooked on Alaya’s Darjeeling first flush and Assam black teas. During one resupply, founders Esha Chhabra and Smita Satiani kindly tucked an extra into my box—a bag of organic tulsi tea. Also known as holy basil, tulsi is a sacred plant for many in India and may have anti-inflammatory properties. With its full-bodied, almost spicy flavor, it’s since become the herbal tea I reach for post-dinner when I want something a little more bracing than mint. —MacKenzie Chung Fegan, senior commerce editor
