Herbal

Leaves & herbs

Leaf and herb infusions span the widest flavor range in the herbal category: peppermint is cooling and sharp; spearmint is gentler; lemongrass is bright and citrus-forward; tulsi (holy basil) carries a warm clove-like character; nettle is mineral and green; jiaogulan is bitter and tonic. These are the teas most commonly grown at home or blended from kitchen ingredients, and the quality range from fresh-dried home-grown to supermarket sachets is enormous.

teabert, the tealytics teapot, keeper of the kettle

This is the windowsill-garden family, the leaves and herbs you can grow and snip yourself: cooling peppermint, bright lemongrass, clove-warm tulsi. Fresh-dried at home tastes a world apart from a dusty sachet, so this is one place where growing your own really pays off.

Styles in this family

Peppermint

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint, and the most intensely cooling of the culinary mints thanks to its high menthol…

Lemongrass

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a tall tropical grass whose stalks and leaves carry a bright, lemony aroma from the same aromatic compound (citral) found in…

Lemon Verbena

Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is a deciduous shrub whose narrow leaves carry one of the purest and most intense lemon aromas in the herbal world, brighter…

Lemon Balm (Melissa)

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a soft, lemon-scented herb in the mint family, brewed into a caffeine-free infusion that is mild, gently sweet, and lightly…

Sage

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is the common garden sage of the kitchen, whose grey-green leaves brew into a warm, savory, herbaceous infusion with a distinctive…

Nettle

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is the common stinging nettle, whose dried leaves make a deep green, earthy, distinctly vegetal infusion that tastes of fresh greens and…

Tulsi (Holy Basil)

Tulsi, or holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), is a revered herb in India, considered sacred in Hindu tradition and one of the most important plants in Ayurveda. As…

Jiaogulan

Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum) is a leafy, caffeine-free infusion from southern China, nicknamed southern ginseng for its tonic reputation despite being…

Moringa

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) is a fast-growing tropical tree, sometimes called the drumstick tree, whose dried leaves brew into a deep green, distinctly vegetal…

Dandelion

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is brewed in two quite different ways: as a roasted-root infusion that drinks dark and bitter like a caffeine-free coffee…

Raspberry Leaf

Raspberry leaf is the dried foliage of the raspberry plant (Rubus idaeus), brewed as an infusion that tastes mild, green, and gently grassy, closer to a soft…

Spearmint

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is the gentler, sweeter cousin of peppermint, lower in menthol and led instead by the warm, slightly sweet aroma compound carvone. It…