17 products
What is herbal tea?
Herbal tea is an infusion made from plants other than the tea bush: leaves, flowers, berries, roots or grains steeped in hot water. Strictly speaking these drinks are tisanes — only Camellia sinensis gives "true" tea — but every tea culture keeps a shelf of them: for the evening, for the taste, for variety. Almost all of them are naturally caffeine-free, which is a matter of botany, not marketing.
Which herbal teas should you know?
Ivan chai — fermented fireweed
The great Russian herbal classic. Willowherb (fireweed) leaves are wilted, rolled and fermented much like black tea, then dried — in the 19th century this "Koporye tea" was exported from Russia by the ton. The cup is honeyed and round with a light tartness: the closest a caffeine-free leaf gets to real tea.
Karkade — hibiscus
Dried hibiscus calyces brew into a deep ruby infusion with a bright, cranberry-like sourness. Loved from Egypt to Mexico, karkade is equally at home hot or iced — sweeten it, chill it, and you have summer in a glass.
Buckwheat tea — Ku Qiao
Roasted kernels of Tartary buckwheat from the Chinese highlands. The infusion smells of biscuits and toasted nuts and tastes gently sweet; when the cup is empty, the softened grains are good to eat. A quiet favourite for late evenings and for anyone who loves roasty, grainy flavours.
Kuding — the "bitter nail"
Twisted spindles of broadleaf holly, famous in Chinese tradition for their uncompromising character: intensely bitter at first sip, then a long, cool sweetness. One spindle per cup is plenty. An acquired taste — and the people who acquire it tend to stay.
Herbal teas at a glance
| Herbal tea | Plant | Taste | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan chai | Fermented fireweed (willowherb) | Honeyed, round, lightly tart | None |
| Karkade | Hibiscus calyces | Ruby-red, cranberry-sour | None |
| Buckwheat tea | Roasted Tartary buckwheat | Biscuit, toasted nuts, sweet | None |
| Kuding | Broadleaf holly | Deeply bitter, sweet finish | None |
Does herbal tea have caffeine?
The four staples above contain none at all — fireweed, hibiscus, buckwheat and holly simply do not produce caffeine. That makes this collection the natural late-evening side of the tea table; when you do want caffeine, the rest of our catalogue is at your service. In the wider herbal world there are exceptions — yerba mate and guayusa are caffeinated — but nothing of the sort hides on this page.
How to brew herbal tea?
Use water just off the boil and be generous with time: 5–7 minutes for ivan chai and karkade. Buckwheat holds several steepings and ends as a snack; kuding needs only one or two spindles per cup and a short first infusion while you learn its strength. Karkade doubles as the easiest iced drink of the summer — brew strong, pour over ice.
Our herbals are gathered by hand in forests and mountain meadows, in small seasonal batches, and we buy them directly from the people who collect and produce them. Orders ship from our Amsterdam warehouse across the Netherlands and Europe — and you can taste before you buy at the Moychay tea club — Rozengracht 92H, Amsterdam.
