Health

How is the herbal tea trend doing?

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Daniela from the tea blog Tea Cachai is studying to become a herbalist. She sees a new trend since COVID. “I’ve seen many people turn to tea and particularly herbal tea, as a new habit. Tea has always been related to a cozy feeling, and is considered a comfort and calming drink.”

What are the current trends in herbal tea?
I’m seeing a lot of brands offering functional herbs and blends with medicinal properties, lots of hemp and CBD teas too. After COVID hit, the world and people changed in so many ways and the search for well-being has been a constant focus for most. People look for different ways to stay grounded and be mentally and physically healthy. I’ve seen many people turn to tea and particularly herbal tea, as a new habit. Tea has always been related to a cozy feeling, and is considered a comfort and calming drink.

Herbal tea is a huge topic to me because I’m currently studying to learn more about herbs and become a herbalist. I believe that there is a huge trend, and we’re seeing this with many brands, where their herbal range has increased and they’re focusing a lot of marketing efforts to promote herbal and caffeine free ‘teas’ for over a year already. They promote them as functional and beneficial for different purposes and people are obviously attracted to them and you can even shop by function at some e-tailers.
The thing is that with herbal teas, people need to understand that they don’t work in the same way as medication (immediately). So for the most part, they are meant to be enjoyed for pleasure purposes only, but of course, they market them using their potential benefits because it’s more attractive. So, if someone is looking at the medicinal aspect of herbal tea and wants to get true benefits from it, I would recommend seeing a herbalist.

Is there one tea that is your favorite and why?
Continuing with the herbal tea trend… I make my own sleep blend and I have a herbal blend recipe on my blog, but I have altered it many times. Currently, I’m adding Tulsi and Ashwagandha to it. I love adaptogenic herbs! That is my every single day before going to bed tea. It is so comforting and it helps me relax and is part of my bedtime routine.
During the day, I love herbal teas that help boost my energy level and the ones that work well as lattes. I recently wrote a blog post where I suggest 7 herbal teas for wellness to try which also talks about adaptogenic herbs.

Can you say that drinking herbal tea is linked to a specific way of life?
Not necessarily. Some people drink tea or herbal tea just because they like it and it’s what they feel like drinking or having at that particular moment. Many people drink herbal tea before bed because they want to drink something hot and caffeine-free that evokes that cozy feeling.

Other people might understand more about herbs and incorporate herbal teas as part of their general well-being. Once you get to know more about herbs and their properties you get to use them more in your daily life. I am very pro-medicine but I also have my herbal tea ‘cabinet’, where I reach out to make specific blends for different purposes. For example, for allergy season I do a lot of Nettle, after meals of feeling bloated and ‘heavy’ I like drinking peppermint tea, etc.

Herbal teas are super friendly and accessible to all, and the best part is you can’t ruin them when you steep them (unline tea!). Use hot/boiling water at 205-212 F and steep for 5-10 minutes preferably covered to avoid volatile oils to evaporate.

What new trends do you see for the rest of this year?
Still a lot of adaptogens and mushroom usage and marketing their benefits. I’m also seeing a lot of tea and herbal mixology, which is exciting!! I love to see new applications and uses of tea and herbs.
Another big one is coffee replacement alternatives, and people getting strongly into these products. Just this year, a coffee replacement company, Rasa, raised over $3M where over 2,000 retail investors contributed through an online crowdfunding service.

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