M said

Not Tea: Herbals/Tisanes

Hello, everyone. I am trying to wean myself off of tea (she types as she sips her ginseng green tea) in preparation for a few months from now, when I will be both fasting from sunup to sundown and traveling.

Despite the fact that I don’t drink tea every day, I’m finding this a struggle. I think what might help is if I can still drink something hot/cold (as the case may be) at my regular tea time as long as it doesn’t have caffeine in it.

The trouble is, I am having trouble finding a robust replacement. The only thing I have right now is a rooibos blend (mixed with black tea, so it’s not really cutting out the caffeine) and one peppermint “tea” bag left from a box I bought in response to a stomachache.

Does anyone have suggestions for robust tisanes? I checked the archive via search and one or two posts came up but from years ago and without a whole lot of answers. Any advice is much appreciated!

23 Replies

Elder Grove from Whispering Pines.

M said

Thanks, I’ll check it out!

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Dexter said

What about something like a buckwheat – soba cha. Roasted nutty – not sure how that fits with your fasting, but I love it.
http://steepster.com/teas/harney-and-sons/19809-soba-cha-buckwheat-tea

On that note, there is also barely tea. I don’t know which specific online vendors sell it, but Japanese tea sights would, as mugicha.

AllanK said

Don’t you mean Barley Tea?

Ummmmmm yes >_>

I don’t know what kind of a slip that was.

it was a Freud-tea-n slip

M said

Hmm, I’m intrigued. I will look into both the soba cha and barley. Thanks for your suggestions!

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Uniquity said

It’s all about your preferences – if your only criteria is caffeine free you’ve got lots of options.

I particularly enjoy mint on it’s own (peppermint, spearmint, whatever). Lemon balm or lemon verdena is also nice on it’s own. I have yet to find any non-tea that can replace true tea, but a coworker drinks a bagged blend called caf-lib that she finds to be a decent replacement. It has chickory which is pretty strong and nice.

M said

Yes, I like the peppermint too, but it doesn’t work so well when I’m craving something stronger with more body. Chicory is a good idea, though, I will look into it!

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AllanK said

Tulsi is another herbal, caffeine free option. It is an interesting tasting tea, hard to properly describe. I have only tried a couple of blends.

M said

I think I’ve seen that at my local Indian grocery store. Thanks for the recommendation!

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Robust eh? I second the chicory root. Celestial seasonings has a tea that my mom still drinks to this day:
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/herbal-teas/roastaroma

Lupicia has Barley tea in bags, with summery flavors:
https://usa.lupicia.com/search?q=barley

Anything with roasted dandelion root, chicory, barley, or soba cha may fit your needs. If you like your teas to taste like juice, anything with a strong hibiscus base may do the trick.

M said

Great, thank you for the links! I’ve been veering away from the juice-tasting teas in recent months, but I’ll keep that on my list in case I change my mind.

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Patricia said

Peppermint infusions are delicious! I like the one from Harney and Sons.

By the way, if you’re only looking for caffeine-free options, you could try wulong teas or throwing the water of the first infusion of your black or green teas.

For rooibos, I think you could find something that matches your tastes. If you like spices and chai, I recommend the coco chai rooibos from David’s Tea.

AllanK said

Throwing out the first infusion of tea does little to decaffeinate the tea, it’s been scientifically proven. It was a nice thought though. There was a steepster thread about it with a link for a scientific study.

M said

The coco chai rooibos sounds great, thank you!

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Zack S. said

Caramel and Honey Orzo from Lupicia is deep, robust, and savory. Very similar to coffee in those regards, and a staple in my cupboard. Pretty much the only thing I’ve found to satisfy my craving for something robust and rich when its too late to have caffeine.

M said

This sounds amazing and precisely what I need, and I’ve been meaning to put in a first order at Lupicia for some time. Thank you!

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I drink a whole lot of herbal teas. It’s hard to recommend things without some idea of what flavors you’re looking for. Most of the popular tea companies have at least a couple herbal teas, but a few specialize in herbal teas. I would recommend checking out Celestial Seasonings, Numi, Traditional Medicinals, Buddha Teas, Mountain Rose Herbs, David’s Tea, Adagio, and Republic of Tea. All of those companies have a good selection of herbal teas. If you’re interested I’m starting sign-ups for the next round of the Herbal Traveling Tea Box, which might help you figure out what you like.
http://steepster.com/discuss/10885-herbal-ttb-round-2-sign-ups-open

M said

The herbals I’ve had in the past and liked are: peppermint, rooibos, raspberry, and mixed berry. But my tastes have sort of changed in the past few months and I’ve been veering away from minty/fruity tastes to more earthy, strong, and slightly smoky flavors. I don’t know if there are any non-caffeinated teas that match up with that flavor profile.

I saw the Herbal TTB post, but not sure if I should sign up. What is the timeline for it? So when do you project it will start traveling? I won’t be at home for much of the summer so I wouldn’t want to miss it and delay everyone else from receiving their share.

Uniquity said

Chicory for sure could be a good option for you!

I would second the recommendations for barley tea, it’s quite strong and reminds me of toast. Rooibos can sometimes have a smokey flavor, so definitely check out rooibos blends. Herbal chais would also be good to try. Blends that are targeted toward coffee or chocolate lovers might be good to try. I don’t like coffee so I haven’t really looked into those, but Celestial Seasoning’s Morning Thunder is one, and I think Mountain Rose Herbs might have one as well. I’m just starting to explore the various chocolatey teas, but especially look for blends that use cacao shells rather than just nibs. You also might want to check out Adagio’s Honeybush Hazelnut. (I usually double leaf that one, for more flavor). It’s nutty and woody, but might be something you would like. You might also want to check out Pau D’Arco. The flavor of that is somewhat similar to black tea.

The Herbal TTB will probably start traveling sometime in May, and run for the next three or four months. If you have a two or three weeks when you know you will be at home, we can maybe work around you. If not, keep an eye out for the next box if you’re still exploring herbals in the fall.

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