Infusions and tisanes

In the first course you got a “first flush” of tea knowledge. The most important thing to remember from the previous course now is what is real tea. You probably have a lot of tea tins in your cupboard (where you shouldn’t have them anyway as tea easily absorbs flavours from smells) that say tea and you are probably wondering which of them is not tea?

herbs, flowers and tisanes scattered on a table


As you learned in the previous course, What is Tea , only leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant are true tea. That is, anything that does not come from Camellia is “non-tea.” Another word for it is “tisanes” (and such a nice word is naturally French) or tisanes.

The most common ingredients used in tisanes are dried flowers, herbs, spices and fruits.

The most popular tisanes

Herbal tisanes

Probably the most common form of tisane is "herbal tea" - although often no tea leaves are included in the mixtures! Herbal tisanes consist of leaves, roots and stems from various herbs and plants. Many of them are known for their health-promoting properties.

Herbal teas have been popularized primarily for their health benefits, but are now finding their way to thirsty palates as a caffeine-free substitute for coffee. The oldest and most well-known varieties are peppermint and chamomile.

  • Peppermint : Known for its fresh flavor and ability to relieve digestive problems.
  • Chamomile : A gentle and soothing tisane, perfect as an evening tea.
  • Ginger : Has a warming effect and is popular for relieving nausea and cold symptoms.

Fruit tisanes

Fruit tea is another common tisane that consists only of dried fruit, spices and herbs and should not be confused with flavored teas made with fruit oils. Fruit tisane is caffeine-free because it is free of tea leaves, while flavored teas are not. Fruit tisanes are naturally sweet and refreshing. They often contain a combination of dried fruit, berries and citrus.

Another non-tea that has become popular recently is rooibos, also known as “Red bush tea.” Rooibos comes from the plant of the same name.

The last type of tisane we will mention in this course is yerba maté, or maté, and is not as widespread as rooibos, yet. Mate also contains caffeine, but is a healthier alternative to coffee that does not give the nervous stress feeling and has therefore become widespread for its invigorating and energizing effect. Read more about yerba maté in the course for advanced users.

What are infusions?

As you may now realize, it is possible to make countless blends of tisanes! When we mix tea leaves and tisanes, we call it infusions . Some popular examples are:

  • Jasmine tea – green tea infused with jasmine flowers.
  • Chai – black tea with spices such as cinnamon, ginger and cardamom.
  • Ginger tea – tea leaves with a strong ginger flavour.