Blends of Herbs and spices

Herbal Tea: Spicy Variety for Maximum Enjoyment

From spicy and robust to mild and fruity – herbal teas are available in a wide variety of blends and flavors. This hot beverage, which is officially considered a tea-like product rather than a true tea, may contain plant parts, fruits, and flowers. What are the most popular products? And how can tea retailers purchase handpicked herbal teas wholesale? Here, we present all the essential facts about this aromatic infusion.

Herbal and spice teas differ significantly from fruit teas as well as genuine tea types. Genuine teas include black tea, green tea, white tea, yellow tea, Pu-erh tea, and oolong tea. All of these come from the Camellia sinensis plant and mainly originate in China, Japan, India, and Sri Lanka. In contrast to herbal teas, these true teas are processed in a specific way. Any infusion beverage that does not derive from Camellia sinensis is classified as a tea-like product.

This is because herbal and spice teas can consist of a wide range of plants – and plant parts. Often, the leaves and flowers, and sometimes fruits, of plants are used for infusions. Popular herbal teas include peppermint, fennel, chamomile flowers, and nettles. South African rooibos tea and South American mate tea also fall under this category. But how exactly is herbal tea defined, and what makes this popular hot drink so special?

Definition: What Characterizes Herbal Teas?

Because a wide range of products fall into the “herbal tea” category, it is difficult to provide a universal definition for this type of hot beverage.

Tea-like products are divided into two groups:

• Herbal teas
• Medicinal teas

The first group is considered food, while the latter falls under pharmaceutical law and requires appropriate labeling. While medicinal teas are usually available without a prescription, some are restricted to pharmacy-only sales. Many herbal products are consumed both for enjoyment and for potential health benefits.

Herbal teas may be made from a single plant (monodrugs), such as nettle tea, or from blends of different herbs. The combination of various plants, plant parts, fruits, and spices opens up nearly endless possibilities for herbal tea blends. Depending on the desired taste and effect, teas may contain herbs, leaves, roots, bark, flowers, fruits, seeds, and woods – all of which are typically dried and gently processed.

This method gives each herbal tea its distinctive flavor, turning every blend into a unique infusion that is sure to excite both you and your customers. At Gebrüder Wollenhaupt, you can buy handpicked herbal teas wholesale and benefit from our decades of expertise.

Cultivation of Spice and Herbal Teas

Herbal and spice teas cannot be cultivated in a standardized way – the method depends entirely on the specific plant or spice. Cultivation areas for the plants used in tea-like products are found all over the world. Some species are native to Germany and Austria, but many others are grown in Southern Europe, South America, China, or Egypt.

Popular rooibos tea comes exclusively from the region north of Cape Town in South Africa. Mate tea originates in South America. While many plants are cultivated agriculturally, some components of herbal teas – like elderflowers and nettles – are harvested from wild-growing sources. Regardless of origin, all these plants share a common trait: top quality. At Gebrüder Wollenhaupt, only high-grade raw materials from trusted suppliers are used to create select tea blends – often also available as organic teas.

Popular Herbal Teas: Monodrugs and Unique Blends

Herbal teas are available in many different variations. These include monodrugs made from single herbs, which are commonly used in everyday life. On the other hand, there are herbal blends, for which the combinations of herbs and spices are practically endless – with diverse flavors and intended effects. Among the most popular monodrugs are peppermint, fennel, chamomile, rosehip, nettle, elderflower, and rooibos tea.

When it comes to blends, classic herbal teas are the most common – made by combining several herbs. However, caution is advised: almost every herbal tea available on the market contains a unique mixture of ingredients. A typical herbal tea might contain peppermint, fennel, lemongrass, anise, and chamomile. Other ingredients may include oat straw, lemon balm, orange leaves, and apple mint. Mountain herb blends often contain yarrow, blackberry leaves, dandelion, linden blossom, and plantain. Some Ayurvedic and chai teas even feature black pepper.

Effects of Herbal Teas: Benefits for Health?

Just as herbal teas come in many forms, so do the effects they are believed to have. For example, many people drink nettle tea for its diuretic properties. Ginger tea is popular as a preventive remedy or during colds. Many herbal teas are also alkaline blends, known for their harmonious taste and diverse herbal ingredients.

Herbal tea enthusiasts often drink these infusions to benefit from their alkaline properties and counteract the body’s acidity. Due to the sheer variety of herbal and spice teas, conducting scientific studies to examine their effects is difficult. As a result, most health claims are based on user experience and should be considered subjective.

How to Prepare Herbal Tea: It’s That Easy!

Because herbal and spice teas vary widely, there is no universal preparation method. Using the example of Wollenhaupt’s “alkaline wellness tea,” the following steps are recommended:

• Use two heaping teaspoons of herbal tea per 150 ml of water
• Always pour boiling, bubbling water over herbal, spice, or vegetable tea blends
• Let the tea steep for at least six to eight minutes
• This ensures a tasty and safely prepared hot beverage

Buy Herbal Tea Wholesale at Wollenhaupt

At Wollenhaupt, you can buy spice and herbal teas wholesale. As a tea retailer, you’ll benefit from over 140 years of experience in the tea trade. Our range includes true classics like alkaline herbal tea, “Evening Glow,” organic fennel tea, and cut nettle leaves. All raw materials used in our teas are hand-selected, meet the highest quality standards, and come from trusted suppliers. So when you buy spice or herbal tea wholesale from Gebrüder Wollenhaupt, you’re offering your customers delicious and safe products.

Conclusion: Herbal Teas Create Flavorful Experiences

The term "herbal tea" encompasses a variety of tea-like products that typically contain plant parts brewed with boiling water. There is no single herbal tea – rather, there is a wide range of monodrugs (single herbs) and multi-herb blends. Tea drinkers enjoy herbal teas for their mild and spicy flavor profiles or in hopes of achieving certain physical or mental effects.

At Wollenhaupt, you’ll find a large selection of premium, handpicked herbal teas – both single herbs and blends – to offer your customers. You can buy herbal tea wholesale and benefit from our decades of expertise in creating herbal tea compositions. You and your customers will be delighted.