There's nothing better on a chilly day than a cup of hot, fragrant tea. Herbal blends not only taste delicious and keep you hydrated, but they're low in calories and often have amazing health benefits like boosting energy levels, improving digestion, easing bloating, and staving off symptoms of a cold. Caffeine-free teas can also soothe anxiety and help you to sleep better at night, so they're ideal to sip before bed.
If you're not sure where to start when shopping for a new herbal tea, read through our buying guide which covers the main factors you should consider. Plus, we've compiled a list of our favourites to buy at Amazon and Tesco, from brands like T2, Yogi Tea, Teapigs, and Clipper. So, whether you're after fruity-flavoured organic tea bags or a luxurious loose leaf blend, we'll help you to find the perfect herbal cuppa!
Quick List - Top Herbal Teas
Pukka
A Calming Blend of Three Organic Types of Chamomile, Perfect for Helping You Sleep
Clipper
A Soothing, Organic, and Ethically Produced Tea Using Only Biodegradable Packaging
Teapigs
An Uplifting and Caffeine-Free Blend of Citrus, Cinnamon and Turmeric to Brighten Up Your Day
Twinings
A Relaxing Blend of Herbs Like Spiced Apple, Vanilla and Passionflower to Help You Sleep
Rachael has been a writer, editor and marketing communications specialist for some 18 years, writing about all things tea and lifestyle for her blog "Tea with Rachael" for over a decade. She loves tea and enjoys trying different types of tea, as well as pairing teas with food and fun things to see and do.
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Rachael has been a writer, editor and marketing communications specialist for some 18 years, writing about all things tea and lifestyle for her blog "Tea with Rachael" for over a decade. She loves tea and enjoys trying different types of tea, as well as pairing teas with food and fun things to see and do.
Keep up-to-date with all things tea and lifestyle-related on Rachael's blog, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and discover some new tea blends that might just become your new favourite!
You can't beat a citrus tea first thing in the morning! Lemongrass and lemon balm taste zesty and uplifting, so they're guaranteed to put you in a great mood. Similarly, juicy orange and mandarin have a refreshing flavour that will wake up your body and mind in no time.
Spices like ginger and cinnamon are also a good call when it comes to a breakfast beverage. As well as adding a kick to your cuppa, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce muscle pain. Aromatic cinnamon, on the other hand, is loaded with antioxidants and will warm you up on even the coldest morning!
Citrus is a natural energiser and mood-booster, so is a great choice for a morning herbal brew. When citrus fruits like lemons or oranges are combined with warming spices, such as lemongrass or ginger, it also helps boost circulation and is great if your throat is sore or scratchy, either from a cold or allergies.
If you suffer from indigestion regularly, a tea with peppermint can help to soothe your stomach. The menthol in peppermint relieves gastrointestinal issues like bloating and cramps while promoting healthy digestion. Similarly, hibiscus aids digestion and is packed full of antioxidants.
As turmeric is anti-inflammatory, it reduces abdominal discomfort as well as balancing bacteria levels to create a better digestive environment. It also improves the flow of blood around the body, so it's beneficial to heart health too!
Peppermint tea is a great digestive aid and also soothing for headaches or cramps. It's also refreshing if you need something to wake you up, either first thing in the morning or during the afternoon slump.
Turmeric also has many health benefits as well as its anti-inflammatory properties, it supports the immune and circulatory systems, so is a great herbal tea blend to try at any time of the day. Be careful how much turmeric you have if you are taking any anticoagulant medication, though, as it's a natural blood thinner.
Rooibos is a South African herb with a sweet, mild flavour which is similar to vanilla. It has a very high antioxidant content - 50% more than green tea! It also contains aspalathin, which has been proven to reduce the stress hormones that trigger hunger, so will appeal to those looking to slim down.
Rooibos can be enjoyed on its own or with a splash of milk, as a caffeine-free alternative to black tea. It's ideal if you fancy a breakfast-style cuppa without the anxiety that can be caused by consuming caffeine!
Rooibos has been used for many years in Africa as a medicinal brew and is a soothing herbal tea that's free of caffeine and sugar. Thanks to its health benefits, rooibos has become more and more popular in the UK over the past decade, with interesting rooibos based blends becoming a feature on the supermarket shelves as well as from specialist tea purveyors.
Many people swear that a cup of chamomile tea before bed is the key to a good night's sleep. Since chamomile is full of an antioxidant called apigenin, which is proven to reduce stress, it's no wonder that this calming herb can help you to drift off quickly!
Passionflower is another handy ingredient if you struggle with insomnia. One cup of passionflower tea each evening will not only help you to relax, but it can also improve the overall quality of your sleep.
For more, check out our guide on the best teas for sleep!
Chamomile is recognised as being a helpful tea to drink before bed if you're having trouble sleeping, and even to help digestion; while passionflower is also soothing and refreshing and ideal to unwind and melt away the stresses and strains of the day. Lavender, jasmine and other floral blends can also be helpful for calming, soothing and preparing for sleep. I like any blends with lavender, and it's often blended with chamomile for soothing, sleep time teas.
How the ingredients are grown can affect the flavour of your tea; those that are produced organically, meaning without the use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides, tend to taste cleaner and more full-bodied.
Organic tea is better for the environment and wildlife too - conventional pesticides can pollute water, making it unsafe to drink as well as killing fish and marine animals. So, if you'd prefer a brew with eco-friendly credentials, an organic product is definitely the way to go!
I always choose organic when I can for quality and environmental concerns, and it's important to me that my tea comes from sustainable sources. Making sure that pesticides and other nasties haven't been used that harm wildlife, or checking that sustainable materials and processes have been used in the production of the tea; as well as fair pay and treatment for those that pick and process the tea to bring it to our cups.
Last but not least, you should consider which format will be the best option for you. Tea connoisseurs tend to prefer loose leaf blends, which retain more nutrients and have a bolder flavour. If you'll be brewing your cuppa at home, you can easily store this kind of tea and dispose of the leaves when you've finished the infusing process.
However, if you spend a lot of time outside of the house then you may find that loose tea is a bit too messy to carry around. Instead, disposable tea bags are a much more portable and convenient option. Although bags are known for being less flavoursome, looking for those made with whole spices, fruit peel, and leaves can help to ensure a better quality cuppa that's more akin to loose leaf.
Want to know more about other types of tea available on the market? Check out the best green teas and chai teas.
There's no set rule for herbal teas as to whether bags or loose leaves are best, but loose-leaf gives you more opportunity to mix up larger pieces of the herbs you will be using for your tea blend, so you are likely to see and feel more of the benefit and can mix blends and herbs to suit your mood and needs.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pukka Three Chamomile | ![]() | A Calming Blend of Three Organic Types of Chamomile, Perfect for Helping You Sleep | |
2 | Clipper Groovy Ginger Organic Infusion | ![]() | A Soothing, Organic, and Ethically Produced Tea Using Only Biodegradable Packaging | |
3 | Teapigs Happy | ![]() | An Uplifting and Caffeine-Free Blend of Citrus, Cinnamon and Turmeric to Brighten Up Your Day | |
4 | Twinings Superblends Sleep | ![]() | A Relaxing Blend of Herbs Like Spiced Apple, Vanilla and Passionflower to Help You Sleep | |
5 | Yogi Tea Turmeric Orange | ![]() | A Turmeric and Ginger Tea That’s Revitalising Yet Soothing for the Stomach | |
6 | T2 Just Peppermint | ![]() | Pure Peppermint Made With Large, Loose Leaves, Perfect for a Morning Brew | |
7 | Teapigs Lemon & Ginger | ![]() | Ginger and Liquorice Tea Made With Whole Leaves, Roots and Lemon Peel | |
8 | Forza Natura Morning Glow | ![]() | A Energising And Caffeinated Herbal Tea Perfect To Start The Day | |
9 | Ahmad Tea London Rosehip, Hibiscus & Cherry | ![]() | An Affordable, Fruity Tea With Each Bag Foil-Wrapped for Freshness | |
10 | English Tea Shop Chocolate Rooibos & Vanilla | ![]() | Organic, Caffeine-Free Rooibos Flavoured With Chocolate and Vanilla |
What's better than chamomile tea? A tea with three different types of chamomile, of course! With handpicked Egyptian, Croatian, and Hungarian chamomile flowers, this peaceful blend by Pukka is sure to relax your body and mind. Leave it to infuse whilst you get ready for bed, then sip at your leisure until you start to feel sleepy.
In addition to having 100% organically grown ingredients, this product comes in fully recyclable packaging and is printed with vegetable ink. For all of these reasons, alongside the amazing flavour, it's our top tea pick!
Looking for something with a taste full-of-life and exciting? This blend of lemongrass, ginger and hemp seed by Clipper will help you feel relaxed yet uplifted in no time - it's basically liquid sunshine! Plus, all of the ingredients are organic and ethically sourced, so you can feel good about your daily brew.
We especially love that Clipper is a British brand that only uses biodegradable packaging and unbleached tea bags, showing that it cares about the environment as well as your body.
This uplifting blend of refreshing citrus, spicy cinnamon, and anti-inflammatory turmeric by Teapigs will brighten your day instantly! Although the tea is contained in mesh "tea temples", each one is filled with whole loose leaves and herbs and has more room to infuse - helping to maintain their flavour better than a regular tea bag.
Despite being wonderfully energising, this product is also totally caffeine-free, so you can feel rejuvenated without worrying about any anxiety creeping in. You'll truly feel happy after just a few sips!
This herbal infusion by Twinings has a comforting spiced apple and vanilla flavour that we reckon you'll enjoy sipping. Chamomile and passionflower extracts mean that a cup of this tea before bedtime will help you to drift off to dreamland effortlessly.
Not only does this superblend product have a smooth taste but at less than three quid, it's extremely affordable, too. So you can rest easy knowing that your bank balance is equally as happy as your body!
If you have digestive problems, this Ayurvedic blend by Yogi Tea is here to help. Golden turmeric and ginger soothe your stomach, whilst the mild sweetness of orange will make you feel revitalised. You can even add a splash of milk to enhance the flavour if you fancy it.
We love the fact that each tea bag has an inspirational quote printed on the tag, so you'll look forward to every cuppa! Inexpensive, tasty, and good for the soul too - what's not to love?
Although this product is a little pricier than some of our other picks, it's made from top-quality ingredients so is definitely worth spending a bit extra on! If you're unsure though, maybe try out a smaller box first to see if you like the taste.
This fruit and herbal infusion by Teapigs contains cold-busters ginger and liquorice root so it's ideal if you're a bit bunged up or just generally feeling under the weather. Plus, thanks to ingredients like lemongrass, it's wonderfully tangy and fragrant.
You can't beat this warming tea on a chilly winter's evening - even though it's made with whole leaves, roots, and lemon peel, it's budget-friendly too! The only potential downside is that it might be slightly too spicy for some people's tastebuds.
These loose leaves from Forza Natura are packed with an array of refreshing ingredients such as acacia flowers, rosehip fruit and mint leaves. This natural blend will help to lift your mood, energy and give you a morning glow. The predominantly minty flavour will also help you to feel refreshed.
Given its high caffeine content, this tea is guarantee to wake you up even on the dreariest of mornings. It is therefore a great option for anyone who is looking for an alternative to coffee. However, if you prefer to stay away from caffeine altogether, this may not be the right tea for you.
This inexpensive blend by Ahmad Tea London is great if you love all things fruity. Rosehip, hibiscus, and cherry provide a juicy flavour with just the right amount of sweetness - prepare some any time you need a little berry boost!
Although this tea isn't the most exciting flavour on our list, it's a good kitchen cupboard staple for your daily cuppa. Another plus is that each bag is foil-wrapped for freshness.
Craving a decadent dessert but trying to stay healthy? A cup of this organic chocolate-flavoured beverage from English Tea Shop should do the trick! The combination of caffeine-free rooibos, cocoa nibs, and vanilla pods creates a tantalising experience for your tastebuds.
Whilst this tea might be a bit too indulgent for some people, we think it's ideal if you've got a sweet tooth! The sturdy tin is pretty handy too, as you can refill it once you run out of your current stash.
"You can make your own fresh mint, lemon or ginger teas easily, but with the more complex spice and herb blends, it's often a good idea to leave that to the experts. Try something with cocoa, cinnamon and/or vanilla blended together for a sugar-free sweet treat instead of a dessert!"
Yes, herbal teas include a variety of antioxidants and vitamins which are both great in helping to reduce stress, improve your immune system and general health. Some teas do have more health benefits than others so it's always best to do some research and see what teas suit you and your health needs the most.
The time you should leave herbal tea to steep is dependent on whether you are using tea bags or loose leaves. In the case of using bags, most tea brands recommend steeping the tea anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes. In comparison, if you are using loose leaves, this process could take up to 10 minutes.
Written and researched by Nicola McClements
No. 1: Pukka|Three Chamomile
No. 2: Clipper|Groovy Ginger Organic Infusion
No. 3: Teapigs|Happy
No. 4: Twinings|Superblends Sleep
No. 5: Yogi Tea|Turmeric Orange
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