SPECIAL: Tea 15 — What Makes Your Property Unforgettable

15. Single-Origin and Blended Herbal Teas

Writer: Lim Eun-hye, Tea Sommelier (Brand Manager, Tea Grace)

Editor: Somora, ONDA

Single-Origin and Blended Herbal Teas (2)

About the Writer Lim Eun-hye

Tea Sommelier Research Institute Gold Course graduate
Beverage menu consultant for franchise and independent cafés
Tea product development consultant
Milk tea and tea-ade one-day classes and corporate workshops
Runs an online store and publishes tea columns on blog and MAGAZINE ON

Single-Origin and Blended Herbal Teas (3)

Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

Hello, MAGAZINE ON subscribers. Tea Sommelier Tea Grace here. Seoul had its first snow a few days ago, and the temperature has dropped with it. Year-end parties and events are just around the corner — please watch out for colds and overindulgence.

Last month, we wrapped up our green tea series with brewing techniques for green tea and matcha, creative applications, and a roundup of cafés famous for their matcha drinks and desserts.

Starting this month, we're diving into herbal teas. Today's piece kicks off the series by introducing single-origin herbal teas and blended herbal teas.

What Is an Herb?

An herb is a plant used medicinally, valued for its fragrance, and employed in cooking — vegetables and spices alike. Herbs primarily grow in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Southwest Asia, and Korean tea companies import them. Familiar examples include chamomile, peppermint, lemongrass, thyme, and basil.

Here's a fun fact: scallions, garlic, and chili peppers — Korean cooking staples — are technically herbs. So are mugwort and cassia seeds, used in traditional folk remedies. Think of them as Korea's native herbs.

SPECIAL: Tea 15 — What Makes Your Property Unforgettable

Plants used medicinally, prized for aroma, and deployed in cooking: herbs

Types of Herbs and How to Use Them

Herbs can be brewed into tea, blended into cosmetics, used as spices, or eaten as vegetables. Let's start with everyone's favorite: chamomile.

Chamomile

Chamomile is virtually caffeine-free, so you can enjoy it late at night without worry. It warms the body, soothes the nerves, and helps with insomnia. Its pale yellow infusion is beautiful. Try it as a warm fruit tea with citron syrup, or serve it iced on a hot day.

Chamomile: calms, warms, and helps you sleep

Rose Chamomile

Now, take chamomile and blend it with hibiscus, rose, and lemongrass — you get Rose Chamomile.

Rose Chamomile is a bewitching ruby-hued blend. Hibiscus, supposedly Cleopatra's favorite, is loaded with vitamin C. The sweet apple-like aroma of Rose Chamomile pairs beautifully with lemon syrup, whether served hot as a fruit tea or chilled as a tea-ade.

Rose Chamomile: hibiscus meets chamomile in a ruby-red blend

Single-Origin vs. Blended Herbal Teas

A tea made from one herb — like pure chamomile — is called a single-origin herbal tea. A tea that combines multiple herbs — like Rose Chamomile — is a blended herbal tea. Just as coffee roasters blend beans from Brazil, Guatemala, and Kenya, most teas gaining traction today are blends, not single-origin.

Modern café menus feature blended teas and fruit syrups — more variety, stronger sales (Source: https://www.hollys.co.kr/menu/signature.do)

Look at the franchise café menu above. It's evolved. A few years ago, menus listed single-origin teas: chamomile, peppermint, Darjeeling. Today, you see blends and variations with fruit syrups — driving both variety and sales.

That's a wrap on single-origin vs. blended herbal teas, with a quick intro to popular varieties. Next month, we'll cover the health benefits of herbal teas and how to make them taste incredible. Wishing all MAGAZINE ON subscribers a joyful holiday season and a warm end to the year.

[Series Index]

Sep 2018: Understanding Tea and Differentiating Your Property

Oct 2018: Blended Teas and Why You Should Drink Them

Nov 2018: Black Tea Stories (1)

Dec 2018: Black Tea Stories (2)

Jan 2019: Black Tea Stories (3)

Feb 2019: Black Tea Stories (4)

Mar 2019: Hiatus

Apr 2019: Black Tea Stories (4) – 2

May 2019: Black Tea Stories (4) – 3

Jun 2019: Black Tea Stories (5)

Jul 2019: Black Tea Stories (6)