Our Tea Base Options
Teas come in many flavors and with multiple ingredients. Choice of ingredients and their combination make each blend different and one can have customized tea blends. However every tea blend requires one ingredient as a base. The options are to go with a Caffeinated Tea Base (Black, Green, White, Pu-erh, Oolong) or opting for a Caffeine Free Tea Base (Rooibos, Honeybush Red Tea) or selecting dried herbs to create a Herbal Tisane.
Under each of the above categories here are the various tea bases we offer for your custom blends:
Caffeinated Tea Base Options:
China Black B.O.P. Tea Organic, Fair Trade
This excellent quality Black Tea originates from east-central China and produces a dark, full-bodied cup of tea. It has a fresh and slightly sweet flavor with a fruity aroma. It contains short leaves, making it perfect for iced tea.
Broken Orange Pekoe (B.O.P.) is the next grade below Orange Pekoe, which designates a smaller, broken leaf. When crushed to make bagged teas, the tea is referred to as "Broken" (B).
Black Pearl Gunpowder
This is a Chinese Black Tea that is rolled into the shape of small pinhead pellets and was awarded its title because of its resemblance to the pellets used for gunpowder ammunition during the 17th century. Black Gunpowder is manufactured according to the ancient tradition. Tea is plucked, dried and hand-rolled to produce the signature gunpowder shape. Originally rolled tightly to preserve freshness and maintain moisture during long voyages overseas. Because of its tightly rolled leaf, it has a great shelf life. Burgundy-like opening followed by notes of honey and finishing with light toast. In the cup, the tea is bright and golden, with hints of earth and mild astringency.
Sencha Leaf Green Tea Organic, Fair Trade
Sencha Tea is made from the first tender emerald green leaves of the tea plant. The leaves are harvested in early summer then steamed, twisted, and dried. While fresh and bright, its flavor is bittersweet with a hint of an ocean breeze, and has a clean finish.
Oolong Tea Organic
Oolong Tea undergoes partial fermentation, producing a beautiful medley of black and green teas with lightly roasted curled leaves, and it has a full-bodied, smooth taste. Low in caffeine, one cup of oolong tea has 10-15% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee. A succulent tea sure to appeal to the senses of both the black and green tea lover.
Oolongs are grown in limited areas where the conditions are perfect and great care is taken to ensure the health of the surrounding environment. Oolongs fall between black and green teas in terms of oxidation. It’s amazing that the skill of the tea master can produce such different flavors depending on how the tea is processed.
Pu-erh Tea Organic
Produced for centuries, Pu-erh remains one of the tea world's more exotic offerings. Pu'er or pu-erh is a variety of fermented tea traditionally produced in Yunnan Province, China. The pu-erh tea from Taiwan are also very popular. Pu-erh tea is made from the leaves and stems of the Camellia sinensis, the same plant that is used for making green, oolong, and black teas. The processing of pu-erh tea involves two stages after it is harvested. In the first stage, the leaves are prepared similar to green tea. In the second stage, the leaves undergo fermentation process and then aged (stored) under high humidity. Similar to wines, Pu-erh tea that is aged for a longer period of time is supposed to taste better.
Pu-erh tea is used for improving mental alertness and sharp thinking. It is also used for high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. Pu'erh is the most oxidized form of tea and can mellow and improve with age like fine wine. It produces a dark red liquor with a full-bodied, earthy taste.
Shu Mee White Tea Organic
This tea is somewhat mixed flat leaves along with twigs. It brews to a light golden-red color and has a slightly sweet and delicate taste with no grassy undertones, and delivers a mellow slightly nutty taste. Due to the processing method, Shu Mee also has higher levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, and vitamins, while also yielding less caffeine than other tea varieties.
Yerba Mate Organic
Yerba Mate (also referred to simply as Mate) is a traditional South American brew that’s been said to offer the “strength of coffee, the benefits of a healthful tea, and the euphoria of chocolate” all in one beverage. It is a stimulating, naturally-caffeinated herbal tea which shares many of the same vitamins, minerals, and compounds found in green teas.
Brewed from the naturally caffeinated and nourishing leaves of the species of holly native to the South American Atlantic rainforest (Ilex paraguariensis),Yerba Maté provides antioxidants, minerals, amino acids, and B vitamins to support a healthy lifestyle. It is a balanced and healthful tea that produces a smooth and refreshing full bodied beverage, and is known as an energizer and rejuvenator. It has a satisfying richness that many people may find lacking in green tea, but it is less acidic than coffee. All Yerba Maté Leaf Teas do contain caffeine, and the caffeine content can vary, depending on which variety of maté it is, and how you prepare it. It does usually contain slightly less caffeine than coffee.
Yerba Maté Tea is delicious all by itself, but many people like to flavor it. It goes great with milk, sweeteners, honey and lemon, different fruits, and even other herbs like mint or lemongrass. You can make a Yerba Maté latte or smoothie, and some people even like to combine it with a chai tea. It tastes great hot or cold! Yerba Maté iced or sun tea is another way to make this fabulous tea cold and refreshing.
Caffeine Free Tea Base Options:
Rooibos Tea Organic
Rooibos is pronounced roy-boss, which translates from Afrikaans to ‘red bush’. This herbal tisane comes from needle-shaped leaves of the Aspalathus linearis, an evergreen bush grown in South Africa. This is also known as the red tea or redbush tea is growing in popularity around the world! Cultivated in the hills of South Africa, rooibos is harvested from a small tea-like shrub.. The leaves undergo an oxidation process, and this process produces the distinctive reddish-brown color of rooibos, and enhances the flavor. It has a natural sweetness, with an earthy and rich flavor. Each rooibos tea yields a caffeine-free brew, extravagantly abundant in high concentration of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Rooibos Tea is commonly prepared in the same manner as black tea, and milk and sugar (or stevia) can be added to taste. Other methods include a slice of lemon and using honey instead of sugar to sweeten. It tastes great both hot and as an iced tea.
Rooibos is used for hay fever, preventing cancer, preventing heart disease, indigestion (dyspepsia), reduced insulin resistance and other conditions.
Rooibos is the perfect base for building memorable flavor combinations. On our website you can find a selection of flavored rooibos blends that are perfect for relaxing or as an after dinner treat.
Honeybush Red Tea Organic
Honeybush is also known as berg tea or mountain tea. It is so named because the flowers smell of honey. The taste of honeybush tea is similar to that of rooibos but a little sweeter. Honeybush tea is a naturally sweet tea indigenous to South Africa. It’s caffeine-free with a honey-like aroma and taste.
Honeybush tea is made primarily from Cyclopia intermedia. It has been used to treat multiple ailments since the beginning of the 19th century. Most of its potential health effects are linked to the group of antioxidants called polyphenols, namely xanthones and flavanones. Research supports that honeybush tea’s polyphenols may help prevent, manage, and treat type 2 diabetes. Honeybush tea may benefit bone metabolism by affecting bone cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Both drinking honeybush tea and topically applying a honeybush tea extract may improve skin health.
You may enjoy a warm cup of this honey-tasting tea on cold days, or an iced version during the summer.
Herbal Tisane Base Options:
Rose (Petals & Buds) Organic
The rose petals and buds we offer are harvested from the species Rosa centifolia or Rosa canina. Rosa centifolia is a hybrid rose developed in Holland beginning in the 1600s. It grows as a shrub, reaching 5-7 feet in height. Its flowers are especially treasured for their fragrance. Rosa canina is a variety of climbing rose commonly called Dog Rose.
Rose petals have a lovely red blossoms with a faint rose-like aroma. Using dried rose petals as your base adds more visual appeal than flavor. Herbalists have used rose petals for sore throats, peptic ulcers, heavy menstrual bleeding, diarrhea, and in eyewashes. They are cooling, and have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cardiotonic, laxative, and blood purifying properties; aid digestion, enhance libido, and lift the mood.
Smell is directly connected to mood. If something smells good, it makes you feel good. These wonderful, organic, fragrant dark pink rose petals are sure to put a smile on your face! Use them in a tea, as potpourri, added to bath salts, or whatever else your heart desires!
Chamomile Flowers Organic
Chamomile Flowers, also known as Matricaria recutita, is one of the most popular natural botanicals available. This is because Chamomile Flowers, which grow in locations around the world, have a myriad of internal and external uses.
These mildly scented flowers when used as base have apple-like flavor and pairs well with many other herbs, spices and fruits. Belonging to the daisy family, the chamomile herb offers a bouquet of health benefits through its white and yellow flowers. The volatile oils in the flowers carry a range of compounds that mean your nervous and digestive systems well.
Well known for its sedative effects, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) could help you fall asleep by making you less responsive to external stimuli. It has apigenin which behaves like GABA, a sleep-favoring chemical, and could make you feel calm and relaxed. Another chemical mimics a pleasure-inducing hormone called dopamine, toning down anxiety. That apart, chamomile helps digestion by increasing fat-digesting bile acids and improves absorption by controlling contractions in the intestines.
Hibiscus Flower Organic
Hibiscus sabdariffa is a perennial flowering shrub thought to be native to West Africa. Hibiscus leaves and fruits are consumed in numerous dishes in many parts of South Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Caribbean.
Hibiscus Flower tea (sometimes called “sour tea”) and other beverages brewed from the flowers as base are beloved throughout much of the world for their refreshing, tangy flavor and beautiful red color. Hibiscus pairs well with dried fruits and warm spices.
The ability of Hibiscus to reduce high blood pressure is well-documented. It also aids weight loss directly and addresses some common complications associated with obesity, lowering blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, and improving hyperlipidemia. It has protective effects on the kidneys and liver, and among its components are antioxidants and anti-tumor compounds.
Hibiscus tea has traditionally been used to relieve cramps and other symptoms related to the menstrual cycle, and to calm the nervous system, improving sleep and reducing anxiety and depression. It has also been brewed to help with coughs, urinary tract infections (it’s a mild diuretic), digestive upsets and diarrhea, candidiasis, as a general immune tonic and antimicrobial agent, and for its contraceptive properties.
Peppermint Leaf Organic
Peppermint is actually a naturally occurring hybrid cross of Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) and Spearmint (M. spicata). This escaped specimen crossed between two “true” mint species has a prolific global reach and a history of use that began in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Currently the commercial cultivation of Peppermint is dominated by Morocco, producing over 90% of the world’s output. In the US, Washington and Oregon are the main sources.
Peppermint tea is great for many common complaints! It settles the stomach; relieves gas, colic, diarrhea, hangovers, and nausea; promotes sweating, thus reducing fever; alleviates headaches, teething, and other pains; and calms the nerves. It has a decongestant effect that makes it useful for cold symptoms, sinusitis, and hay fever.
Peppermint is rich in menthol (the leaf contains a volatile oil that consists of up to 70% menthol and menthol esters.), which causes its distinctive cooling sensation, and has analgesic, anesthetic, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. It also contains terpenes, flavonoids, and rosemarinic acid. Significant amounts of vitamins C and A are found in fresh leaves. Extracts of the herb are widely used to flavor foods and beverages, and to scent body care products.
Peppermint as a base blends well with most other herbs, especially fellow members of the mint family.
Spearmint Leaf Organic
Spearmint is a member of the mint family original to Europe and Asia. It is also widely cultivated as a food crop and garden ornamental in temperate regions.
Spearmint has been highly valued since ancient times for its relaxing fragrance and cooling flavor, and as a remedy for indigestion and abdominal pain and cramps. It’s gentle enough for baby’s colic, and safe to give for morning sickness during pregnancy. It has been used to relieve menstrual pains, clear the nasal passages and calm the airway, inhibit allergic reactions, and cool itching and insect stings and bites. Spearmint is also attracting attention as a nootropic herb, enhancing alertness and cognitive function.
Spearmint leaf is a popular addition to tea blends, where it lends a minty and slightly sweet flavor. Spearmint leaf is also used to make tinctures and syrups to flavor baked goods, confections, cocktails and other beverages. Although spearmint is commonly brewed into hot tea, it is also a key ingredient in sweet tea, a favorite beverage served cold in the southern U.S.
Spearmint as a base pairs well with dried citrus fruit peels and mild flavored herbs.
The tea bases (tea/herbs) listed on our website are the ones that are most commonly used by us and our customers. Because of that reason, we also have a line-of-sight on availability of these products. You can reach out to us to discuss the specific ingredient (tea/herb/botanical) you need in your blend and we will make all efforts to source them from our preferred supplier/partner network.
Contact us at info@lifetimetea.com or call us Toll Free (866) 998-4779, Monday through Friday 7am - 5pm Pacific Time to discuss your custom tea formulation.
