7 Renowned Teas Worth Putting the Kettle On For
This International Tea Day (May 21), we celebrate the seven teas that provide a true hug in a mug, everywhere from boosting your immuni-tea, to simply tasting tea-riffic (sorry, we had to)!
The click of the kettle, the rising steam, the few quiet minutes between the world and yourself – long before anyone thought to study tea, it was already a ritual; a delicacy people leaned into during cold months, while recovering, during grief, or simply on the kind of afternoon that asks for something a little gentler.
This isn’t a list that will promise to “boost” your immune system or stand in for anything your GP has told you to do (we’ll come back to that.) It’s a guide to seven teas with long, well-earned reputations – what they’re known for, what they actually taste like, and how they might sit inside a simple daily routine.
So, pick one, pick three, pick whatever suits the weather outside your window.
A Special Note Before You Stock the Cupboard
Tea is gentle, but it isn’t inert. If you’re taking medication – particularly blood thinners, blood pressure tablets, or anything for diabetes (some of the teas below can interact in ways that matter). Always check with your GP or pharmacist before adding a new herbal tea to your daily routine, especially in any quantity beyond an occasional cup – if you’re ever concerned about your amount of caffeine consumption, Healthdirect’s guide to caffeine here is a good starting point.
With that gentle housekeeping done, now it’s time to put the kettle on.
1. Green Tea: The Everyday Classic
Poured for centuries across East Asia, green tea is the one most of us already half-know. It’s rich in polyphenols, the compounds behind its faint astringency, and it’s been studied more closely than almost any other drink in the cupboard.
Traditionally, it’s been tied to clear-headedness and a steady, unshowy daily vitality. The Japanese tea ceremony built a whole philosophy around it: Slow, considered, present, and uniquely, forms part of the Japanese secret to longevity in maintaining a balanced diet and ultimately, finding your Ikigai (a favourite on our must-read list).
Tastes like: Grassy, slightly bitter, clean. If that edge is too sharp, try matcha (the powdered kind), with a splash of warm oat milk as a delectable alternative.
Worth flagging: Green tea contains vitamin K, which can work against blood thinners like warfarin. If that’s you, two cups a day is usually treated as the maximum, but please check with your GP first.
2. Ginger Tea: The Warming One
Ginger has earned its place in traditional medicine across India, China, and the Middle East over thousands of years. Its reputation: Settling the stomach, easing nausea, and warming you from the inside out, which is no small thing on a cold morning.
Tastes like: Spicy, peppery, sharper than you’d expect. The simplest version is a few slices of fresh ginger left to steep in hot water for ten minutes. A squeeze of lemon and a little honey rounds off the edges.
Worth flagging: Ginger can thin the blood a touch, it’s especially worth a conversation with your GP if you’re on anticoagulants.
3. Turmeric Tea: The Golden One
Turmeric, the root that lends curries their colour has been part of Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for more than four thousand years. The traditional Indian preparation is “golden milk”: Turmeric simmered slowly in warm milk with a pinch of black pepper (which helps the body take it in) and a little cardamom or cinnamon.
It’s the sort of drink that turns a cold evening into something soft.
Tastes like: Earthy and faintly bitter on its own; rich and almost pudding-like once it becomes golden milk.
Worth flagging: In larger amounts, turmeric may raise bleeding risk alongside anticoagulants. The odd cup is fine – it’s the daily, concentrated dose that’s worth raising with your GP.
4. Chamomile Tea: The Evening One
If green tea belongs to the morning, chamomile belongs to twilight. The small daisy-like flower has been used in European folk medicine since Ancient Egypt, where it was linked to calm, rest, and gentle digestion.
It’s caffeine-free, which makes it the natural pick for the after-dinner cup or the one beside the bed. It suits the simple act of slowing down, which is often worth more than any single ingredient inside the cup.
Tastes like: Lightly floral, faintly sweet, with a soft hay-like note underneath. Especially good with honey on a wet evening, or simply before going to sleep.
Worth flagging: Chamomile can have a mild blood-thinning effect in larger amounts. The occasional cup is fine; several a day is worth mentioning to your GP if you’re on anticoagulants.
5. Echinacea Tea: The Cold-Season One
Native to North America, echinacea was used medicinally by Indigenous communities long before it found its way onto the Western herbal shelf. It’s the tea most of us reach for at the first scratch of a winter throat.
It’s traditionally taken in short bursts – a few cups a day for a few days when you’re feeling run-down, rather than as a year-round habit.
Tastes like: Earthy, slightly floral, distinctly herbal. Often blended with peppermint or elderflower to soften it.
Worth flagging: If you live with an autoimmune condition or take immunosuppressant medication, echinacea isn’t the tea for you (it’s best to always confirm with your GP).
6. Elderberry Tea: The Folk-Remedy One
Elderberries – the small, dark fruit of the European elder tree, have run through folk remedies across the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe for centuries, often called the “medicine cabinet of the countryside.”
Like echinacea, it’s long been favoured through the cooler months and at the first hint of a seasonal sniffle.
Tastes like: Slightly tart, gently fruity, a touch wine-like; lovely with a stick of cinnamon dropped in.
Worth flagging: Buy elderberry tea from a reputable source. Raw elder berries can upset the stomach, but commercial teas use them processed and safe.
7. Tulsi (Holy Basil) Tea: The Calming One
Tulsi, or holy basil, is sacred in the Ayurvedic tradition, often counted among the “adaptogens,” the plants said to help the body weather everyday stress. In India, a tulsi plant is often grown right by the front door.
Its reputation rests on quiet calm rather than any kind of lift. Many people reach for it mid-afternoon, when the energy dips but caffeine feels like too much.
Tastes like: Lightly peppery, faintly sweet, with a clove-like warmth, particularly nice steeped with a few cardamom pods.
Worth flagging: If you have diabetes and take blood sugar medication, tulsi may add to its effect, so it’s always best to be safe and confirm with your GP first (especially if you’re ever unsure).
What the Ritual Actually Gives You
Of course, nobody can promise that a single cup of tea will keep a cold at bay, or that seven cups a week will reshape your immune system. What we can say is this: The ritual itself does the quiet work, and thousands of years of ancient remedies incorporating tea, only reiterate its effectiveness.
And sometimes it’s just about cherishing its small pleasures: The slowing down, the warmth held between your hands, the few minutes spent doing one thing instead of three, that kind of deliberate pause is its own small form of care – for stress, for sleep, for mood, for the simple comfort of having something steady in the shape of the day.
A cup of tea is, at the very least, a quiet promise to yourself that you’re worth pausing for.
Now – kettle on.
