The Best Swiss Herbal Tea in the UK: What to Look For
Swiss herbal tea is a small category. Switzerland grows herbs for tea in a handful of alpine valleys, and very little of it leaves the country. If you are buying it in the UK, here is what to check.
Where it is grown
The best-known growing region is Val Poschiavo, an Italian-speaking valley in the canton of Graubünden on the south side of the Bernina Pass. Fields sit at roughly 1,000 to 1,400 metres. Short summers and intense sunlight produce herbs with a higher concentration of essential oils than lowland crops — the reason a Poschiavo peppermint tastes sharper and a verveine more perfumed than the same plant grown in the Po Valley.
That Lifestyle Co.’s teas are grown by Reto Raselli of Raselli Organic, who has farmed organically in Val Poschiavo since 1991 at 1,200 metres. He cultivates more than 100 herb varieties on family land.
What ‘organic’ means here
Look for organic certification at the farm and, for the UK seller, certification by a UK control body such as the Organic Food Federation or the Soil Association. Both require full lot traceability from field to tin. That Lifestyle Co. holds Organic Food Federation certification.
Whole leaf or dust
Most supermarket herbal tea is ‘fannings’ — the dust left after sorting. Whole leaves and flowers cost more to grow, dry and pack, but they brew clean and can be steeped twice. Check the ingredients list: a single-origin herbal tea should list one ingredient, with no ‘natural flavouring’.
The range
- Peppermint — bright, cool finish. Morning or after meals.
- Verveine (lemon verbena) — citrus, perfumed. Afternoon and evening.
- Lemon balm — softer than verveine, gently lemon. Evening.
- Sage — savoury, aromatic. With food.
- Nettle — green, mineral. Daytime.
- Hemp — nutty, mild. Evening.
All are naturally caffeine-free.
Prices and delivery
A 15-bag tin is £19.95; a 45-bag refill pouch £36; the tin-and-refill bundle (60 bags) £44.95. The five-tea Collection is £95. UK delivery is complimentary on orders over £35. Tea bags are pyramid-cut and fully compostable; tins are steel and refillable.