It’s Teatime – Tea and herbal tea at sustainable hotels

What could be more comforting and warming than a cup of tea? As soon as you hold it in your cold hands after a long winter walk and your nose inhales the warm aroma, you feel instantly relaxed. Time to enjoy. And sustainable at that. Black and green teas stemming from the tea plant have a much better carbon footprint than coffee. In fact, homemade herbal tea can be considered the most climate-friendly hot beverage of all! Many of our partners offer a special service for tea lovers and have shared recipes for their blends with us. But first, let’s answer the most important question:

Is herbal tea even tea?

Strictly speaking, tea is an infusion of boiling water and leaves of the tea plant. In English, however, you can brew something other than “tea”; if you want to be more specific, you can call it herbal tea, fruit tea, flower tea, or spice tea.

Study: Yes, even the English know herbal tea

In English usage it is similar to German, at least in America, where a herbal tea is also a tea. In the motherland, England, this may be viewed a bit more strictly. But this seems to be changing as well. According to a study by MINTEL, 37% of Britons between the ages of 25 and 34 drink five or six different types of tea, compared to only 3% of those over 55. For the remaining 97%, this means that apart from black tea (possibly with milk, lemon or sugar), nothing goes into their cup!

Arabic Chai must contain tea

The Arabs are even stricter with their “chai”. In the Arabic language, only black or green tea can be even called a tea. Moroccan mint tea, as served in the Oriental Restaurant at CERVO Mountain Resort, is green tea with mint (and lots of sugar). What is called “Peppermint tea” or “Spearmint tea” in English and is brewed only with (dried) peppermint leaves is called “mint” in Arabic. Quite logical – a peppermint tea without tea. I hope you can still follow!

Tea is more complex than you think! And I can tell you a thing or two, particularly since I come from a tea-drinking family. And speaking of Arabic tea, while chai in Morocco and Libya should always have a “nice” layer of foam, the surface of tea in Palestine must be smooth as glass. If bubbles form in the glass when it is poured, they have to be removed with a spoon before it is served to the guest.

Back to herbal tea

Let’s get back to herbal tea first. Its general origins are in medicine. Hundreds of years ago, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) brewed teas from various herbs in her medicinal garden to alleviate various ailments. For example, the German abbess recommended fennel for hoarseness, chest pain, and to “strengthen the heart and mind,” which is why many fennel tea blends bear her name today.

Healing Tea Blends from Gut Sonnenhausen

Naturopath Kirsten Walter has her practice on the grounds of Gut Sonnenhausen, south of Munich, where vacation-guests are also welcome to visit. The sustainable hotel, which was created from a former stud farm, also includes a permaculture farm and medicinal herb garden. Kirsten regularly collects fresh herbs from the garden, dries them, and makes her own tea blends. Her “Sonnenhausen Blend” is available as a welcome tea in the farmhouse lounge.

DIY Herbal tea blend “Younique” Organic herbal tea blended by Johanna Krug from the Hotel Klosterbr?u in Tyrol, Austria. The herbs for this are grown by the hotel itself on the Seefeld high plateau. Course Cuisine Tea alps, austrian Ingredients ·Lemon mint ·Peppermint ·Blackberry leaves ·Lemon balm ·Stinging nettle ·Mallow ·Mullein ·Marigold Instructions Herbal Tea Blend 1.Dry the herbs mentioned above (e.g. spread out on a kitchen towel, as a hanging bundle or at low temperatures in the oven). 2.Then remove the stems and place the dried leaves in a large bowl. 3.Crush the leaves with a pestle or by hand 4.Pour the herbal mixture into a tea caddy Preparation of the herbal tea 1.Pour one teaspoon of the herbal tea mixture per cup into a large glass jug and pour boiling water over it. 2.Leave to infuse for 6 to 10 minutes 3.Pour through a sieve into the cups.

Fasting teas in the OCéANO Health Spa Hotel

Many health-conscious people come to the OCéANO Health Spa Hotel in Tenerife for a yoga retreat or a fasting cure to take a break from everyday life. “For fasting guests, there is an exclusive selection of natural herbal teas tailored for fasting, with appropriate recommendations,” the team reports, revealing the composition of these teas.

Tea, culture and travel

For travelers drinking tea is an experience in itself.

“Tea is drunk to forget the noise of the world,” says an old Chinese proverb. But it’s not only there that tea drinking is associated with leisure and contemplation. Maybe you do too? If so, you may have felt the need to make a little ceremony out of drinking tea. You may even have your own rituals for making tea. It’s the same in all countries and cultures around the world. When you travel, you can learn a lot about the culture, the country, and the people by drinking tea.

Experience culture up close – through tea

On the radio station WDR5, a travel expert on Asia and the Orient recommended that vacationers should have tea at a bazaar. “But don’t I have to buy something in the shop?” asked the radio host. “Oh, nonsense!” was the answer. “You don’t have to buy a carpet for a few cents’ worth of tea!” On the contrary, a glass of tea is a wonderful way to soak up the atmosphere.

Only if you are in a very poor area and realize that they now have to fetch extra rare firewood to make tea, you can decline it. According to the travel expert, it’s best to say something like: “Oh, I’ve already had so much tea today, I’m afraid my stomach can’t take anymore!”

Tea drinking in Japan

The Japanese are said to have the most complicated tea culture. To learn the (hour-long) tea ceremony, you need to be trained in a tea school. In addition to stirring the matcha tea with a bamboo whisk, you have to observe various gestures and postures. But don’t worry, I’ve heard that the rules are different for tourists – if you’re ever invited. All you have to do is learn the absolute basics, such as using two hands to take the bowl from the other person.

Kettle in the hotel room

“Do you have electric kettles in your hotel room?” That is one of the most important questions my mother asks when she travels. If there isn’t one, she sometimes packs the travel kettle in her luggage. Unfortunately, the kettle is made of plastic, which I strongly advised her not to use

Studies have shown that every time you boil water in a plastic kettle, millions of microplastic particles are released and end up in your teacup! If you want to avoid microplastics, only glass and stainless steel are suitable materials for a kettle.

At the Bella Vista Zermatt beneath the Matterhorn, for example, every room has a stainless steel electric kettle. If you wish, you can brew herbs from the garden in addition to the (packaged) organic teas. Peppermint, lemon balm, verbena and chamomile grow there.

At the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allg?u, various teas await you in your room. “We have a different type of tea for each season (spring, fall, summer and winter),” says the owner’s family. Among the herbal teas, the “Alpenzauber” and “Munter Macher” blends are very popular and are also available in the hotel shop..

Tea

and sustainability: Herbal tea is better than tea is better than coffee

Both tea (from the tea plant) and coffee are imported goods in Europe and the USA; the growing areas are mainly in Asia. With brands like GEPA, you can be sure that fair working conditions are maintained on the plantations.

In a sustainability comparison between tea and coffee, tea scores significantly higher. The reasons are:

• Tea plant requires less space
• Tea is more economical in preparation
• The environmental footprint (energy consumption) of tea production is lower than that of coffee. The latter also has the more complex roasting process.

Other factors include transportation, packaging waste, and the method of preparation. Add milk to the mix and the environmental impact of your favorite hot beverage is sure to worsen. Whether its tea or coffee.

But when you make herbal tea from fresh or dried herbs on your windowsill, there is no packaging, no storage, and no transportation. And herbal tea is rarely drunk with a swig of milk.

A look at accommodations: Our partners’ (and their guests’) favorite teas

partners, special care is taken to ensure that the tea is of organic quality. The absence of pesticides in organic farming promotes soil health and biodiversity.

The Naturhotel Outside only serves organic teas. In spring and summer, guests can also enjoy homemade iced tea.

Organic ready-to-blend and home tea brands
Sonnentor

Both the East Tyrolean Naturhotel Outside and the German SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA use Sonnentor organic tea. In our blog post about organic spices, we have already reported in more detail on the Austrian tea and spice manufacturer. At SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA you will find Sonnentor organic tea in the rooms and at the breakfast buffet. For example, the “Kaminknistern” blend – a fruit tea blend with rose hip, apple and cinnamon – is currently popular.

Monthea

The South Tyrolean Forest hotel My Arbor on the Plose near Brixen is an enthusiastic customer of the South Tyrolean company Monthea. They produce organic teas with herbs and fruits from South Tyrolean farmers. Here you can find different wild berry teas, for example.

Bioteaque

The sustainable Hotel Das Rübezahl in Füssen, Algaü, uses teas from the tea company Bioteaque. Here you can find “delicious organic teas” with funny names like “Zapfige Zilli” or “Frostiga Fritzi”. In the suites of Das Rübezahl, you can choose from a selection of Bioteaque teas – interestingly, they even offer loose tea instead of tea bags.

DIY tea blends straight from your own garden

Guests are welcome to help themselves and pick herbs in the STURM “snack garden”.

If you got a real tea craving after reading this. (I’m brewing some right now), here are a few DIY tea blends that you can easily make at home. And by the way, a homemade tea blend like this also makes a great gift!

“Garden herb mix” from the STURM

As a guest at STURM in the Bavarian Rh?n, you have access to a tea bar all day long, where you can serve yourself for free. In addition to the Sonnentor tea, there is also a “garden herb mixture”. Its “recipe” is fairly simple:

“What the garden has to offer is dried. The combination of the colorful flowers, the flavor of the ripe herbs and the green of the nettle leaves make this tea so delicious” – STURM

Alternatively, you can pick the ingredients for your tea in the snack and herb garden. This is allowed and even encouraged at STURM.

THE DREAMERS’ CLUB Herbal Mixture

In the Croatian eco-aparthotel THE DREAMERS’S CLUB in Kor?ula, the breakfast menu is complemented by a homemade herbal tea made of garden herbs. It contains:

• Fresh mint
• Fresh lemon balm
• Fresh sage
• Local honey

Mountain herb tea from Weihrerhof

The Hotel Weihrerhof on the Ritten in South Tyrol is located at an altitude of over 1,200 meters. A wide variety of plants grow here which the hotel uses to make pure teas. These are:

• Peppermint
• Lemon Balm
• Yarrow
• Vermont
• Elderberry
• Calendula

In addition to the single origin teas, a mountain herbal blend is available next to the kettle in the rooms.

Our tips for sustainable tea drinking

To be fair, your choice of drink contributes far less to your carbon footprint than your transportation or heating habits. But as so often in our blog, we believe that even small steps can make a difference. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Use a glass or stainless-steel teapot
2. Brew tea in the pot and keep it warm on the stove or in a thermos (instead of boiling water for each cup)
3. Tap water is the best water for tea in the DACH region. Consumer organizations now advise against water filters, as they can create germs that can make the water quality actually worse rather than improving it.
4. When traveling abroad, check the quality of the tap water before you travel.
5. Loose tea uses less packaging. The dosage is simple – one teaspoon per cup!
6. Buy organic quality or use herbs, flowers, and fruits from your own garden.

Do you have any tips? Or your own tea blend that you would like to share with us? Let us know in the comments.