What’s the difference? Teas vs. Tisanes

No matter your cultural background, you’ve likely been exposed to tea.

From the ceremonial tea houses of Japan to the traditional energizing Yaupon Native Americans enjoyed in pre-colonial America, there is a storied history and sacredness to the practice of brewing plant matter in hot water. And if you’ve even dipped a toe in the water of the art and science of tea, you’ve likely come across multiple terms, like “tisane.” So, what is a tisane? And what truly is tea? The long and short of it: all teas are tisanes, but not all tisanes are tea.

WHAT IS A TISANE?

A tisane can be simply defined as an herbal infusion. Placing leaves, flowers, stems, and roots of plants in hot water extracts important medicinal properties that we can then benefit from by drinking the infusion. Some properties of certain herbs can only be extracted via water. Depending on the type of plant or herb used, an infusion will require different water temperatures and steeping times. Many herbal infusions require a good, long brew to really get the benefits. You may also come across the term “decoction;” this is a specific type of cold-water start infusion used for roots and barks. So, in essence: a tisane water infused with plant material and herbs to create a comforting, sometimes tasty, sometimes medicinal beverage.

SO WHAT’S A TEA THEN?

Though a much more common term, a tea is technically a specific type of tisane that uses leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The leaves can be picked at different stages, processed, or fermented in various ways to create the different types of teas you’re familiar with: black, green, white, oolong, and others.

KEY DIFFERENCES

• Tea is more likely to have a specific brewing time and temperature in order to get the best flavor and avoid too much bitterness.

• Tisanes, in most cases, are drinker-friendly in that they’re hard to “over-steep.” In fact, due to more familiarity with tea, many people under brew their tisanes and miss out on medicinal benefits and flavor.

• Tea will usually involve dried plant matter, where tisanes can involve dried or fresh. Camellia Sinensis has varying levels of caffeine; most common herbal tisanes do not.

CAN I REFER TO TISANES AS TEA?

Sure! Is it technically correct? No, but colloquially in English, most people call tisanes tea or herbal tea. Language is constantly evolving, and tea is now a much more familiar term than tisane. And occasionally, some herbal tisane blends include Camellia Sinensis, blurring the lines further. No matter what you choose to call it, there are so many ways to enjoy herbal infusions and connect more deeply with plants.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 edition of Seasonal Cycles.