A tisane is a beverage made by infusing botanical ingredients — flowers, fruits, herbs, spices, roots or seeds — in hot water. Unlike true tea, it doesn't have to come from the Camellia sinensis plant, which makes it a broader and more flavourful category.
India has no shortage of beverages.
Chai in countless forms. Filter coffee. Masala chai. Kahwa. Flavoured coffees with every kind of add-in imaginable.
But remove milk from the equation, and the options narrow fast.
There’s green tea. There are single-ingredient infusions: hibiscus, chamomile, peppermint… each pleasant, each built around one dominant botanical.
So here’s a simple question: why does a hot, non-milk drink have to mean either conventional tea or a one-note infusion?
There’s another world of beverages sitting between the two. It’s called a tisane.
A tisane is a beverage made by infusing botanical ingredients in hot water. Those ingredients can include flowers, fruits, herbs, spices, roots, bark, seeds and other plant materials.
The key distinction: a tisane doesn’t have to contain the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
That means chamomile infusion? A tisane. Hibiscus? A tisane. A blend of peppermint, orange peel and blue butterfly pea flowers? Also a tisane.
In everyday conversation, people call these “herbal teas.” Totally understandable but most herbal teas aren’t technically tea at all.
Tea comes from a tea plant. A tisane comes from the broader world of botanicals.
That one distinction opens up a far more interesting range of possibilities.
| Beverage | Made from | Typical taste |
|---|---|---|
| Black tea | Camellia sinensis | Strong, malty, tannic |
| Green tea | Camellia sinensis | Fresh, grassy, sometimes bitter |
| Flavoured tea | Tea + other ingredients | Tea-forward with added notes |
| Tisane | Flowers, fruits, herbs, spices, roots | Layered botanical flavours |
| Kadha / decoction | Traditionally prepared herbs and spices | Strong, concentrated, functional |
There’s some overlap, but these aren’t the same category. A tisane can contain tea leaves like Zesty Orange Mint Tea, which is built on Assam black tea or it can be entirely caffeine-free. What defines a tisane is the botanical-first approach to blending.
And a tisane isn’t a fancy name for kadha, either. Both use plant-based ingredients. But kadha is traditionally prepared with a specific functional purpose; a tisane is created primarily around flavour, aroma and the pleasure of drinking it.
Think about what many people want from an everyday drink:
This is where tisanes land well. Instead of choosing between conventional tea and something positioned entirely around wellness, you can have a beverage whose main appeal is simply: it tastes good.
Hibiscus can be tart and bright. Mint makes a cup feel cool and alive. Orange adds citrus lift. Lavender brings a soft floral character. Ginger and cardamom introduce warmth. And when these ingredients are thoughtfully combined, the result doesn’t need to taste like a remedy. It can taste like something you actually want to drink.
That’s the real difference. The best daily beverage isn’t the one you feel obligated to finish. It’s the one you look forward to.
Flowers change the character of a drink completely some bring fragrance, some bring colour, some bring tartness.
Common examples: hibiscus, chamomile, lavender, rose, butterfly pea (blue tea).
Hibiscus is known for its vivid colour and tart character. Chamomile is softer and more delicate. Lavender is intensely aromatic, so it works better balanced with other ingredients than used alone. Butterfly pea is striking for its deep blue colour, which shifts to purple when lemon is added.
“Flower tea” doesn’t describe one flavour. It describes an entire family of experiences.
Fruit brings brightness, acidity and familiar, approachable notes to a blend.
Think orange, apple, berries, citrus. Someone new to tisanes instantly understands what orange or apple tastes like. Fruit gives you a flavour the drinker already knows and you can build complexity around it.
Herbs bring freshness, green character and aromatic depth.
Common examples: mint, lemongrass, lemon balm, tulsi, moringa, rosemary. Mint is immediately recognisable. Lemongrass has a bright, citrus-like aroma. Moringa has an earthier, more vegetal character.
If there’s one ingredient family that Indian drinkers already understand instinctively, it’s spices.
Ginger. Cardamom. Cinnamon. Clove. Pepper. These have been in Indian kitchens and beverages for generations. In a tisane, they introduce warmth, depth and lingering character without necessarily needing milk or tea leaves.
Ingredients like ginger, licorice and fennel can contribute sweetness, warmth and earthy depth that flowers and herbs alone don’t provide.
A single botanical makes a pleasant drink. But combining different ingredient families creates something much more layered.
Consider the difference between one flower and a combination of flower, fruit and herb. The flower provides aroma. The fruit provides brightness. The herb provides freshness. When balanced correctly, they become a new flavour experience rather than three separate notes sitting next to each other.
This is where making a tisane starts to look like genuine beverage craft. You’re thinking about:
Aroma: what reaches you before the first sip
First taste: is it floral, fruity, spiced, tart?
Body: does it feel light or rounded?
Balance: does one ingredient dominate everything else?
Finish: what lingers after the sip?
A good blend isn’t necessarily one with the most ingredients. It’s one where the ingredients make sense together.
The word “tisane” may sound unfamiliar, but the idea isn’t. Humans have been infusing botanicals in hot water for centuries across cultures.
India has a particularly deep relationship with these ingredients. Tulsi, ginger, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, rose these have all been part of Indian kitchens and preparations for generations. To be clear: ancient Indians didn’t call their preparations “tisanes.” The word is a modern category term. But the underlying idea botanical complexity in a hot cup is part of a very old drinking tradition.
Modern tisanes can be understood as a contemporary version of that same instinct, without the traditional or functional framing.
The Indian palate already understands complexity. We’re not new to:
Masala. Elaichi. Ginger. Tulsi. Mint. Lemon. Rose. Cinnamon. Clove. Fruit-forward flavours. Sweet-and-sour combinations. Spiced hot beverages.
Masala chai is essentially an exercise in flavour layering. So why should botanical beverages be different?
A tisane doesn’t have to taste subtle. It doesn’t have to taste medicinal. And it doesn’t have to taste “Western.” There’s an opportunity here for something much more relevant to the Indian palate: botanical complexity, Indian familiarity.
Not every combination of botanicals automatically tastes good. A well-made tisane needs balance across six things:
1. Aroma: the experience starts before the first sip
2. First taste: is it immediately identifiable and interesting?
3. Body: does it feel light, cooling, warming, full?
4. Balance: does one ingredient overpower the others?
5. Finish: what evolves after the initial flavour fades?
6. Brewability: does it work consistently every time it’s made?
The last one is often overlooked. A beautiful ingredient combination that brews differently every time you make it isn’t a good daily beverage. Consistency matters.
Khoj by Sagruti Naturals is built around six botanical blends. Here’s what each one actually tastes like:
Built on Assam black tea with mint and natural orange flavour. The black tea gives it body and warmth; the orange brings citrus brightness; the mint finishes it with a cooling note. The most accessible of the six familiar flavours in a more interesting combination.
Ingredients: Assam Black Tea, Mint, Orange Natural Flavor
This is the one that surprises people. Blue butterfly pea flowers give it a deep indigo colour that shifts visually and produces a light, smooth character. Peppermint adds a cool, fresh quality; citrus peels and green tea add a clean finish. The colour alone earns its own conversation.
Ingredients: Blue Tea, Peppermint, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Green Tea, Licorice, Lemon Flavour Natural
Tart, bright and fruit-forward. Hibiscus brings the vivid colour and natural tartness; cranberry and blueberry add depth; apple and orange peel round it out; lemongrass keeps it from going too heavy. This one doesn’t require any acquired taste it just tastes like a good cup.
Ingredients: Hibiscus, Cranberry, Blueberry, Orange Peel, Apple, Lemongrass, Licorice
Built for the end of the day. Lavender and chamomile lead, with jasmine and rose adding floral layers; lemongrass and lemon balm keep it from becoming too sweet; rooibos and valerian root round it out. Soft, aromatic, genuinely calming to drink.
Ingredients: Lavender, Chamomile, Rose, Rooibos, Lemongrass, Hibiscus, Jasmine, Lemon Balm, Licorice, Valerian Root
This is where it gets interesting. Black pepper, ginger and long pepper bring heat; cumin adds an earthy depth; lemon and the salts give it a tangy, almost chaat-like quality. It’s masala in a cup, without the milk, without the tea and it works.
Ingredients: Black Pepper, Ginger, Cumin Seeds, Long Pepper, Lemon, Rock Salt, Black Salt, Navsadar, Sugar
Moringa gives this one its earthy, green backbone; ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and pepper layer in warmth and spice depth. This isn’t a light or delicate cup it’s grounded and steady, something you reach for when you want something that actually tastes like something.
Ingredients: Moringa, Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Clove
The basics:
Brewing matters more than most people expect. The same blend can taste noticeably different depending on steep time and water temperature. Start with the recommended instructions, then adjust to your preference.
All six Khoj blends are prepared with hot water only.
If you’re new to tisanes, start with a flavour you already enjoy.
Like citrus? Start with Zesty Orange Mint Tea or Hibiscus Fruit Splash. Like mint? Blue Mint Refresh Tea or Zesty Orange Mint Tea. Come from a chai background? Spicy Twist Masala Tisane is the bridge blend.
Or skip the guesswork entirely.
Try the Khoj Sampler all six blends, 2 sachets each, 12 sachets total, 24 cups. You’ll know which ones are yours within a week.
Order the Khoj Sampler on WhatsApp
A tisane is a beverage made by infusing botanical ingredients flowers, fruits, herbs, spices, roots, bark or seeds in hot water. Unlike true tea, it doesn’t have to come from the Camellia sinensis plant.
The terms are often used interchangeably. Technically, most beverages called herbal tea are actually tisanes because they don’t come from the tea plant.
Not technically. True tea comes from Camellia sinensis. A tisane is made from other botanicals though some blends, like Zesty Orange Mint Tea, include tea leaves as part of the blend.
Many tisanes are caffeine-free because they don’t contain tea leaves. It depends on the ingredients. Blends containing Assam black tea or green tea will have caffeine; fully botanical blends like Hibiscus Fruit Splash or Dreamtime Tisane won’t.
Flowers, fruits, herbs, spices, roots, bark, seeds and other botanical ingredients. Common examples include hibiscus, chamomile, lavender, mint, lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon and citrus.
Green tea is made from Camellia sinensis and typically tastes fresh and grassy. A tisane is made from other botanicals and can be floral, fruity, spiced, earthy or refreshing depending on what’s in it.
Not exactly. Both use plant-based ingredients. Kadha is a traditional preparation, usually associated with a specific functional purpose and a stronger, more concentrated character. A tisane is a broader beverage category built around flavour and the experience of drinking it.
Boil fresh water, add your loose leaf or tea bag, steep for the recommended time, remove the blend and taste. Brewing time and temperature affect the flavour. Start with the instructions and adjust from there.
Start with something close to a flavour you already enjoy. Citrus drinkers tend to gravitate toward Zesty Orange Mint Tea or Hibiscus Fruit Splash. Chai drinkers often connect quickly with Spicy Twist Masala Tisane. Mint lovers usually reach for Blue Mint Refresh Tea first. If you’re genuinely unsure, the Khoj Sampler covers all six.
Shruti Bhatnagar is the founder of Sagruti Naturals and the creator of Khoj. Based in Bengaluru.