Ingredients glossary

The Amazon holds more plant species than any other forest on earth, and the people who live along its rivers have never needed a glossary. They know which leaf to dry, which bark to steep, and which fruit is worth paddling out for. Most of that knowledge never reaches a tea aisle. This page names every plant in the four blends: what it is, what it tastes like, where it has been part of everyday life, and which blend it belongs to. The index below jumps straight to each one.

Apple

Dried apple pieces. They give Dusk its apple sweetness and soften the cinnamon. In: Dusk.

Black mint

A dark peppermint (the black-stemmed variety), cool and minty, a touch deeper than common peppermint. In Rooted it leaves the cool finish. In: Rooted.

Boldo

A small tree native to central Chile. In Chile and Peru, mate de boldo is the daily way of taking it, usually after a meal. Slightly woody, slightly camphorous in the cup. Traditionally not taken during pregnancy. In: Rooted.

Butterfly Pea Flower

A vine native to tropical Asia. In Gather, hibiscus and the berries lead, so the cup brews a deep berry red; butterfly pea flower is in the blend too. People have used it in food and drink across Southeast Asia for centuries. In: Gather.

Calendula

A bright orange flower. In Daybreak it is a soft floral note in the light gold cup. In: Daybreak.

Camu camu

A small fruit from the floodplains of the western Amazon, harvested by canoe because the forest is underwater. Fresh, it is so sour that even the people who harvest it rarely eat it whole. With the hibiscus, it is what makes Gather tart. In: Gather.

Cardamom (Villa Rica)

Green cardamom grown in Villa Rica, central Peru. Bright, warm, faintly citrus. In: Daybreak.

Chamomile

The dried flower of a daisy-family herb, with a honeyed flavor. In Dusk it steeps six to eight minutes; taste at six. In: Dusk.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon bark. It is what turns Dusk's apple into spiced apple. In: Dusk.

Cranberry

Dried cranberries add tartness and a deep red color to the cup. In: Gather.

Cusco black tea

Black tea grown in the Cusco region of Peru. It is one ingredient in Dusk, so the finished cup is low in caffeine, well below a straight cup of black tea. In: Dusk.

Cusco green tea

Green tea grown in the Cusco region of Peru. Naturally caffeinated. Bright and grassy when brewed 6–7 minutes. In: Daybreak.

Ginger

Dried ginger root, warming and direct in the cup. In: Rooted.

Guanábana leaf

The leaf of the soursop tree, native to the Caribbean and South America. It brews subtle, with a mild bitter edge. In: Rooted.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus flowers brew a deep crimson and a tart, fruit-forward cup. Common across Mexico (agua de jamaica), the Caribbean, and West Africa. In: Gather.

Lavender

Lavender buds, the floral high note in Dusk. In: Dusk.

Lemon balm

A leafy herb in the mint family, known in Spanish as toronjil. It brews with a light citrus character. In: Dusk.

Lemongrass

A grassy stalk that brews bright and citric. In: Daybreak.

Moringa

The leaf of the moringa tree, native to South Asia. It brews mild and grassy behind Rooted's pineapple and mint. In: Rooted.

Orange (peel)

Dried orange peel adds bitter-sweet citrus brightness. A morning-cup classic. In: Daybreak.

Pineapple

Dried pineapple pieces, the first thing you taste in Rooted. Their sweetness softens the bolder roots and leaves. In: Rooted.

Strawberry

Dried strawberry pieces. They add a soft berry sweetness under Gather's tartness. In: Gather.

Turmeric

A rhizome from South and Southeast Asia, yellow-orange in the blend and earthy once brewed. In: Rooted.

Vanilla (Amazonian)

Vanilla from the Amazon basin: floral, deep, faintly smoky. It rounds Gather's tartness and sits beneath Dusk's apple and cinnamon. In: Dusk and Gather.