Tea Inclusions: Botanicals, Flowers & Herbs

What Are Tea Inclusions?

Tea inclusions are single-ingredient botanicals — flowers, herbs, and plant materials — added to loose leaf tea to customize its flavor, aroma, color, or functional properties. Unlike pre-blended flavored teas where the botanicals are already mixed in, tea inclusions give you direct control: add more lavender for a stronger floral note, more hibiscus for more tartness and color, more butterfly pea flower for a more dramatic color shift. The result is a personally calibrated cup that reflects your specific preferences rather than someone else's blending decisions.

Tea inclusions are also the raw materials that Adagio customers use when creating custom blends through the blend creator — the individual components that go into a personalized tea recipe. Whether you're building a signature blend from scratch or simply enhancing an existing tea with a single ingredient, the inclusions collection covers the essential botanical building blocks.

The Tea Inclusions Collection

Butterfly Pea Flower

The most visually dramatic inclusion in the collection. Butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea) brews to a deep, vivid blue — and shifts to purple or pink when the pH changes, such as when lemon juice or hibiscus is added. In a transparent glass teacup or teapot, this color transformation is genuinely striking. Beyond the visual, butterfly pea flower has a mild, slightly earthy flavor that doesn't compete strongly with the tea it's added to — making it primarily a color ingredient that works with almost any tea base. Scored 98.

Lavender Flower

The highest-rated inclusion in the collection, scored 99 by customers. Lavender adds a distinctly floral, slightly herbal, and gently calming dimension to any tea it's added to. It pairs particularly well with Earl Grey — the classic combination of bergamot and lavender — and works beautifully with chamomile, green tea, and light black teas. Use sparingly: a little lavender goes a long way, and too much shifts from floral to soapy. Start with a pinch and adjust to taste.

Hibiscus Flower

Tart, vivid, and intensely colored. Hibiscus adds a cranberry-like tartness and a deep ruby red color to any tea it touches — making it one of the most visually and flavor-impactful inclusions in the collection. Scored 98. It works particularly well with rooibos, fruit herbals, and black teas, amplifying their natural fruit character. It also cold brews exceptionally well — add hibiscus to an iced tea cold brew for a more vibrant color and a more tart flavor profile. A pinch is significant; a teaspoon is bold.

Eucalyptus

Cool, menthol, and medicinal in the best sense. Eucalyptus adds a distinctive cooling note to tea that's particularly welcome in wellness blends, mint-forward herbals, and any tea drunk for respiratory or sinus support. Scored 98. The eucalyptus character is assertive enough that a small amount makes a clear impression — a few leaves or a pinch of dried eucalyptus per cup is typically sufficient. Works particularly well with peppermint, green tea, and straight black tea when you want something with an invigorating, cleansing quality.

Rose Hips

The fruit of the rose plant — dried and used as a tea ingredient for centuries for their naturally high vitamin C content and their tart, slightly fruity flavor. Rose hips add a bright, cranberry-adjacent tartness and a natural vitamin C boost to any tea they're added to. They work particularly well with fruit herbal teas, rooibos, and light black teas. Scored in the upper tier of the collection. A practical wellness inclusion as well as a flavor ingredient.

Lemon Verbena

Bright, citrusy, and intensely aromatic. Lemon verbena adds a clean, fresh lemon note to tea that's more vibrant and less sour than actual lemon — all the lemon aromatics without the acidity. Scored 97. It pairs exceptionally well with green teas, light herbal blends, and any tea where a citrus dimension would be welcome. A natural complement to chamomile or a simple enhancement for a plain green tea that needs brightening. Also works well in cold brew iced teas where its aromatic character translates effectively into the cold extraction.

Milk Thistle

One of the most studied botanicals for liver health — milk thistle (Silybum marianum) contains silymarin, a compound with documented hepatoprotective properties in multiple clinical studies. As a tea inclusion, milk thistle adds a mild, slightly nutty flavor that works well in wellness blends and herbal teas. Scored 98. It's the most functionally focused inclusion in the collection — primarily chosen for its health properties rather than its flavor contribution, though it doesn't detract from the cup when used in moderate amounts.

Raspberry Leaves

A well-established herbal ingredient with a mild, slightly astringent, green flavor that blends quietly into most tea bases without asserting strongly. Raspberry leaves are known traditionally for their use in women's wellness — particularly during pregnancy, though medical advice should be sought before use. Scored 95. As a flavor inclusion, they add a gentle herbal dimension to fruit teas and light herbals. As a wellness inclusion, they're one of the most requested ingredients in Adagio's custom blend community.

How to Use Tea Inclusions

Tea inclusions are added directly to loose leaf tea during brewing — simply combine your base tea with the desired inclusion in your infuser basket and brew as normal. A few practical guidelines:

• Start with a small amount — most inclusions are potent. Start with a pinch or a few petals and increase to taste over several brews rather than overdoing it on the first attempt.
• Proportion by intensity — strongly flavored inclusions like lavender and eucalyptus need very little; milder ones like raspberry leaves and rose hips can be used more generously.
• Match the inclusion to the base tea — floral inclusions (lavender, rose petals) work best with delicate base teas; robust inclusions (hibiscus, eucalyptus) hold up better with bold base teas.
• Use in cold brew — most inclusions cold brew beautifully. Butterfly pea flower, hibiscus, and lemon verbena in particular produce excellent cold brew results with vibrant color and clean flavor.
• Store separately — keep inclusions in airtight containers away from light. Their aromatic compounds are volatile and degrade faster than most tea leaves when exposed to air or light.

Tea Inclusions for Custom Blending

Adagio's inclusions collection is the natural complement to the custom blend creator — the raw botanical ingredients that go into a personalized tea recipe alongside the base teas. If you've created a custom blend and want to add a floral note, a wellness ingredient, or a color element, the inclusions collection is where those components live.

Popular custom blend combinations using inclusions:

• Earl Grey + lavender — the classic. Bergamot and lavender are natural partners; a pinch of lavender flower per teaspoon of Earl Grey is the starting point.
• Green tea + lemon verbena — a clean, citrusy green tea that's brighter and more aromatic than a plain green.
• Rooibos + hibiscus — deeper color, more tartness, and a more complex flavor profile than rooibos alone.
• Black tea + butterfly pea flower — the color transformation when milk is added makes this a visually extraordinary cup.
• Chamomile + lavender + lemon verbena — a classic calming blend that combines three complementary floral and citrus notes.

Looking for Spices? Visit Selefina

Adagio's sister brand Selefina carries an extensive range of culinary spices, herbs, and specialty salts — including many ingredients used in tea blending and cooking. If you're looking for chai spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove), culinary herbs, or specialty ingredients beyond the botanicals on this page, please visit Selefina's full catalog.

Shop Tea Inclusions Online

Browse the full inclusions collection above — 12 botanicals, flowers, and herbs, scored 95–99 by customers, starting at $3. Free shipping on qualifying orders. Buy tea inclusions online and have them delivered from Adagio's New Jersey warehouse within one business day.