Tea, tisane or infusion: This is what the names mean!

Tea

If you take the term "tea" seriously, you will quickly realize that much of what is often called tea is not actually "real" tea. Tea in the traditional sense is only the drink that is made from the leaves of the tea plant Camellia Sinensis (see cover picture)! "Real" teas made from Camellia Sinensis are: black tea, oolong, green tea, white tea, yellow tea and Pu-Erh tea.

Infusion

Now that the actual definition of "tea" is clear: What about all the other "teas" that we know and love? Since herbal and fruit teas are prepared in the same way as real tea and are so delicious & popular, these infusions were also called "tea". Technically speaking, "infusion" is the correct term for anything that is infused with aroma & ingredients by pouring & steeping hot or cold water. So real teas such as black tea, green tea, etc. are infusions, as are mixtures of other leaves, fruits and herbs!

Tisane

So what is a "tisane"? In short: infusions that do NOT contain real tea. These include herbal teas, fruit teas, rooibos & Mate.

Tisane, like herbal tea, has a long history dating back to ancient China and Egypt, where tisane was consumed both for pleasure and medicinal purposes.

Ultimately, as with many other aspects of tea drinking, it comes down to your personal preference. The type, how long you let it steep, how much tea you use, the water temperature for brewing, whether you want to drink it cold or hot (and ultimately what you want to call it ;)) is all up to you!

For us at BRU, the most important thing is that you end up with the drink of your choice perfectly prepared in the way you want. So choose your favorite tea or infusion, put it in your BRU Maker, sit back and enjoy!