Are fruit infusions “tea”? What about fruit blends?

7 comments

1. In colloquial usage, fruit or herbal infusions and blends are called teas. Technically the herbal and fruit teas are tisanes, as they don’t contain any leaves from the tea plant (_Camellia sinensis_) but that word has fallen by the wayside.

   But one should always clarify what is being offered. “Tea” implies that English breakfast tea is what’s being prepared. Anything other than that, even if it’s an earl grey or Assam, needs to be specified. If it’s a fruit or herbal, the exact flavour should be said because someone might not like some flavours.

2. I refuse to call any herbal infusion a tea unless it contains a herb named tea.

3. I had a housemate who referred to them as infusions which I know is correct but it drove me up the wall. I think whichever you use, most people will know what you mean.

4. It’s only tea if it contains tea leaves.

5. Just read the packet, if it’s tea with fruit flavour, I pass.

6. Fruit infusions are generally not tea. Fruit teas are usual tea plus fruit. But then there’s the middle ground. M&S do a strawberry and raspberry infusion tea bag. It contains no tea, isn’t a tea bag, and shouldn’t be called one.

7. There not tea, they taste of sawdust and disappointment.