Raising a Toast
than the herbs produced in plain
regions. They are dried by sun and/
or shade drying or machine drying.
As most herbs are seasonal, the long
term cold storage at appropriate
temperature becomes a need. Herbs
need to be cut in different sizes based
upon the target product. Powdered
herbs are not good for consumption,
and also they do not have aesthetic
appeal. Moreover, pulverization or
multiple rounds of cutting result in loss
of aroma.
In order to stop any bacterial growth,
sterilization of herbs is very much
essential. Certain herbs like chamomile,
mint, tulsi, etc. are quite susceptible to
insects. These herbs are sterilized using
sterilization processes such as: steam;
gas (Ethylene Dioxide); gamma rays;
microwave; etc.
On the other hand, tea has its
own quality factors, these are
mentioned below:
• Whole leaf teas are better in
comparison to broken leaf, fanning
and dust. Whole leaf tea leaves
require a lot of space for expansion
and therefore come in loose
packs, or pyramid-shaped teabags.
Conventional teabags have tea
fanning/dust which is relatively poor
in quality;
• Darjeeling teas have the best aroma,
whereas Assam teas are strong in
taste;
• First Flush teas produced during
March-April have the best aroma.
Second Flush teas produced during
May before monsoon are strong
in taste, and have a g o o d
aroma. The quality
goes down after
monsoon;
• Good quality of tea
would have only top
bud and two leaves of the
plant termed as ‘Premium
Pluck’.
Also, herbs and teas have
different brewing parameters.
Herbs are typically brewed at 99°C
for 5 minutes, whereas green tea is
brewed at 80°C for 2 minutes.
Blending experts overcome
this issue by managing the
ratio of tea and herbal
ingredients and also use some
dominating herbs to suppress
the bitterness of green tea.
Demands Attention to
Show Better Results
Not all herbs are water soluble.
Certain herbs are alcohol soluble.
Herbal tea formulation makers often
don’t consider this factor while making
new formulations. Bioavailability
determines the quantity of active
herbal ingredients in the dosage. If too
many herbs are put in a formulation,
and brewing process is limited
to 90°C for 3-4 minutes,
then in this scenario, the availability of
active ingredients in tea becomes low.
The herbal teas are targeted to
become part of daily life
lifestyle; the
long term usage of he
herbal teas
should yield positive results. In
order to claim health benefits,
the manufacturing c companies
need to conduct clinica
clinical trials and
seek Ayush’s product approval.
As it is an expensive and time-
consuming affair, many c companies
take a short cut and d
don’t claim
intended health be
benefits on
the product p
packaging.
T
Th
h ey spread customer
They
Drink Asia
22
July-August 2019
awareness using social media/websites
and other communication channels.
Future Trends
The tea industry is going to witness
some future trends and these trends
are likely to define the growth of herbal
tea segment over the next decade.
E.g. herbal milk tea: 95 percent of
people in India consume milk tea,
and are likely to continue to do so.
Addition of herbs to milk tea could
make it a healthier option. Some
companies are already exploring such
teas. Other than this people are likely
to choose herbs based on their specific
health needs and request herbal tea
manufacturers to make a suitable tasty
blend incorporating those herbs. Also,
there are unique herbs produced in
remote regions whose knowledge
is limited to locals/tribes in those
regions. Discovery and production of
such herbs would get more and more
institutionalised, and incorporated in
herbal tea industry!