We Asked Registered Dietitians What the Healthiest Teas to Drink Were — Here’s What They Said

Why does green tea have such an edge over other types of tea? Some of its health benefits can be attributed to the way it’s produced. According to Wan Na Chun, MPH, RD, owner of One Pot Wellness, “The minimal processing of green tea helps to preserve its beneficial compounds better than fermented teas like black tea.”

During our testing, we enjoyed this green tea for its delicate flavor and lower levels of caffeine. It brews up lightly golden, and we immediately detected strong floral notes. However, the jasmine is nicely balanced, and does not interfere with the lightly astringent taste of the green tea. As with all green teas, you’ll want to be sure not to use overly hot water (just below boiling is best) or to steep too long, or your cup will taste bitter.

When we tasted this tea, we enjoyed the taste quite a bit. It’s a full-bodied tea, with subtle hints of toasted barley and a whisper of dried mandarin that make it more savory than sweet. We were expecting more of a sweet citrus fragrance from the mandarin orange, but instead detected more of a subtle scent of dried clementine with a whiff of cinnamon. We also liked that this tea retains its distinctive flavor when served cold, making it an excellent option if you prefer your tea iced.

This black tea also comes uniquely packaged. Instead of your typical bag or pyramid, loose leaves are packed into a dried mandarin rind and then each black tea-stuffed mandarin is individually wrapped. According to the Verdant Tea website, the company works directly with “partner farmers” in China. These small tea farms are owned and operated by families who have passed down the land for generations, allowing Verdant Tea direct access to unique, single-origin teas.

If the matcha’s potential health benefits don’t pique your interest, its taste might. When we tested this matcha tea, we found it to be a beautiful blend of slightly grassy, herbaceous matcha with zero bitterness. We drank this unsweetened and without any milk because it didn’t need it — the flavor was just right. It did leave some sludgy sentiment at the bottom, but that’s something we’ve experienced with most matchas we tested. It also gave us an energy boost — we were feeling tired and cranky but after finishing a cup, we were ready to work.

The brand states that Sun Goddess Matcha is “ceremonial-grade,” meaning it’s the highest-quality type of matcha (aka, priciest) that’s appropriate to use for tea ceremonies. However, there are conflicting opinions on what “ceremonial-grade” matcha actually means, and there’s no official organization that certifies that designation. But whatever you want to call it, this richly flavored matcha earned its place on our list as our favorite out of all the others we tested.

When we tasted Numi Golden Chai, we found its taste to be a beautifully balanced blend of black tea and richly flavored spices with a rich, mouthwatering aroma and just a hint of cinnamon. We could taste the individual flavors (cinnamon, anise, cardamom, ginger), but they meshed together perfectly, so that no one flavor overpowered the others. We found it to be smooth, with a mild floral flavor. This chai is also delicious over ice: The cozy, warm feelings it evokes flip to crisp and refreshing when chilled. It’s a tasty, refreshing alternative to coffee that has the added benefit of waking you up. We definitely felt perky after a cup of this chai.

To that point, Numi Golden Chai is made from Fair Trade Certified Assam black tea, which does contain caffeine. If you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, this may not be the tea for you. Aside from that, Numi’s chai has a lot going for it in terms of sustainability. For example, its tea bag wrappers are compostable. And in addition to using Fair Trade Certified ingredients, which are produced according to certain ethical standards, Numi is also a Certified B Corporation. That means it meets certain standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

In addition to its possible health benefits, Vahdam India English Breakfast stands out for its enjoyable taste. The tea has a rich aroma, with an almost lemony undertone, even though black tea is the only ingredient. It's smooth, with no bitterness or aftertaste, and has more depth of flavor than other black teas we tasted. Some black teas can leave a residual chalkiness feeling in your mouth afterward; this one doesn’t. This tea also retains the same deep, rich flavor at room temperature and over ice, where it doesn’t taste watered down or muted. When served iced, it’s a cool, refreshing drink. Pro tip: We loved it with a splash of lemonade, and it would also taste great with a few slices of your favorite fruit.

Vahdam India teas come in compostable pyramid-shaped tea bags, intentionally designed to expose more surface area of the tea leaves. According to the website, Vahdam India sources its teas directly from tea estates and small farms in India and packages its products at the company’s India-based facilities. Vahdam India is a Certified B Corporation, which means it has been certified as meeting high standards for social and environmental impact, accountability, and transparency. It’s also a Certified Climate Neutral and Certified Plastic Neutral company, and, in 2018, the company launched the Teach Me initiative, which gives back 1 percent of Vahdam India’s revenue to the education of farmers’ children in India.

If you do not like the flavor of licorice, you should be forewarned that this tea does have a distinct licorice flavor. However, we found that the addition of ingredients such as sage, clove, and cinnamon prevent the licorice from being overwhelming. And despite the throat-coating properties of marshmallow root, this tea doesn’t taste overly thick or medicinal. In fact, we thought this tea made an excellent uncaffeinated alternative for our evening beverage even if we weren’t suffering from a sore throat.

“Turmeric is popular because of the active component called curcumin,” says Mandy Enright, RDN, adding that curcumin is a highly absorbable compound, is a natural antibacterial, and has antiseptic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects to help relieve a sore throat.

In our testing, we found that this tea brews up to a rich, golden flavor, and we found it both aromatic and light on the tongue. The ginger adds a nice touch of spice, with an additional hint of cinnamon to make this one of the more comforting teas we tried. We found this tea pairs especially well with a squeeze of lemon for added brightness, or with a dab of honey to give it a more dessert-like feel.

During our taste tests, we liked this tea’s light, subtle flavor. The taste is chamomile-forward, slightly floral with faint hints of lemon and spearmint. For an added treat, we thought this tea tasted particularly pleasant with the addition of a dollop of honey. However, if you’re the impatient type, we do want to point out that this tea takes 10 to 15 minutes to steep, which is on the longer side.

When we tested this tea, we enjoyed its subtle flavor. It is soft, light, and fragrant, with notes of chamomile and rose. The chamomile takes more of a back seat in this tea’s flavor profile, giving it a more herbal flavor while remaining light on the palate. If you want to doctor it up a bit, this tea also holds up well to a splash of milk or a bit of sweetener.

When we taste-tested this tea, we enjoyed its rich flavor with light, sweet lemony undertones. During tasting, we also detected hints of ginger that kept the flavor bright without adding the “spice” that is sometimes associated with this root. We also liked that Tahmina Tea suggests you can steep each bag up to three times, which is a nice touch for those of us who like to wring every last sip out of our brew.