What's the difference between herbal tea and infusion?

Every day, more and more of us are consuming herbal teas and infusions for their virtues that we benefit from. Indeed, these beverages contribute to our well-being and effectively reduce aches and discomforts. However, do we really know how to distinguish between herbal tea and infusion? What are the characteristics specific to these beverages and how do they differ from each other? What is the difference between herbal tea and infusion regarding preparation? To learn everything about herbal tea and infusion, discover our guide.

Detailed difference between herbal tea and infusion

How to tell the difference between a herbal tea and an infusion? In reality, the term herbal tea encompasses different preparation techniques such as infusion, maceration, and decoction. What's the difference between a herbal tea and an infusion? Herbal tea refers to the beverage we consume while infusion is one of the most common methods to prepare it. How to proceed? Simply boil water and pour it over the chosen herb mixture.

Difference between tea, herbal tea and infusion

After discussing the difference between herbal tea and infusion, let's now look at the difference between tea, herbal tea, and infusion. Like herbal tea and infusion, tea and herbal tea are often confused. These two beverages actually differ in their composition. Indeed, tea is a beverage that contains theine. Moreover, it results from the infusion of tea plant leaves. As for herbal tea, its composition is different. Indeed, it is composed of natural plants (dried flowers, stems, leaves, ...).

Tea, like coffee, provides an energizing effect while herbal tea offers different benefits depending on the plants used. You can use medicinal plants like chamomile, verbena, lemon balm, or linden. These are natural remedies for various everyday ailments. Herbal teas are rich in antioxidants and active ingredients. Depending on the plant used, this infusion can have a calming, relaxing, as well as detoxifying, diuretic, and digestive effect on your body. Just as there are different types of herbal teas, there are different varieties of teas. This includes green, yellow, white, or black tea.

The difference between herbal tea and infusion in terms of preparation

What's the difference between a herbal tea and an infusion? It's not always easy to distinguish the difference between herbal tea, infusion, and tea. To summarize, herbal tea is a beverage made from natural plants and infusion is a method of preparing herbal tea. Tea, on the other hand, contains theine and can be consumed hot or cold. Know that an infusion takes between 5 and 10 minutes for the plants to fully release their benefits and active principles.

We recommend not boiling the water for too long to avoid evaporating certain active substances from your herbal tea plant. Additionally, it's preferable to keep the herbal tea covered during infusion for better effectiveness. Choose low-mineralized water and opt for honey instead of sugar to sweeten your herbal teas. Finally, regardless of the preparation method, select organic herbal teas with ingredients guaranteed free from pesticides and chemicals. This is the best way to benefit from all the virtues of herbal tea!

What's the difference between herbal tea, infusion and decoction? 

What's the difference between herbal tea and infusion? It's about the final beverage and how it's prepared. Let's review the different preparation methods for herbal tea and the difference between herbal tea, infusion, and decoction. Infusion involves placing loose or bagged herbs in boiling water for a few minutes. Decoction means putting plants in cold water and then boiling them for a certain time. This technique aims to extract as many molecules and benefits as possible. Finally, maceration takes longer. You need to place the chosen plants in room temperature water for 30 to 40 minutes.