Blue lotus flowers steeping in a glass pitcher.

Ingredients & glossary

What’s in the cup.

The plants we pour, where they come from and how they’re traditionally prepared. We source carefully and keep our recipes simple.

Blue lotus

Nymphaea caerulea

A water lily native to the Nile and parts of East Africa, with pale blue petals and a gold center. It appears again and again in ancient Egyptian art.

We steep the dried flowers as tea; it turns amber as it brews.

Find it in: Blue Lotus Tea

Cacao

Theobroma cacao

The seeds of the cacao tree, native to Central and South America. Ceremonial cacao is minimally processed and whisked into hot water, a far older way to drink chocolate than cocoa powder.

Find it in: Cacao at the bar

Gynostemma

Gynostemma pentaphyllum

A climbing vine in the cucumber family, native to southern China and Southeast Asia, where it’s called jiaogulan. Its leaves are brewed as a tea.

Find it in: Gynostemma tea

Hibiscus

Hibiscus sabdariffa

The deep red calyces of the roselle plant, brewed hot or iced into a tart, ruby-colored tea enjoyed from West Africa to Mexico, where it’s agua de jamaica.

Find it in: Recipes

Jun

Fermented green tea and honey

A lightly sparkling fermented drink made with green tea and honey. It’s a cousin of kombucha, which ferments with black tea and sugar.

Find it in: Champagne Jun, Vacation Jun

Kava

Piper methysticum

The root of a pepper-family plant native to the South Pacific. Ground and mixed with water, it has been shared in Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Hawaiʻi for thousands of years.

Contains no alcohol. Please read the kava guide, including who should skip it, before your first shell.

Find it in: Kava collection

Mushrooms

Reishi, lion’s mane and more

Mushrooms like reishi and lion’s mane have long been used in teas and cooking in East Asia. Our blend stirs into coffee, tea or cacao.

Find it in: 5 Mushroom Extract Blend

Pu-erh

Camellia sinensis, aged

A fermented, aged tea from Yunnan, China, often pressed into cakes and left to mature for years. Each cake carries its region and vintage.

Find it in: Coming soon

Vine tea (moyeam)

Ampelopsis grossedentata

The young leaves of a wild climbing vine, dried until they turn a frosted silver. Brewed as a light, delicate tea.

Find it in: Wild Vines Moyeam Tea

We describe each plant by where it comes from and how it’s prepared, not by what it might do. Questions about an ingredient and your health are best taken to your doctor.