Which Loose Leaf Tea Is Right for You? A Guide to Finding Your Hilltop Blend
Which Loose Leaf Tea Is Right for You?
Choosing tea should not feel like taking a test.
You do not need to understand every tea variety, memorize steeping temperatures, or develop a professional tasting vocabulary before buying loose leaf tea.
A much easier place to begin is with something you already know:
What flavors do you enjoy?
Maybe you love mint from the garden. Perhaps you always choose floral flavors. Maybe fruit teas catch your attention, or you want the familiar depth of black tea.
Those preferences can tell you quite a bit about where to begin.
The five blends in the Hilltop Botanicals Core Collection each approach the garden differently. Here is how I would choose among them.
If You Love Soft, Floral Flavors: Moonlit Meadow
Moonlit Meadow is a soft floral herbal infusion layered with chamomile blossoms, cooling mint, and delicate meadow flowers. The blend is light, aromatic, and gently calming.
Inspired by quiet summer fields after sunset, this tea reflects the scent of warm grasses and wildflowers under evening light. Chamomile forms the honeyed body while spearmint and lemon balm add a cool, clean lift.
Within the Core Collection, Moonlit Meadow serves as the evening ritual tea — a slow infusion meant for unwinding at the end of the day.
Tea Type: Herbal Tea
Flavor Profile: Floral chamomile, honeyed, cool mint and lemon balm
Package Size: Available in 3.5 oz (99 g) loose leaf or 45 mL sample jar
Origin: Hand blended in Kentucky by Hilltop Botanicals
10% of all tea sales support the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.
Moonlit Meadow is the most floral of the Core Collection.
Chamomile, spearmint, rose petals, lemongrass, linden, passionflower, and lavender create a layered botanical cup.
The flowers are noticeable, but spearmint and lemongrass keep the blend from becoming one-dimensional.
Try Moonlit Meadow if: you gravitate toward chamomile, lavender, floral flavors, or quiet evening tea rituals.
Try it: warm and unsweetened first so you can get to know the blend.
If You Love Mint: Northern Wind
Northern Wind is a bright herbal infusion built on layered mint and cool green botanicals. The blend is clean, aromatic, and refreshing, with a structured herbal body that remains balanced rather than overpowering.
Inspired by the crisp clarity of cool air moving across open fields, this tea reflects the sensation of a fresh northern breeze — invigorating, bright, and quietly grounding.
Within the Core Collection, Northern Wind serves as the cooling herbal tea, ideal for refreshing afternoon cups or iced summer infusions.
Tea Type: Herbal Tea
Flavor Profile: Cool, minty, bright green herbal
Package Size: Available in 3.5 oz (99 g) loose leaf or 45 mL sample jar
Origin: Hand blended in Kentucky by Hilltop Botanicals
10% of all tea sales support the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.
Northern Wind goes in a greener direction.
Peppermint leads the blend, supported by lemon balm, nettle, and mullein.
It is a good example of why an herbal blend can be simple without being plain. Each ingredient brings a slightly different character, but peppermint gives the cup its recognizable direction.
Try Northern Wind if: mint tea is already one of your favorites or you prefer clean, herb-forward flavors over floral ones.
Try it: hot or poured over ice for a particularly refreshing late-summer cup.
If You Want the Garden in a Cup: Garden Hour
Garden Hour is a soft green herbal infusion layered with lemon balm, mint, and bright garden botanicals. The blend is gentle, fresh, and balanced, offering a calm herbal body with a subtle citrus lift.
Inspired by the quiet pause of late afternoon in the garden, this tea reflects the moment when the day begins to slow and the warmth of the sun softens across the landscape. Lemon balm and mint bring freshness, while calendula and nettle create a grounded herbal structure.
Within the Core Collection, Garden Hour serves as the midday garden tea — a steady, refreshing infusion designed for slow afternoons and moments of rest between the rhythms of the day.
Tea Type: Herbal Tea
Flavor Profile: Fresh, citrusy lemon balm, garden-green
Package Size: Available in 3.5 oz (99 g) loose leaf or 45 mL sample jar
Origin: Hand blended in Kentucky by Hilltop Botanicals
10% of all tea sales support the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.
Garden Hour sits somewhere between bright mint and a freshly harvested herb garden.
It combines lemon balm, peppermint, marigold petals, nettle, and lemon verbena.
The citrus character of lemon balm and lemon verbena makes it brighter than Northern Wind, while marigold adds visual and botanical interest.
Try Garden Hour if: your favorite part of tea is tasting recognizable herbs and you love lemony, green, garden-inspired flavors.
Try it: with a small amount of Thyme Infused Honey.
If You Want Something Light and Fruit-Forward: Summer Orchard
Summer Orchard is a bright green tea layered with soft stone fruit and delicate floral petals. The blend is fresh, lightly sweet, and balanced by the clean structure of green tea.
Inspired by fruit trees in full summer, this tea captures the feeling of warm air moving through orchard branches heavy with ripening fruit. Peach adds gentle sweetness while citrus peel and petals brighten the cup.
Within the Core Collection, Summer Orchard serves as the light daytime tea — refreshing, fruit-forward, and especially well-suited for warm weather or iced tea.
Tea Type: Green Tea Blend
Flavor Profile: Fruity peach, floral petals, citrus-bright
Package Size: Available in 3.5 oz (99 g) loose leaf or 45 mL sample jar
Origin: Hand blended in Kentucky by Hilltop Botanicals
10% of all tea sales support the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.
Summer Orchard begins with Sencha green tea and layers it with rose hips, lemon verbena, rose petals, marigold petals, and strawberry leaf.
The result moves away from the purely herbal character of the first three blends.
There is still plenty of garden in the jar, but the green-tea base gives the cup another dimension.
Try Summer Orchard if: you enjoy green tea, subtle fruit notes, or tea served over ice.
Try it: iced while August is still giving us hot afternoons.
If You Prefer a Deeper Cup: Orchard Morning
Orchard Morning is a structured black tea blend layered with orchard fruit and gentle warming spice.
Bold black tea provides the backbone of the cup, while dried apple and rosehip add soft fruit brightness that rounds the tannins and brings natural sweetness. Orange peel lifts the aroma with citrus oils, and a subtle touch of cinnamon creates a smooth warming finish.
The result is a balanced, full-bodied tea designed for the quiet beginning of the day — the moment when orchard air is cool, light moves through the trees, and the first cup settles the rhythm of the morning.
Part of the Hilltop Botanicals Core Tea Collection, Orchard Morning represents the orchard at first light: steady, grounding, and quietly bright.
Tea Type: Black Tea Blend
Flavor Profile: Fruity apple and rosehip, citrus orange peel, warm cinnamon finish
Package Size: Available in 3.5 oz (99 g) loose leaf or 45 mL sample jar
Origin: Hand blended in Kentucky by Hilltop Botanicals
10% of all tea sales support the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market.
Orchard Morning begins with Assam black tea.
Rose hips, lemon verbena, chamomile, and cinnamon chips soften and layer the stronger tea base without taking away its depth.
If herbal tea has always seemed a little too delicate for you, this is probably where I would begin.
Try Orchard Morning if: you normally drink black tea, enjoy warmer flavors, or want a cup with more body.
Try it: in the morning, either plain or with a small spoonful of honey.
Still Not Sure? Start With Flavor, Not Rules.
There is no correct first tea.
Choose the jar whose ingredients make you curious.
Brew it.
Taste it before changing anything.
Then make the second cup your own.
Use a little more tea next time. Steep it slightly longer. Add honey. Pour it over ice.
That process is part of learning what you actually like.
And eventually, choosing loose leaf tea becomes less about following instructions and more about recognizing your own rituals.
Ready to find your cup? Explore the Hilltop Botanicals Core Collection.
New to loose leaf tea? Download the free Hilltop Tea Guide for brewing temperatures, steeping basics, tools, pairings, and simple tea rituals.
