Root Rise – Caffeinated Herbal Tea Blend | Bold, Ancient & Alive

Root Rise leans into bold, unconventional botanicals rather than a standard tea base, building its character around yerba mate, Egyptian blue lotus, rose petals, peppermint, catnip, mullein, and ginkgo biloba. Part of the TMG Blend lineup, this is a tea for drinkers who want something a little different from a standard tea aisle, pulling from South American tradition, ancient Egyptian botanical history, and some of the oldest plant lineages on earth. Tea drinkers curious about unusual, history-rich ingredients will find Botanical Hustle a striking, conversation-starting cup. Worth noting up front: unlike most of our herbal blends, this one contains caffeine from its yerba mate base, so it's better suited to morning or daytime brewing.

Bold, Grassy, and Layered

Root Rise opens with the earthy, slightly smoky, grassy character of yerba mate, a flavor closer to green tea than black tea but with its own distinct vegetal edge. Peppermint cuts through with a cool, bright lift, while rose petals soften the cup with a touch of floral sweetness. Catnip contributes a mild, minty, slightly bitter note from the same plant family as peppermint, and mullein adds a soft, hay-like body underneath. Ginkgo biloba brings its own faintly bitter, slightly nutty character, while Egyptian blue lotus lends a delicate floral note historically prized more for its appearance and symbolism than its taste. The combined effect is a tea that's earthy and grassy at its core, rounded out by mint and rose, with the more unusual botanicals filling in quiet, layered depth.

What's in the Blend

• Yerba Mate – earthy, grassy, and slightly smoky, the caffeinated backbone of the blend
• Egyptian Blue Lotus – a delicate floral note from a flower steeped in ancient Egyptian symbolism
• Rose Petals – soft floral sweetness that rounds out the grassier notes
• Peppermint – cool, bright, and herbaceous
• Catnip – mild and minty, a lesser-known member of the mint family
• Mullein – soft, hay-like body without bitterness
• Ginkgo Biloba – faintly bitter and nutty, from one of the oldest tree species on earth

How to Brew It

Steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of Root Rise in hot water for 5 to 7 minutes. Yerba mate is traditionally brewed strong, so a fuller steep brings out its characteristic grassy depth alongside the mint and rose. Because the blend contains caffeine, it's best brewed in the morning or early afternoon rather than in the evening. It can be enjoyed plain, or with a touch of honey or citrus to soften the earthier, grassier notes from the mate and ginkgo.

Beyond the Mug

Root Rise's bold, grassy base makes it a natural fit for iced tea, brewed strong and poured over ice for a bracing, herbaceous cold drink. It also works well as a base for a yerba mate-style iced citrus tea, blended with lemon or orange and a touch of sweetener. Because its flavor is assertive, it holds up well in mixed drinks or reductions where a milder tea might get lost.

A Blend Pulled From Three Very Different Histories

Yerba mate has a centuries-long tradition in South America, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil, where it's traditionally shared from a hollowed gourd through a metal straw called a bombilla as part of a long-standing social ritual. Egyptian blue lotus appears throughout ancient Egyptian art and iconography, depicted in tomb paintings and temple carvings as a flower of considerable symbolic importance in ceremonial and artistic contexts. Ginkgo biloba, meanwhile, comes from a tree species often called a "living fossil," with a lineage stretching back over 200 million years, predating most other tree species alive today and surviving largely unchanged through enormous spans of geologic time. Root Rise pulls these three very different histories, South American ritual, ancient Egyptian symbolism, and prehistoric botanical survival, into a single cup.

Stored for Freshness, Character Intact

Store Root Rise in an airtight container away from light, heat, and moisture, and the blend will hold its flavor and aroma for up to a year. Quality Root Rise should show distinct pieces of each botanical: deep green yerba mate, pale blue lotus petals, red rose, and visibly intact mint and mullein leaves, rather than a dusty, uniform mix.

Easy Brewing Tips

Because yerba mate can turn bitter with very long or very hot steeping, water just below boiling and a 5 to 7 minute steep generally gives the best balance. If the grassy, earthy notes feel too strong on their own, a little honey or citrus goes a long way toward rounding out the cup. Multiple short steeps work well with this blend, similar to traditional mate preparation, with the flavor mellowing slightly across each subsequent steep.

Brew Something Bold and Unconventional

Imagine a strong cup of Root Rise in the morning, earthy yerba mate and bright mint cutting through the start of the day. Imagine the quiet symbolism of blue lotus and the almost unbelievable age of ginkgo biloba, both steeped into the same cup as a tea tradition shared across an entire continent. Root Rise offers all of that: a bold, grassy flavor, a caffeinated base for daytime brewing, and a genuinely unusual blend of botanicals with three distinct stories behind them. Brew your first cup of Root Rise and taste a tea built from history as much as flavor.