The Best Herbs for Summer: Cooling, Refreshing Herbal Teas
Summer is the perfect time to reconnect with lighter, refreshing herbal rituals. From cooling mint and to calming lemon balm, discover the best herbs for summer and how they can support your wellbeing through the warmer months.
Why summer is the perfect time to explore herbal teas
When the weather warms up, our daily rituals naturally start to change. Heavy meals become lighter, mornings begin earlier, and many of us look for ways to feel refreshed and hydrated throughout the day.
Herbal teas are one of the simplest ways to bring seasonal plants into your routine. Unlike traditional teas made from Camellia sinensis, herbal infusions are naturally caffeine-free and can be enjoyed throughout the day — whether served warm, over ice, or prepared as a refreshing cold brew.
The best herbs for summer are often those traditionally valued for their naturally refreshing flavours, cooling qualities, vibrant colours, and ability to support everyday wellness rituals.
Summer herbal tea tip: Many herbs actually become even more enjoyable when brewed as an iced tea. Cold brewing creates a smoother, naturally sweeter flavour while making it easy to prepare a refreshing drink ready for the day ahead.
The best herbs for summer and their benefits
There are many wonderful herbs that suit the summer months. Whether you are looking for something refreshing after a walk, a calming evening ritual, or a naturally colourful iced tea, these are some of our favourite summer herbs available from our organic herb apothecary.
Spearmint
Mentha spicataMilder and sweeter than peppermint, spearmint has a long tradition of use for soothing the stomach and supporting digestion — genuinely useful after a barbecue or a heavy summer lunch. It's also one of the most naturally refreshing herbs to drink cold, with none of the bitterness that can come with a regular iced tea.
Peppermint
Mentha piperitaPeppermint's menthol content gives it that unmistakable cooling sensation on the tongue and throat — traditionally used to support digestion and ease a heavy, bloated feeling in hot weather. A cold glass of peppermint infusion is one of the simplest ways to feel instantly refreshed.
Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratusBright, citrusy and traditionally used to support digestion, lemongrass brings a lift without any actual citrus fruit. It's a brilliant base for a summer cold brew — light, aromatic, and works well alongside mint or a slice of fresh lemon.
Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalisA gentle, citrus-scented member of the mint family, lemon balm is traditionally used to support digestive comfort and a settled, easeful mood — handy for long summer evenings. It's naturally sweet, so it needs nothing added to taste good cold.
Nettle Leaf
Urtica dioicaNettle is naturally rich in minerals, making it a good everyday choice when you're sweating more and drinking more fluids than usual. Traditionally used to support overall vitality, it has a mild, earthy taste that pairs well with mint or a touch of lemon.
Calendula
Calendula officinalisThese bright orange petals are traditionally used to soothe the digestive tract and support the gut — and, as gut health is closely linked to skin, calendula has long been valued through the summer months when skin sees more sun and more exposure.
"In summer, we're not looking for herbs that warm and comfort. We're looking for herbs that cool, hydrate and taste brilliant over ice — that's a different job, and a different set of plants."
What to look for in a summer herbal tea
If you're planning to drink more iced herbal tea this summer — and it's a genuinely easy, hydrating habit to build — here's what makes the difference between a jug that tastes watery and one that actually delivers.
- Loose leaf, not bags. Whole herbs cold brew far better than powdered tea bag contents, which tend to go cloudy and bitter without ever developing much flavour. Loose leaf gives cold water time to draw out the plant's natural aromatics properly.
- Certified organic. You'll likely be drinking more herbal tea in summer, not less — so the case for organic, pesticide-free herbs only gets stronger the more of it you're having.
- A proper dose for cold brewing. Cold water extracts more slowly than hot, so if anything you want slightly more herb per cup, not less. A heaped tablespoon per 300–350ml of cold water is a good starting point.
- No fillers or added flavourings. A well-chosen blend of real herbs doesn't need artificial flavouring to taste good cold — if a brand has added it, that's usually because the herbs underneath aren't doing much on their own.
- Naturally caffeine-free. Reaching for iced tea throughout a hot day means you want something you can drink freely, without worrying about caffeine building up. Herbal infusions solve this by design.
Nourish: our bestselling iced herbal tea
Nourish is our gut health blend — but ask our customers what they actually do with it in summer, and it's become our most-loved iced tea, by some distance. It already contains several of the herbs above: organic spearmint, lemon balm, nettle leaf and calendula, alongside marshmallow root, oat straw, liquorice root and raspberry leaf.
The result is a blend that tastes, in our own words, like icy mint with subtle lemon and soft herbal sweetness — which is exactly why it works so well cold. There's nothing to mask and nothing missing; the herbs that make it a gentle daily digestive tea are the same ones that make it genuinely refreshing over ice.
Why people reach for it in summer: spearmint and lemon balm bring the cooling, refreshing character; nettle leaf adds a mineral-rich base that suits a season of more fluids and more time outdoors; and calendula rounds it out with its traditional role in supporting digestion and skin — useful when skin is more exposed to sun and heat.
Nourish — certified organic, herbalist-formulated loose leaf tea, handcrafted in Surrey. Our most popular blend for cold brewing.
Shop Nourish →We also make Nourish as an alcohol-free glycerite tincture, for a fast, portable way to get the same botanicals — a good option for travelling or days when a full glass of iced tea isn't practical.
How to cold brew it properly
Cold brewing herbal tea is genuinely simple, but a few details make a real difference to the result.
- A heaped tablespoon per 300–350ml of cold, filtered water. Use a jug or a large jar so the herbs have room to move and fully hydrate.
- Steep in the fridge for 8–12 hours. Overnight is easiest — make it before bed and it's ready by breakfast. Cold water extracts more gently than hot, so the flavour builds slowly rather than all at once.
- Strain well. A fine mesh strainer or muslin cloth keeps the finished brew clear and free of loose plant material.
- Serve over plenty of ice. A slice of fresh lemon or a sprig of mint on top brings out the citrus and mint notes already in the blend, without needing to add anything to the brew itself.
Don't want to wait overnight?
You can also flash-brew: steep at a heaped tablespoon per cup in hot water (just off the boil) for the usual 10–12 minutes, then pour straight over a full glass of ice. It won't be quite as smooth as a true cold brew, but it's ready in minutes and still tastes properly refreshing.
Free guide: The 7-Day Herbal Reset
A gentle daily ritual using organic loose leaf blends — to support your nervous system, restore calm, and build a sustainable wellness habit from the ground up.
Download the free guide →Why we make it the way we do.
Welb didn't start as a business idea. It started as an act of love — trying to find something that actually supported someone we cared about, when nothing else on the market was doing the job. That same intention runs through every blend, whether it's steaming on a winter evening or sitting over ice on a hot afternoon.
- ✓ Certified organic whole botanicals — no fillers, no artificial flavourings
- ✓ Herbalist doses, so what's in the glass is actually doing something
- ✓ Handcrafted in Surrey, in small batches
- ✓ Loose leaf only — the format that cold brews best
- ✓ Also available as an alcohol-free glycerite tincture
Frequently asked questions
What are the best herbs for summer?
Mint family herbs like spearmint and peppermint are the classic choice for their cooling effect, alongside citrusy lemongrass and lemon balm for a lighter, refreshing character. Mineral-rich nettle leaf is useful for staying nourished through hot weather, and calendula is traditionally valued for its role in digestion and skin support. All of these are found across our range, and several sit together in our Nourish blend.
Is it OK to cold brew herbal tea instead of using hot water?
Yes — cold brewing is simply a slower extraction. Herbs are steeped in cold water for 8–12 hours, usually overnight in the fridge, rather than a few minutes in hot water. It tends to produce a smoother, less bitter result and is a genuinely good way to prepare herbal tea in summer. Loose leaf herbs cold brew far better than tea bag contents, since whole herbs have more surface area and structure for the water to draw from over time.
What herbs are good for hydration in summer?
Nettle leaf is a good place to start — it's naturally rich in minerals and has a long tradition of use for everyday vitality, which is useful when you're sweating more and drinking more fluids. Herbal tea itself, drunk cold throughout the day, is also simply a pleasant way to increase overall fluid intake, since it's naturally caffeine-free and can be enjoyed freely.
Can I cold brew Nourish?
Yes — Nourish is our most popular blend for cold brewing. Use a heaped tablespoon per 300–350ml of cold filtered water, steep in the fridge for 8–12 hours, strain, and serve over ice. Its blend of spearmint, lemon balm, nettle leaf and calendula was formulated for gut health, but it also happens to be one of the most refreshing iced teas we make.
How long does cold brew herbal tea last in the fridge?
A cold brewed herbal tea will generally keep well in a sealed jug or jar in the fridge for around 2–3 days. After that, flavour and freshness start to fade. It's worth making a fresh batch every couple of days rather than brewing a very large jug in one go.
Are Welb Organics teas caffeine-free?
Yes. All Welb Organics blends — Dream, Soft Days™, Nourish, Defence and Healer — are made entirely from herbs, flowers, roots and botanicals. They contain no Camellia sinensis (the plant that contains caffeine), no additives and no artificial flavourings. They are naturally caffeine-free, which makes them well suited to drinking cold and often throughout the day.
Summer deserves a proper glass of tea.
Nourish — certified organic loose leaf herbal tea, handcrafted in Surrey at herbalist doses. Spearmint, lemon balm, nettle leaf, marshmallow root, calendula, liquorice root and raspberry leaf. Also available as an alcohol-free tincture.
Certified organic · Herbalist doses · Caffeine-free · Handcrafted in Surrey
Shop Nourish →
