What’s the Deal with Soup Tea?

No, we aren't talking about the "souping" trend SNL picked up on a few years back. Soup teas have hit the market, and we are actually super excited. David's Tea, a Canada-based, loose leaf tea shop, has released three varieties of soup tea. You can sip on tomato turmeric, spicy rasam, or rosemary black pepper for all your soup (and tea) needs. The three teas are sold in either 5.3 ounce pouches for multiple portions or disposable cups full of .2 ounces of the mix for an individual savory snack on the go.

Truthfully, making soup with tea isn't anything new. Other brands have tried similar versions, like Bigelow Tea's recommendation to brew green tea and use it as a broth. Our sister brand, MyRecipes, even published this Green Tea Soup awhile back. But what really gets us is the convenience of a full broth in a bag and the added bonus of super healthy ingredients.

All three soup teas have a green tea base, which can provide a slew of health benefits like antioxidants, blood sugar control, and the ability to lower blood pressure and decrease your risk for heart disease and cancer.

Beyond green tea, the tomato turmeric flavor uses ingredients like celery, turmeric, garlic, and tomato to create a health-packed mixture. Roots like turmeric have the potential to prevent chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. The orange powder also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

The rosemary black pepper tea is packed with ingredients like tomato, dandelion, black pepper, rosemary, basil, green tea, and garlic. With health benefits from the green tea already in tow, the garlic brings a ton of antioxidants to the bowl. Garlic has also been linked to improving circulation and immune function, plus it reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

The spicy rasam soup also includes health-packed ginger, in addition to garlic, turmeric, and green tea. The ginger in this golden broth brings anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, along with digestive aid, pain relief, and natural nausea comfort. Inspired by the south Indian rasam soup, this variety also includes ingredients like fennel, tomato, cumin, celery, black peppers, and cloves to create a deep flavor.

So, how do you use the tea? David's Tea recommends making a "clear" broth or a "hearty" soup. The broth version is brewed like you would any tea. Described as the "clear" brewing method, use a tea filter to brew the tea and remove after a few minutes. You can also choose to simply mix a spoonful of the tea into hot water for what is called a "hearty" soup, without straining out the tea bits. I could see this being a fantastic sick-day alternative to chicken soup for vegans or vegetarian, but this soup tea can actually transform into quite a meal beyond a sick-day sip.

The website recommends mixing in vegetables, protein, and noodles for a complete dinner. You can also use the tea mixtures as a spice blend to make meals. The website provides recipes for dishes like scalloped potatoes, marinated feta cheese, and Spanish rice and chickpeas.

You can order soup teas online or at a David's Tea retailer. David's Tea has several United States locations throughout the northeast and in California, Florida, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois.