Pack the Kettle: A Tea Lover’s Road Trip Guide
Get those engines primed. If the ride is an EV, charge it full, and make sure you’ve got the attachments you need to pump juice from any station. Because July 4 is almost here—and road trips are calling, all summer long.
Roll down the windows, as you pass snowy peaks and undulating plains, red-rocked canyon lands and all-American towns with soft-serve ice cream joints. Stop at the roadside attractions—that could include the South Park Coney Island grill, shaped like a giant hot dog, in the village of Bailey.
And don’t forget the tea! We think it’s the ultimate road trip beverage; tea leaves weigh next to nothing, liberating road trippers to change up flavors and vibes without having to stow heavy bottles of things to sip.
Tea on the road? Easy peasy.
The only thing missing is hot water. Solutions? Easy. Travel kettles plug directly into 12 volt auxiliary outlets, which are found in most cars. Also, when you stop for gas (or a charger) just head into the mini-market for hot water on tap.
Tea bags? Sure—we offer a selection in bags (here and here, as well as large-format bags designed for batching iced tea, here) and they’re all grand. But as most tea pre-packaged in bags is inferior (but not ours!), the best route involves whole-leaf tea.
Preparing tea is easy, even on the move. Fill a tea ball with loose-leaf treasures, and plunge it in hot water for a few minutes. Voila. Other options include reusable cotton tea bags, which we offer at Ku Cha. They’re wonderful.
You can even make your own bagged tea, using coffee filters and whatever whole-leaf style you desire. Check out this video for tips—other than the coffee filter, the only requirement for the DIY route is scissors and a stapler.
A week from today, many of us will be gearing up for summer’s signature holiday weekend—July 4—and packing vehicles for some Western wayfaring. Embellish those road rambles with loose-leaf tea.
You’ll want some for a little pick-me-up. We’ve got you covered. Hydration? It’s a must. For lounging around the campsite, the hotel room, the prime picnic spot—and steering clear of caffeine—we’re here for you.
Let’s hit the road!
Road Trip Teas: Boulder Boost (Organic)
Here’s the tea to brew at home when you start the adventure and sip through the morning—it offers serious fuel. We crafted our Boulder Boost for Colorado’s many mountain jocks—the people who fill their free time with hikes, bikes, kayaks, climbs and the rest of the mountain pursuits. These folks need the boost! In addition to the caffeine quotient—this brew offers it through Madagascar black tea and guayusa—it also delivers loads of electrolytes, through the green rooibos. This African shrub famously supports a wallop of electrolytes in its leaves and stems. Boulder Boost also provides a bounty of flavor—tulsi, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, fennel and rose all help turn this energy star into a taste sensation.
As it has traditional Camellia sinensis, it can turn bitter if steeped for too long. So you’ll want to let these botanicals play in the hot water for somewhere between two and four minutes, depending on how strong you prefer your tea.
Road Trip Teas: Peach Oolong
Summertime is peach time! Any self-respecting road trip across the hottest months requires at least a touch of peach. That’s where our fabulous Peach Oolong comes in. We think pumping up the peach is so important for summer that we even packaged this whole-leaf treat in tea bags—not a common Ku Cha move!
We crafted this beauty with real peach, as well as peach blossom, to perfume every sip with one of summer’s treasures. It’s glorious. The blend rests on a base of oolong, and also includes the flowers calendula and sunflower. The Camellia sinensis demands that it doesn’t brew for too long—no more than four minutes. This is good news—chances are people will slug it back quickly, and ask for another round.
Road Trip Teas: Jasmine Pearl
Green tea and jasmine blossoms represent a Chinese equivalent to something like peanut butter and jelly—or maybe in the context of tea, some Assam punched up with mint. People across China, and now around the world, adore proper jasmine tea. We routinely brew it, no matter the season. We certainly crave the aromatics and bracing floral flavor whenever we’re gallivanting around the West in a car, listening to favorite music and feeling the wind through open windows blow our hair about.
Tea artisans in China shape green tea leaves and fresh jasmine blossoms in this, our most popular jasmine tea, into pearl-shaped balls. When hot water strikes the pearls, they unfurl, broadcasting perfume into whatever space they inhabit. The feature is most welcome in cars during long road trips. As we all know, the vehicles can grow stale with too many people crammed into a small space.
Road Trip Teas: Tuscan Groves
Here’s a soothing sipper for those times during the road trip when you don’t seek energy boosts. Instead, you desire complex flavor and enchanting atmospherics. You want something transporting, a sip spectacle to carry away your imagination. With our Tuscan Groves, you’ll start dreaming of those Chianti hills with the first taste. This beauty contains silver linden blossoms and lemon balm, lavender and rose, blackberry leaf and apple, orange peel and mallow bloom. We conjured this tea for the dreamers amongst us—and that means you.
Road Trip Teas: Cape Town Medley
Keep hydrated! That’s vital during any road trip, as well as the activities that decorate the adventure—the picnic by the mountain stream, the round of trout fishing on the lake, the evening hanging out around the campfire. To that end, you’ll want rooibos, the South African shrub flooded with electrolytes. These minerals aid the body as it works to maintain optimum hydration. The earthy brew also contains pomegranate, pomelo and orange, for arresting fruit notes. Carrot delivers color and savory hints, and safflower brings floral advantages to the hyper-popular Cape Town Medley tea.
Happy road tripping!
