Trail-Ready Teas for High Country Hikes
Hosannahs for the Rocky Mountain West often revolve around winter. People flock here to ski and snowboard, to head out on hut-to-hut backcountry treks and go on snowmobile tours. Après-ski drinks and fondue before roaring hearths receive much Instagram love.
But for locals, the mountains offer year-round enchantments, although spring brings challenges with mud and lingering High Country snowpack. Either way, summer ranks as a highlight. Where at lower elevations grass tends to turn brown in July and the wildflower show of May and June dims, up at elevation the green and kaleidoscopic blossom pageant compels jaws to drop.
Much of the mountain joy takes place on trails, from the middle of July (when the snowpack is mostly gone in the High Country) into October (when the snow returns). Sure, the mountains look grand from the road or a parking lot. But when people trek up to those wildflowers, up to those patches of snow framed by emerald grass, up up up to the zones where moose, pike and marmot roam—well, that’s when the majesty of it all can overwhelm.
We put peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in our packs. Energy bars. Granola and chocolate. Slices of apple and spears of celery. Preparation is key—bonking (running out of fuel) is a big bummer. A proper High Country hike should include nibbles to keep the tank full.
Hydration essentials beyond plain water
And of course it requires beverages. Best to skip the sweet stuff. Stick with water—essential. But it doesn’t have to just be straight water. After all, tea is almost entirely water. It gets flavor, minerals and other advantages from the brewed botanicals. But still—it’s mostly good old H20.
We always pack teas for hikes. They deliver to the body what it needs—water!—but they also add flavor and other botanical boosts.
Read on for some of our favorite hiking teas! Two of them help with energy, while tantalizing the taste buds. Another one aids recovery—and after a day of hiking those mountain trails, you’ll need the helping hand.
Hiking Tea: Yunnan Gold Black
When we decide to cold-brew black tea, this is often our choice. Made from only the tender tips of tea leaves from FengQing County, Yunnan Province, this treasure brews bright, rich and naturally sweet, with honey and fruity notes. While all of these attributes shine when brewed with hot water—we brew it hot all of the time—they come across as especially beautiful when the brewing takes hours rather than minutes.
This special tea delivers caffeine, so it helps boost energy. But it also tastes absolutely delicious.
To cold brew our Yunnan Gold black tea, you’ll want one teaspoon of loose-leaf tea for every cup. So if your thermos holds four cups of water, you’ll want four teaspoons.
Place the desired amount of tea and water into a pitcher. Place it in the refrigerator. Let it sit there for 8-12 hours. Strain away the loose-leaf tea. It’s ready to sip.
Hiking Tea: Boulder Boost (Organic)
We’re talking hiking—and so we of course must explore the thrills of our Boulder Boost. We created this blend to serve the city’s mountain maniacs! Whether they’re hiking or mountain biking, trail running, climbing, fly fishing, kayaking or cycling Boulder people spend much of summer gaining elevation—often quite rapidly. The mountains here are steep.
This blend gets energizing caffeine from two sources: Madagascar vanilla black tea, and guayusa, a plant similar to yerba mate that grows in South America. To that dynamic duo we add green rooibos—for electrolytes. Rooibos tea, which people across South Africa drink constantly, comes from the native rooibos plant. One of its many advantages? An abundance of electrolytes. These minerals help the body adjust to stress, and maintaining a healthy balance is vital for many athletic pursuits.
It also contains tulsi, a plant native to India that helps people maintain mental and emotional balance. Rounding it out, botanicals that boost flavor and help with things like digestion, inflammation and blood sugar: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, fennel and rose.
Hiking Tea: Tired Bone Blend
No way around it—trekking from 10,000 feet to 12k or more (Colorado holds 54 peaks that are at least 14,000-feet in elevation) messes with muscles, joints, bones and the mind. Knees might ache. Thighs can scream. And the brain just wants all of the exertion to stop, and for serenity to ripen.
We knew we had to develop a blend that could mitigate some of those post-mountain pains. The R&D led to our Tired Bone Blend, a delicious and tidy amalgam of botanical ingredients that help with recovery.
Ginkgo to the rescue. This botanical, from the ancient ginkgo biloba tree, famously supports the circulatory system. When paired with rose hips, the boost is even more pronounced. This matters, because nimble circulation is key for recovery. It also bolsters the brain. In addition, the blend contains nettle leaf, which can mitigate inflammation in weary joints. Lavender and chamomile contribute to the blend too; they summon states of peace and tranquility.
