Fruit tea

Fruit tea is rated low here with no tags, as long as it really is an infusion of fruit and flowers rather than tea leaf. What is worth checking on the label is hibiscus, citrus peel, and whether the blend contains tea leaf after all.

Why fruit tea is rated low

A fruit tea is usually dried fruit pieces, hibiscus, rosehip, apple or berries steeped in hot water. There is no leaf from the tea plant in it, which is why it is rated low here and why it carries no caffeine. Two things put an asterisk on that. Some products sold as fruit tea are black or green tea leaf flavored with fruit, and those are rated with black tea: moderate, with the DAO Blocker tag. And citrus peel is a common ingredient, while citrus is rated a histamine liberator on this index, and rose hip, another common base, is rated moderate here. The answer lives in the ingredient list rather than in the name of the drink.

What changes your risk

• Whether there is tea leaf in it: This is the lever that changes the rating. A blend built on black or green tea leaf with fruit flavoring is rated with black tea, moderate with the DAO Blocker tag, whatever the front of the box calls it.
• Citrus peel: Dried orange or lemon peel turns up in a lot of blends, and citrus is rated a histamine liberator here.
• Hibiscus: Hibiscus is often the base of deep-red fruit blends. Some people with histamine intolerance report not tolerating it, and the mechanism for that is not established. Rose hip, the other common red base, is rated moderate on this index.
• Named fruit or flavoring: A blend listing flavoring rather than named fruit does not tell you what is in the cup. A short list of named fruit pieces is easier to read.
• Storage: Keep the dry blend sealed and dry. Storage affects the quality of the blend, not its rating on this index.

What else is safe

Apple, blueberry and pear infusions with no tea leaf use fruit rated low here, and they are the most straightforward version of the same drink. Rose hip is rated moderate on this index, so blends built on it are a different question. So are the herbal teas: rooibos, chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm, fennel seed, lemongrass and fresh ginger, none of them carrying tags, and SIGHI places herbal teas and rooibos nature in its well tolerated column. The ones that look like a fruit tea but are rated differently are the fruit-flavored black and green teas. See the site's low histamine tea recipes for caffeine-free versions.

How to enjoy it

The ingredient list settles it, not the fruit pictured on the front of the box. Look first for the words black tea or green tea in the list, since a fruit-flavored true tea is rated with black tea rather than here. Then look for hibiscus, which is often the base of red blends, and for orange or lemon peel. A blend of named fruit pieces with nothing else is the easiest to read. Keep it sealed and dry.

Common questions

Does fruit tea have caffeine?

A true fruit infusion has none, because there is no tea leaf in it. Some products sold as fruit tea are black or green tea flavored with fruit, and those do carry caffeine.

Is hibiscus tea okay with histamine intolerance?

Hibiscus is one that some people with histamine intolerance report not tolerating, and the mechanism for that is not established. A blend without it is simpler to judge.

Is fruit tea the same as herbal tea?

A true fruit infusion has no tea leaf, and neither do the herbal infusions rated low here, such as peppermint, chamomile and fresh ginger. Fruit teas lean on dried fruit, hibiscus and rose hip, while herbal teas lean on leaves, flowers and roots.

My fruit tea lists black tea on the label. Does that change the rating?

Yes. A fruit-flavored black or green tea is rated with black tea: moderate, with the DAO Blocker tag. The fruit flavoring does not change what the leaf is.