What is vetiver? A fragrant herb born from the root of a grass

Vetiver is a herb born from the root of a grass.
In perfumery it is known as the note that holds up the base of a scent, and for that depth it has long been called a herb of calm.
It uses no tea leaves, so it is caffeine-free. That is why it suits a cup at night.

What you are drinking is the root, not the leaf

When you hear “herbal tea”, what comes to mind is usually a leaf or a flower. Mint, chamomile, lemongrass. Vetiver falls outside that. What you drink is the root.

Vetiver is a perennial grass, and beneath its long, slender leaves it puts down roots to a surprising depth. Dry those roots and a settled aroma of earth and wood rises. There is no floral brightness to it. It is an aroma like a note sounding lower down, close to the ground.

It grows in warm places such as India and Indonesia, and the roots hold their aroma for a long time even when dried. In the growing regions the roots are woven into mats and blinds, watered in the hot season and left for the breeze to pass through — a long-standing way of putting aroma to work in daily life.

In perfume, the scent that supports the very bottom

Some of you may have seen the name vetiver on a perfume. Some scents rise quickly, others come slowly and stay a long time. Vetiver is the latter. It remains to the end and holds the whole together — the note of the foundation, you might say.

That character does not change when it is made into tea. It is not the sort to assert itself from the first sip, and yet for a while after you finish, it is still there at the back of the mouth. So it does not suit a cup you drink in a hurry. This aroma is easier to follow on an evening when you have time.

Two trios, from Inspice

Inspice vetiver tea is a trio built around this root. Each is made of just three ingredients.

Symphony No.1 “The stillness of blue” layers butterfly pea and echinacea over vetiver. Pour hot water and the cup turns a clear blue.
Symphony No.2 “The freshness of new green” uses cardamom and yerba buena. It is turned towards a crisp aroma, like taking a deep breath in a forest.

Three alone is a very small blend, as blending goes. In our spice curries and chai we build blends of more than ten, weighed to 0.01g, but for vetiver we do not add. The aroma of the root stops being audible if you make its surroundings busy. Taking away is design too.

Why it is caffeine-free

The reason is extremely simple: we use no tea leaves. Vetiver, echinacea, butterfly pea, cardamom and yerba buena are none of them leaves of the tea plant. So they contain no caffeine.

Let us be straight about this. Inspice chai, from the same range, is based on black tea and does contain caffeine. Chai in the morning and afternoon, vetiver at night. Not restraint, but a change of gear.

The tea bags return to the soil

The tea bags are made of Soilon, a plant-derived biomass material. They release no microplastics and return to the soil as they are. To brew, pour hot water and wait, slowly. A box of 5 is ¥2,400 (¥480 a cup); a box of 15 is ¥4,018, about ¥268 a cup.

At the end of a day that has been fun, glad and delicious, a cup of root aroma. As a scent to close the day, there is little to better it.

*If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under medical care, please consult your doctor about taking herbs.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does vetiver smell and taste like?
A. A settled, deep aroma suggesting earth and wood. There is no floral brightness or strong sweetness; it is the sort that lingers at the back of the mouth after you finish. No.1 leads with a gentle toastiness and its blue colour, No.2 with the cool lift of cardamom.

Q. Is vetiver tea caffeine-free?
A. Yes. It is built from herbs alone, with no tea leaves from the tea plant, so it contains no caffeine. Chai is based on black tea and does contain caffeine, so we suggest switching to vetiver at night.

Q. Is the blue that appears when I pour hot water a colouring?
A. No. It is a natural colour from the butterfly pea flower. It is No.1’s moment alone, and adding a little of something acidic, such as lemon, shifts it towards purple.