Loaded tea is the talk of the town! Have you tried one yet?
The truth is that loaded teas are a bit controversial.
Some people swear that they are the secret to increased energy and focus. Others warn that these supercharged teas could be dangerous.
Juice bars and coffee shops everywhere are scrambling to get loaded teas on their menus. In reality, anyone can make a loaded tea at home even without Herbalife products.
So let’s unload all the hype and check out the best loaded tea recipes!
What Is a Loaded Tea?
Loaded tea is what happens when an energy drink crashes tea time!
Considered the current drink of choice on social media, loaded teas are colorful, flavorful treats designed to boost energy, focus, concentration, and metabolism.
The basic components of a loaded tea include:
- Tea extract or concentrate
- Supplements that contain caffeine
- Vitamins and antioxidant supplements
- Calorie-free sweeteners
- Food coloring
The big draw of loaded tea is that it gives you sugar-free energy. The energy comes from a mix of caffeine and other compounds.
Essentially there’s really no standard way to make a loaded tea. The base is usually a green, black, or herbal tea concentrate. It’s something of a free-for-all situation after that.
So do loaded teas always contain tea?
No, you can also make one without using any tea and still call it a loaded “tea”.
These types of drinks were branded as loaded teas probably because it’s a catchy name. But more important than including tea, is to include the basic components so that the drink will fill its purpose.
Are loaded teas meal replacements?
While loaded teas can help suppress appetite and will give you a nice energy boost, they can not be used as meal replacements. A meal replacement is an alternative to regular food and should contain some protein and fats or carbs.
Loaded Tea Benefits
People who are interested in staying fit and healthy are the main consumers of loaded teas.
Packed with B vitamins, vitamin C, taurine, antioxidants, and nutrients loaded teas are great for boosting the immune system. In addition, these tea drinks are caffeine powerhouses that can with weight loss.
Here are some of the potential benefits of loaded teas:
- Increased energy levels
- Burn fat more efficiently
- Contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
These “vitamin infusions in a cup” are great for boosting energy on the spot without getting any sugar or calories. The main source of the energy boost is caffeine which can come from different ingredients.
Most loaded teas use powdered caffeine, guarana, or green or black tea to provide a major jolt of energy. But the supercharged caffeine content in these drinks is also what makes them so controversial.
Ginseng is another popular energy-boosting ingredient although it doesn’t contain any caffeine.
How to Make Loaded Teas at Home
Knowing how to make loaded teas at home is a game changer.
First, you will save a lot of money.
It also means that you no longer have to trust that the person behind the counter knows how to make loaded tea safely and responsibly without putting your health at risk.
Another benefit of making loaded tea at home is that you can play around with different flavors.
You can make custom drinks on the spot based on your mood!
Before we go into the recipes, let’s take a look at the basics first:
Do You Need Herbalife Products?
No, you don’t necessarily need any Herbalife products, or any other ready-made powder, to make a loaded tea!
Loaded tea was originally born from Herbalife sellers trying to “move” more of their products by opening up juice bars and nutrition clubs. You should also know that Herbalife is an MLM (multilevel marketing) company with a controversial reputation and it has been sued several times.
Some people do find it easier to simply use premixed Herbalife packets instead of concocting their own recipes. Others prefer to enjoy this drink without being dependent on a specific brand.
What Ingredients Do You Need?
The easiest option is to buy some pre-made powder mixes that you can’t find in a grocery store — instead, you can order them on online marketplaces like Etsy.com. These mixes are usually made with various supplements including Herbalife products.
If you don’t want to use any of these ready-made options, you can make your own loaded tea just the way you like it!
Here’s what you can include in a loaded tea:
Tea Base: You can start with an iced tea powder or concentrate. Another option is to make your own herbal tea or green, black, or oolong tea and use it as the base (more about this below).
Vitamins: A high-quality liquid multivitamin is also one of the standard ingredients of loaded tea. However, you can also add liquid B6, B12, and vitamin C if the goal is to make an immunity-boosting concoction.
Supplements: Any dietary supplements that you’d like to work into your wellness routine can technically be added to a loaded tea.
Sweeteners: Loaded tea can be flavored with no-calorie, sugar-free sweeteners. If you want to avoid artificial sweeteners, use licorice root or raw honey for sweetness and cinnamon, ginger, or lemon for flavor. You can also mix in some fruit juices if don’t mind getting a few more calories.
Food Colorings: You can even choose to dress up your tea with food colorings. However, food coloring is totally optional. A natural option is to make some butterfly pea flower tea concentrate for a vivid blue color.
Caffeine: Finally, caffeine powder, ginseng powder, taurine, niacin, inositol, and other powdered energy supplements can be added to turn your herbal tea drink into pure rocket fuel!
How to Make Your Own Loaded Tea Without Herbalife
Want to create your own loaded tea recipe?
Just choose the ingredients you want to use and follow this process (or go directly to the next chapter and follow one of my easy recipes).
Below are step-by-step instructions for making a loaded tea from scratch:
Step 1: Choose Your Base
The first step is choosing your base tea. Common picks for loaded tea include hibiscus tea, citrus tea, red raspberry leaf tea, orange tea, and strawberry tea.
Color Tip: If you like colorful drinks, make the base tea with butterfly pea flowers or hibiscus flowers for a beautiful natural hue.
Step 2: Steep
Simply steep three to four tea bags in a liter of water for about 20 minutes. This will serve as the base for your loaded tea.
Step 3: Add Other Ingredients
Next, mix in your sweeteners, vitamins, powders, food coloring, syrup, aloe juice, and other ingredients while the concoction is still hot.
Step 4: Remove from the Heat
You can then remove the water from the heat to allow it to cool with the tea bags still in place. Once the concoction is cooled, remove the tea bags.
Step 5: Pour and Enjoy!
Finally, fill an ice-filled glass with the tea to about the halfway mark. You’ll then top off the concoction with cold water to get an authentic, refreshing loaded tea!
Layering ice, herbal tea concentrate, and water in this order without stirring will create a pretty ombre effect!
You can use this same process for making any loaded tea.
Next, I’ll give you a few easy recipes to start with.
2 Easy Loaded Tea Recipes Without Herbalife
Having an easy loaded tea recipe in your back pocket changes everything.
You can make a healthy and uplifting tea drink at home or on the go in just a few minutes!
1. Quick’n Easy Loaded Tea Recipe
Caffeine content: 220 mg
As the name implies, this loaded tea recipe is very fast and straightforward.
Lipton Unsweetened Iced Tea Powder is an easy option for preparing the tea base. It gives a nice flavor of black tea and adds about 20 milligrams of caffeine.
Celsius On-The-Go Energy Powder has almost everything you need for a loaded tea including 200 milligrams of caffeine.
The Celcius powder also contains green tea extract, guarana seed extract, and ginger extract plus a hefty amount of B vitamins, vitamin C, and important minerals like chromium.
Ingredients:
- 16 oz Cold Water
- 2 tsp Lipton Unsweetened Iced Tea
- 1 Stick Pack of Celsius On-The-Go Energy Powder
How to make it:
- Add the water to a shaker bottle.
- Add the Lipton Iced Tea powder and a stick pack of Celcius On-The-Go.
- Give it a proper shake.
- Pour in a glass over ice or drink straight from the shaker. Enjoy the energy boost!
2. Super Brain and Energy Booster Loaded Tea Recipe
Caffeine content: 200 mg
In addition to the Celcius Energy Powder, this loaded tea recipe has some of the best herbs for boosting your focus and brain health.
Ginseng Root Powder has some proven health benefits for boosting energy, performance, and mental focus. It contains ginsenosides that can help prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Gotu Kola Powder can improve cognitive function and working memory and is also used to protect the brain from the effects of oxidative stress.
You can also make some butterfly pea tea concentrate for an additional antioxidant boost and a vibrant blue color.
Ingredients:
- 16 oz Cold Water
- 1 Stick Pack of Celsius On-The-Go Energy Powder
- 1 Scoop (1 gram) of Ginseng Root Powder
- 1/2 tsp (2 grams) of Organic Gotu Kola Powder
- Dash of Butterfly Pea Tea concentrate (Optional)
How to make it:
- (Optional Step) IF you want to add a beautiful blue color layer to your loaded tea, you can prepare a butterfly pea tea concentrate by steeping 20 fresh or dried butterfly pea flowers in hot water for about 5 minutes. You can store the concentrate in the refrigerator.
- Add the water to a shaker bottle.
- Add a stick pack of Celcius On-The-Go, the ginseng powder, and gotu kola powder to a shaker bottle.
- Give it a proper shake.
- Pour in a glass over ice.
- Slowly pour some butterfly pea tea concentrate into the glass to create colorful layers.
- Drink with a straw if you don’t want to mix the layers!
Can Loaded Teas Be Dangerous?
Like any wellness beverage, loaded tea contains ingredients that could potentially pose health risks for some people.
The main concern with loaded tea is that a potent mix of vitamins and caffeine could trigger cardiovascular mishaps for people with risk factors.
Someone who doesn’t tolerate high doses of caffeine smoothly could experience jitters, elevated blood pressure, and rapid heart rate. Compared to a cup of coffee, one loaded tea drink can contain as much as three times more caffeine!
There’s also a concern about the vitamin content of loaded teas. It’s fairly easy to take in toxic levels of certain vitamins. For example, a vitamin B3 “overdose” can cause skin flushing, nausea, and rapid heart rate.
Coffee shops and juice bars aren’t always forthright regarding what they’re putting in their loaded teas because they don’t want customers to steal their recipes. So the best way to ensure that the loaded tea you’re drinking is safe is to make it yourself.
Making your own loaded tea at home allows you to control the ingredients that are going into the mixture and create a safe, well-tolerated energy drink that tastes great.
Luckily, after reading this guide, the secrets for making loaded teas at home are within your grasp.
Final Thoughts – Should You Try Making a Loaded Tea?
Homemade loaded teas can be a great way to enjoy a hydrating, energy-infused drink without becoming dependent on your local Herbalife salesperson.
But concerns about the dangers of loaded tea aren’t unfounded.
There’s always a risk of “overdoing it” whenever you’re using liquid vitamins, caffeine, and powdered supplements in the same drink.
Use your personal health history as a guide for how extreme your tea should be. In addition, it’s helpful to look up daily recommended allowances of specific vitamins, minerals, and supplements before adding them to your loaded tea.
Making your own teas also provides more freedom in terms of the flavors and supplements you want to use. This means you can enjoy your loaded tea just the way you like it!
Hi these looks so yummy! Love em. Tell me what is 4c and where in the world do you buy all the ingredients ?
You can find links to all ingredients in the article. Just click on the link and it will take you to Amazon where you can order that ingredient.
For example, under the recipe “1. Quick’n Easy Loaded Tea Recipe” there are links to “Lipton Unsweetened Iced Tea Powder” and “Celsius On-The-Go Energy Powder” and you can find links to ginseng and gotu kola powder on the next recipe.