Tropical Sun: Caribbean And World Tea Traditions

Tropical Sun, in summary: Tropical Sun tea brand explained: UK Caribbean food distributor, cerasee, sorrel, fever grass, what diaspora households drink, where to buy.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

Tropical Sun is the brand to know if you want authentic Caribbean and world herbal traditions rather than the standard supermarket herbal shelf. Buy the range on the Tropical Sun shop page; this is the story, paired with our herbal tea guide and the tea and your health hub.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in May 2026.

What the brand is for

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for What the brand is for, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

Tropical Sun is a long established UK importer of Caribbean and world foods, and its tea range reflects living herbal traditions rather than trend led wellness blends. Cerasee, soursop, moringa, sorrel and classic herbal infusions have been drunk for generations across the Caribbean and beyond, and that authenticity is what sets the range apart from mass market "detox" boxes. The framing this wiki applies throughout is traditional use and gentle enjoyment rather than medical claims, see the tea and your health hub for how we treat that across the site.

Behind the tea, Tropical Sun Foods is one of the dominant UK distributors of Afro Caribbean, African, Indian and Asian ingredients, founded in 1980s London. It supplies the substantial UK Caribbean and African diaspora with familiar daily staples at affordable prices, and that same reach is what brings cerasee, sorrel and fever grass within easy reach of any UK drinker who wants to explore them.

The Caribbean herbs worth knowing

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for The Caribbean herbs worth knowing, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

Cerasee (Momordica charantia, also called bitter melon) is the flagship Jamaican bush tea. The dried leaves and vines brew into an intensely bitter cup, an acquired taste for outsiders but central to Jamaican home tradition for generations, drunk for periodic "cleansing", often at the start of each month, and as an everyday tonic. It is one of the few teas where bitterness is the whole point rather than a fault, so it is taken unsweetened. For Jamaican diaspora households it is a non negotiable staple; for everyone else it is worth trying once for the cultural experience.

Sorrel, in Caribbean usage, is Hibiscus sabdariffa, the same dried calyces that give many hibiscus blends their bright red colour. It is the classic Caribbean Christmas drink: boiled with ginger and clove, sweetened generously, and served hot or chilled (with rum added for the adult version). The cup is vivid red, tart and sweet spiced. The dried calyces appear in Caribbean grocers from mid November through January, and the drink is genuinely pleasant well beyond its festive role.

Fever grass, soursop and the wider range

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Fever grass, soursop and the wider range, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

Fever grass is the Caribbean and West African name for lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), a tall grass with intensely citrus fragrant leaves. The Caribbean tradition brews it strongly, often with lime juice and sometimes ginger, for a hot, citrus bright, gently astringent cup. It is a kitchen cupboard staple alongside ginger root and cerasee. The dried Tropical Sun packs cost very little and keep for weeks, and the cup quality is close to the fresh herb sold in Caribbean grocers.

Soursop leaf (Annona muricata) rounds out the staples: dried tree leaves that brew mildly fragrant and slightly bitter, with apple like undertones, drunk as a pleasant caffeine free option. Beyond these, the range spans single herb Caribbean infusions, calming and digestive blends, camomile and mint, and fruit infusions, all caffeine free herbal territory. Browse the stocked selection on the Tropical Sun shop page, and see the herbal tea guide for where these sit among herbals generally.

How to brew it

Herbal infusions want fully boiling water and a long, often covered steep of five to ten minutes, so the botanicals actually make it into the cup, see how to brew chamomile and the water temperature guide. The traditional Caribbean tonics in particular are meant to be brewed strong; under brewing is the usual reason a herbal "does nothing". Cerasee and fever grass both reward a longer steep than most people expect.

The essentials: Tropical Sun

Field	Detail
Brand	Tropical Sun Foods Ltd, UK based importer distributor specialising in Afro Caribbean and world foods
Founded	1980s in London; one of the dominant UK distributors of Caribbean, African, Indian, and Asian ingredients
Tea range	Caribbean herbal teas (sorrel, soursop, cerasee, fever grass), Indian teas, African teas, world herbal infusions
Distinctive products	Cerasee (bush tea, cleansing tradition), sorrel (hibiscus based Christmas drink), soursop leaf, fever grass (lemongrass), ginger root
Cup character	Varies widely by product; Caribbean herbal range is generally robust, often bitter, often medicinal flavoured
Audience	UK Caribbean diaspora households (primary), UK African diaspora households, and adventurous UK drinkers seeking world herbal traditions
UK availability	Caribbean and African grocers UK wide, larger Tesco and Sainsbury's ethnic food aisles, online via Tropical Sun direct
UK price	£1.50 to £4 per pack depending on product; generally affordable

Availability and price

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Availability and price, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

Most Tropical Sun tea products sit between £1.50 and £4 a pack (May 2026): cerasee around £2 to £3, sorrel £2.50 to £4 (dearer near Christmas), fever grass £1.50 to £2.50, rooibos £3 to £4. Distribution is heaviest in London, Birmingham, Manchester and other cities with substantial Caribbean populations, and larger Tesco and Sainsbury's branches carry the brand in their world food aisles. Online ordering through Tropical Sun direct widens access for everyone else. The pricing is genuinely competitive, with specialty merchants often charging several times as much for the equivalent herbs.

Who it is for, and what to buy

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Who it is for, and what to buy, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

Tropical Sun suits the drinker who wants the real Caribbean herbal tradition or hard to find single herbs, not another generic wellness blend, and anyone exploring caffeine free options beyond chamomile and peppermint. To start, try cerasee (intensely bitter Jamaican bush tea), sorrel (the red Christmas drink), or fever grass (citrusy and refreshing). For the African side try rooibos; for the Indian side, masala chai. It is one of the most genuinely distinctive ranges we carry, mapped against the field in the brands hub.

The bottom line on Tropical Sun

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for The bottom line on Tropical Sun, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/

The UK's most important Caribbean and African food distributor, with a tea range covering traditions mainstream retailers ignore. It is essential for diaspora households and an easy, affordable entry point to Caribbean herbal traditions for everyone else. The cerasee and sorrel in particular carry cultural weight well beyond the cup, and the brand's long UK history since the 1980s gives it real credibility with the communities it serves.

From the curatorteas · One good loose leaf in a clean teapot beats five exotic bags drunk in a hurry.

Reference noted

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Reference noted, Tropical Sun: Caribbean and World Tea Traditions. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tropical sun deep dive/