Twinings Pure Camomile: Brewing, Taste and Storage

Twinings Pure Camomile: Why Camomile Is Not Tea

Camomile is a flower, not a tea, and most disappointing cups come from brewing it as though it were one. Flower heads need full heat and time to open, so this infusion wants a rolling boil and a long steep where a green tea wants neither.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Twinings Pure Camomile: Why Camomile Is Not Tea, in summary: An eighty-bag box of camomile on its own. It is not tea, so it needs water at a full boil and a covered steep of four or five minutes, and it is naturally caffeine-free.

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

Camomile is a flower, not a tea, and most disappointing cups come from brewing it as though it were one. Flower heads need full heat and time to open, so this infusion wants a rolling boil and a long steep where a green tea wants neither.

Flowers in the bag, not leaves

With no tea leaf in the bag, camomile is caffeine-free by nature rather than by processing. A decaf tea has had its caffeine removed and keeps a trace; camomile never had any to begin with. Pure, in the name, means one botanical on its own, so a mug of this is a straight test of liking camomile for itself, or only the blends that dress it up.

The defining note is apple: soft, round and naturally sweet, hence the Spanish name for it, manzanilla. The floral side is present and gentle, the liquor clear gold and light in body, and bitterness is almost absent. If yours tastes harsh or perfumed, the water was probably too cool to open the flowers.

A rolling boil and five minutes

Use water at a full rolling boil and give the bag four to five minutes with a saucer on top. This is the reverse of green tea advice: flower heads need real heat before they open, and water that has stood in the kettle since an earlier boil is what makes most cups pale and thin. If it still tastes weak, add a second bag rather than more time.

Camomile cannot really be over-steeped the way tea can. Left for ten minutes it turns slightly hay-like rather than bitter, and some people prefer it that way. Its aroma sits on the surface of the dried flowers and leaves with the first rush of steam, so a covered mug tastes fuller. Store the box well away from coffee and spices, whose smell it picks up within weeks.

Why buy eighty bags

Eighty bags is four times the standard Twinings herbal box, and that only makes sense once camomile has become a nightly routine instead of an occasional choice. At that point the household box stops looking excessive: it becomes the thing handed round at the end of an evening, nobody has to ration it, and there is always a bag left for a guest who does not want caffeine late at night.

Keep what you eat with it gentle. Butter biscuits and a lemon drizzle biscuit suit the apple and floral notes, and an oaty cookie with chocolate-flavour chips works for anyone who wants something more substantial with the last cup of the day. Nothing is needed in the mug itself; camomile brewed hot enough is sweet on its own.

The packs we stock

Twinings Pure Camomile Tea, 80 Tea Bags (barcode 070177270216)

What to eat with it

Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies, 216g: A plain butter cookie keeps things mild beside a soft, apple-scented cup.
Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: A touch of lemon brightens camomile's gentle floral side.
McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Flavour Chips Oaty Cookies, 155g: An oaty cookie gives the last cup of the evening a little more substance.

Elsewhere in the Twinings range

The full range is on the Twinings brand page.

FAQ

Is camomile tea actually tea? No. It is an infusion of camomile flowers with no tea leaf, so it needs different handling from tea.

Does Twinings Pure Camomile contain caffeine? No. It is caffeine-free by nature; there was never any caffeine to remove.

Can you over-steep camomile? Not in the way you can over-steep tea. After ten minutes it turns a little hay-like, not bitter.

Why does my camomile taste thin? The water was probably not at a full boil. Use freshly boiled water, cover the mug and, if needed, add a second bag.

Why does camomile taste of apple? The apple sweetness is the natural character of the flower, and it explains the Spanish name, manzanilla.

Curator's note: Give it the same respect as a pot of tea: a proper boil, a saucer over the mug and the full five minutes. If it tastes of the medicine cabinet rather than of apple, the water was not hot enough. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Twinings Pure Camomile: Why Camomile Is Not Tea

Field	Detail
Brand	Twinings
Packs we stock	80 Tea Bags
Category	Fruit & Herbal Tea
Caffeine	caffeine free
Water	A full rolling boil
Steep	Four to five minutes, covered
Occasion	The last cup of the evening