Yogi Tea: History, Blends and Brewing

Yogi Tea is the American functional tea brand built around the Ayurvedic and Yogic traditions brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan in the 1960s and 1970s. Founded in 1984 in Eugene, Oregon, the brand has built a wide range of functionally positioned herbal blends, now distributed across more than 40 countries including the UK, where Yogi Tea is one of the more distinctive American style functional brands on British shelves. The brand's spice forward blending style and explicit Yogic philosophy give a different cultural angle from the British functional tea shelf dominated by Pukka and Clipper.

Explore in our shop: Pukka Organic Herbal Collection, 20 Tea Bags 34.4g.

This guide is a deep dive into Yogi Tea: the founding story tied to Yogi Bhajan and Kundalini Yoga, the broad functional range, the spice forward American style blending, and how to navigate one of the more distinctive functional tea catalogues in British retail.

The Yogi Tea history

Yogi Tea was founded in 1984 in Eugene, Oregon by students of Yogi Bhajan, the Sikh spiritual teacher who brought Kundalini Yoga to the West in the late 1960s. The original "Yogi Tea" recipe was a spiced milk and tea preparation that Yogi Bhajan served to his Kundalini Yoga students in the 1970s; the commercial brand grew from packaging and marketing this traditional recipe alongside variants for specific needs.

The brand grew through the 1980s and 1990s as the US natural foods movement expanded, becoming one of the dominant functional tea brands in American natural food retail. Yogi Tea expanded internationally in the 2000s, including UK distribution through specialty health food retailers and gradually broader supermarket presence.

Notable milestones in the brand's history:

• 1984: founded in Eugene, Oregon by students of Yogi Bhajan
• 1990s: expansion across US natural foods retail
• 2000s: international expansion including UK distribution
• 2010s: broader UK supermarket presence and range expansion
• 2018 onwards: navigating the complicated legacy of Yogi Bhajan after multiple credible allegations of abuse against him surfaced; the brand has formally distanced itself from Yogi Bhajan personally while continuing to use the Yogi name
• Continues as a major US functional tea brand with broad international distribution

The Yogi Bhajan legacy issue is worth flagging: substantive allegations of abuse and misconduct against Yogi Bhajan emerged from former students starting in 2020 and have been widely reported. Yogi Tea (the brand) has taken steps to distance itself from Yogi Bhajan personally while retaining the brand name and the broader Yogic philosophy positioning that goes beyond his individual teachings. For consumers navigating this complicated legacy in their purchasing decisions, the brand's response and ongoing actions are part of the picture.

The American spice forward style

Yogi Tea's blends use a distinctly American wellness tea style that differs from the British and European herbal traditions. The Yogi style emphasises:

• Bold spice profiles: often featuring cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper as primary flavour notes
• Functional positioning around specific goals, with each blend designed for a clear job (sleep, a lift, immunity, digestion)
• Ayurvedic influenced ingredient combinations: drawing from the Indian herbal medicine tradition
• Yogic philosophy framing with each tea bag carrying an inspirational quote or thought
• Larger blends: typically combining 6-10 different herbs and spices per tea, more complex than typical British herbal tea recipes

The American spice forward style produces a noticeably different cup character than British herbal teas. Where Pukka or Clipper might use a single dominant herb plus 2-3 supporting ingredients, Yogi blends often use more complex combinations that produce fuller, spicier, more layered cups. Some drinkers love this complexity; others find it overwhelming compared to simpler British herbal blends.

The Yogi range

Yogi has built one of the broader functional wellness tea ranges available in British retail. Major categories:

Sleep and rest:

• Yogi Bedtime Tea: the flagship sleep blend with chamomile, lavender, valerian, and other relaxing herbs
• Yogi a quiet moment: eleuthero and other adaptogenic herbs for stress management
• Yogi Calming Tea: milder relaxation blend for daytime use
• Yogi Honey Lavender a quiet moment: the popular honey and lavender blend for winding down

Daytime and cold season blends:

• Yogi Cold Season Tea: the cold and flu blend with elderberry, echinacea and other winter herbs
• Yogi Echinacea Immune Support: focused echinacea led blend
• Yogi Vitality: energy focused blend with eleuthero and ginseng
• Yogi Green Tea Energy: green tea based energy blends

Digestion:

• Yogi Ginger Tea: classic warming ginger blend
• Yogi Stomach Ease: digestive focused blend with peppermint, fennel, and ginger
• Yogi everyday cup: the everyday cup positioned blend (with the standard caveat that everyday cup claims are mostly marketing)

Chai:

• Yogi Chai Tea: the original Yogi Tea recipe in tea bag format, the historical foundation of the brand
• Yogi Vanilla Spice: vanilla chai variant
• Yogi Cocoa Spice: cocoa and chai variant
• Yogi Chocolate Mint: a dessert style treat blend

Women's wellness:

• Yogi Woman's Energy: hormone balance positioned blend
• Yogi Pregnancy Tea: raspberry leaf based pregnancy support blend (consult midwife before use)
• Yogi Mother to Be: similar pregnancy positioning

Other functional:

• Yogi Skin everyday cup: skin focused herbal blend
• Yogi Throat Comfort: sore throat blend
• Yogi Joint Comfort: a blend sold on its polyphenols

The range is more functionally specific than most British competitors; for almost any goal you can think of, Yogi has a tea positioned for it. How far the functional positioning translates to measurable effects varies (some have decent evidence; many are more aspirational), but the breadth of the range really helps drinkers building a varied herbal cupboard.

For wider category context see the herbal tea overview, the best tea for sleep guide, plus our cold and flu tea guide and the guide to teas for after meals.

The inspirational quote tradition

One of Yogi Tea's distinctive brand features: each individual tea bag carries an inspirational quote or thought, printed on the tea bag tag. The quotes are meant to give a moment of reflection while you drink, drawing on Yogic philosophy, contemplative traditions and motivational thinking.

The quote on the tag feature has been part of Yogi Tea since the early days and is one of the brand's most recognised distinguishing features. For drinkers who like the contemplative angle, the quotes add a small moment to the daily cup; for drinkers who find the inspirational quote format twee, it can feel slightly forced. Either way it's part of what makes Yogi Tea distinct from competitor brands that focus more strictly on the product itself.

The organic positioning

Most Yogi Tea products are USDA Organic certified (the American organic standard, broadly equivalent to EU organic standards). The brand is organic across most of its range, comparable to Pukka and Clipper in scope.

The organic certification covers both the herbal ingredients and the spice components, with direct sourcing relationships in the source countries. For consumers who prioritise organic certification, Yogi is one of the major American organic tea brands available in British retail.

Yogi vs the competition

Yogi competes against several wellness tea brands in British retail:

• vs Pukka: both are organic functional tea brands; Pukka is British with Ayurvedic positioning, Yogi is American with Yogic positioning. Pukka has broader UK distribution; Yogi has more complex spice forward blends and the inspirational quote feature
• vs Clipper Clipper has British Fairtrade and organic positioning at lower prices; Yogi has more functional specific blends and stronger spice character
• vs the Twinings Superblends range Twinings offers similar functional positioning at lower prices but without the same organic certification or distinctive blend style
• vs Heath & Heather: both are organic leaning herbal brands; Heath & Heather is British and longer established in UK retail

Yogi's competitive position is strongest with drinkers who specifically value the spice forward American style and the broad functional blend range. For drinkers who prefer simpler herbal infusions or more familiar British style blends, Pukka and Clipper are usually better fits.

How to brew Yogi properly

Yogi blends benefit from full extraction to develop the complex spice profiles:

1. Use freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil for herbal blends
2. Pour over the bag immediately
3. Steep for 7 minutes minimum: longer than most British herbal teas; the spice forward American blends need extended brewing to release the full complex character
4. Some blends benefit from 10+ minutes: particularly the chai variants and the heavily spiced winter blends
5. Don't add milk to most Yogi blends except the chai variants where milk is traditional
6. Sweetening optional: the spice character is often complex enough to drink unsweetened

The longer brewing time is the main practical difference from typical British herbal teas; drinkers used to 3-4 minute brewing may find Yogi blends underwhelming until they extend the steep time. Yogi aside, every tea family's ideal temperature sits in the water temperatures guide.

What we stock

Browse the full Yogi range. The most bought Yogi products on teas.co.uk:

• Yogi Tea Organic Alkaline Herbs, 17 Tea Bags 35.7g
• Yogi Tea Organic Women's Energy, 17 Tea Bags 30.6g
• Yogi Tea Organic Ginger, Orange with Vanilla, 17 Tea Bags 30.6g
• Yogi Tea Organic Turmeric Chai, 17 Tea Bags 34g
• Yogi Tea Organic Ashwagandha Balance, 17 Tea Bags 34g
• Yogi Tea Organic Bedtime, 17 Tea Bags 30.6g

For comparisons across the wider wellness tea landscape, see also: Pukka, Clipper, Heath & Heather, Dragonfly, Twinings.

The verdict on Yogi

Yogi Tea is the American functional tea brand with a distinctive spice forward style and a broad range of blends. The combination of organic certification, complex multi herb blends, Yogic philosophy framing, and the inspirational quote feature makes it a different proposition from the British functional tea brands.

For drinkers who specifically enjoy the American spice forward herbal style or want blends aimed at very specific goals, Yogi is a worthwhile alternative to British equivalents. For drinkers who prefer simpler British style herbal infusions or are looking for the cleanest organic and Fairtrade positioning, Pukka and Clipper are usually better fits.

The Yogi Bhajan legacy is part of the broader picture for some consumers; the brand has formally distanced itself from his individual teachings while retaining the broader Yogic and Ayurvedic philosophical framework. For consumers navigating this complicated history in their purchasing decisions, the brand's actions and ongoing positioning are worth considering alongside the product quality.

For the wider context see the herbal tea overview, the chai tea overview, the best tea for sleep guide, the best tea for cold and flu guide, the Pukka deep dive, the Clipper deep dive, the Dragonfly deep dive, and the chai vs chai latte comparison.

Yogi Tea at a glance

What to buy now

Yogi is the obvious starting point for ayurvedic-influenced herbal blends in the UK. Try Yogi Bedtime for an evening wind-down, Yogi Stomach Ease for after meals, and Yogi Detox for the brand's most-talked-about blend. To compare with specialist herbal alternatives, sample a quality single-herb peppermint tea or chamomile tea from an independent; single herb blends often deliver the effect a multi herb functional blend is reaching for.

Related on the wiki: Yogi.

Source

• NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

More from the tea wiki

• Yogi Rose
• Yogi Classic Chai
• Yogi Throat Comfort
• Yogi Bedtime
• Yogi Tea vs Pukka
• Yogi Women's Energy

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