How To Make Loaded Teas At Home
Loaded teas are all over Instagram. Made with tea concentrate and fruit-flavored drinks, they come in vibrant colors and have cute names like Gummy Bear, Watermelon Thunder, and Bahama Mama.
Their standout feature, though, is their claim of clean energy in the form of zero sugar, few calories, faster metabolism, healthy antioxidants, and a big dose of caffeine.
With the rise in their popularity, you can find quite a few tea shops and nutritional clubs selling these vibrantly colored teas, but what’s great is that you can make them at home as well!
So, how can you make loaded teas at home? You can easily make loaded teas at home using a handful of ingredients such as tea powder, energy drinks, supplements, and flavored drink mixes.
Read on to find out more about loaded teas, how you can make them at home, some of the best combinations and ideas for them, and much more!
What Are Loaded Teas?
Loaded teas, also sometimes called boosted teas, are a concoction of ingredients mixed up into one colorful drink that promises to give you a boost of energy, increase your productivity, and help you achieve your fitness goals.
They have been around since the early 2000s and have created a huge buzz among fitness enthusiasts since they allow them to control their cravings while providing lots of energy.
Herbalife is one of the most popular makers of loaded teas with several Herbalife-affiliated smoothie shops and nutrition cafes also using their supplements to make their own blends.
Loaded teas are made using different formulas, with most of them containing a mix of tea or tea concentrate, fruit juices, supplement powders, multivitamins, sweeteners, plant extracts, and food coloring.
Regardless of the formula, these teas usually contain high amounts of caffeine to give you a boost of energy as promised. The exact formulations may vary depending on the makers but most include ingredients such as:
- A powdered tea concentrate, tea extracts, and added caffeine powder.
- Herbalife’s Liftoff energy tablet, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and artificial food coloring.
Benefits Of Loaded Teas
Nutrition drinks such as loaded teas boast a variety of benefits and are especially enticing for fitness experts since they are low in calories.
You can enjoy these delicious, colorful drinks without worrying about the extra calories found in soft drinks and other beverages. They can also help you lose weight and achieve your fitness goals.
In addition to that, they are also rich in vitamins and antioxidants and are “loaded” with them to provide a balance of energy and nutrition.
Each tea varies in the type of vitamins it contains, which allows you to pick and choose the best one according to your needs.
Now, onto perhaps the best part about loaded teas: the energy boost! The energy boost they provide is unparalleled and arguably the most noticeable feature of these colorful drinks.
Most people drink loaded teas because of their caffeine content, which surpasses a normal cup of tea or coffee by over 100 milligrams.
Are Loaded Teas Safe To Drink?
The caffeine in loaded teas may not be a problem for people who consume caffeinated drinks often.
However, it may cause adverse reactions such as stomach aches, sleeplessness, frequent urination, and increased blood pressure and heart rate in caffeine-sensitive people.
The bottom line with loaded teas is that while the product itself might not be that harmful, it is the dose that can be.
Just as with anything in the world, too much of something can be bad and may become dangerous at high levels.
Since loaded teas mostly contain caffeine in a concentrated form, you need to be careful about how much you are putting into your system.
How To Make Loaded Teas At Home
If you are a fan of loaded teas and want to make your own blend at home, you easily can.
Not only will you be able to use your choice of ingredients and cut down on the amount of caffeine according to your requirements but also save a lot of money in doing so.
You can experiment with a ton of flavors and enjoy creating a concoction that is both delicious, easy to make, and super affordable. Here’s what you’ll need:
Instant Tea Powder
The first ingredient you will need is an instant tea powder to act as a substitute for Herbalife’s tea concentrate.
Although their tea concentrates are filled with tea extracts, caffeine powders, cardamom seed extract, maltodextrin, and fructose, they do not impact the overall flavor of the drink once all the ingredients are mixed.
Therefore, you can easily replace them with pure black or green tea made with just one ingredient and no added junk. You can use your favorite tea depending on what you prefer.
Energy Drink Mix
Once you have your instant tea powder, you will need some sort of energy drink mix to use in place of Herbalife Liftoff, which is an essential ingredient in loaded teas made using Herbalife products.
The energy drink mix will give you lightly carbonated and caffeinated elements while also providing vitamins. Make sure you use energy drinks that are caffeinated since you will need that caffeine boost.
Supplement
Since loaded teas are “loaded” with vitamins and antioxidants, you will have to find a base supplement to go into your homemade loaded tea to make it healthy and nutritious.
You may look for a vitamin or mineral supplement, or even use a protein-based powder that contains energy-stimulating nutrients.
You can find several options online and in a local supermarket. Just make sure to choose one based on your health goals – energy, weight loss, muscle gain, etc.
Flavored Drink Mixes
Flavored drink mixes are what give the loaded teas a fun flavor and allow you to explore various combinations to create the perfect beverage (our favorite ones to use are these).
You can use one flavor of your choice or combine two or more for a unique blend. Some common drink mixes include orange, grape, strawberry, peach, green apple, pineapple, blueberry, watermelon, cherry, and lemon.
Some of the best loaded tea flavors include:
- Peach, pineapple, and orange
- Cherry, strawberry, and pineapple
- Watermelon and blueberry
- Strawberry margarita
- Mixed berries and pomegranate
- Strawberry, blueberry, and pina colada
- Tropical fruit
- Raspberry lemonade
Mango Aloe (Optional)
Adding mango aloe is totally up to you and if you want to make your loaded tea without it, you can. You can even add it later on to the mix if you feel the need.
It contains aloe vera leaf extract, in addition to a few other ingredients that give it a sweet taste. It is added to the tea to give it body, and if you want to leave it out, you can simply use coconut water or cold water in its place.
Guarana Powder (Optional)
Again, Guarana powder is totally optional and you can make the perfect loaded tea without adding any. It is used in place of Herbalife’s NRG (Nature’s Raw Guarana) powder and is needed only if you need an extra boost of caffeine.
Make sure to buy pure guarana without any unnecessary ingredients since it has a finer texture and dissolves easily without leaving any grains.
Loaded Tea Recipe
Making loaded tea at home is incredibly simple, provided you have all the required ingredients. Here are step-by-step instructions for you to follow:
- Dissolve the instant tea, energy drink, and supplement selection into 6 oz. hot water.
- Pour it into the bottom of a cup.
- Pack the cup with ice.
- Pour cold mango aloe, coconut water, or plain cold water over the ice.
- Mix the fruit drinks into the cup along with the other ingredients.
- Enjoy!
Related Questions
Now that you know all about loaded teas and how to make them at home, here are a few additional questions we thought you might have!
How many loaded teas can you drink in a day?
Due to the high levels of caffeine present in loaded teas, we recommend limiting your consumption to one serving per day.
What can you use instead of Herbalife Liftoff?
When making loaded teas at home, you can substitute Herbalife Liftoff with 4C Energy Rush.
It comes in three flavors (orange, berry, and citrus) and provides a light fizz and flavor to go with your loaded teas.
Are loaded teas energy drinks?
Considering that loaded teas contain most of the same ingredients as energy drinks, they can be put into the same category.
Since they both contain high amounts of caffeine and other (not so healthy) ingredients, they must be consumed in moderation.
What type of tea is the healthiest?
Tea has been used as a health booster for centuries and it is no secret that tea drinking is good for your health.
With so many different varieties of tea in the world, some are better for your health than others. The healthiest of the lot is green tea, followed by black tea, oolong tea, and white tea.
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