barista herbalist sarah levine denver city, o' city cafe apothecary tinctura sprudge
Sara Levine has worked as both a barista and herbalist for the better part of a decade. She splits her professional time between blending herbs for herself and others at Apothecary Tinctura and pulling shots of espresso at vegetarian hot spot City, Oโ€™ City. Her customer base changes with her workplace, but at the end of the day both jobs boil down to serving customers and maintaining a deep knowledge of ingredients.

โ€œFor me, with teas itโ€™s like equal parts science, intuition, and flavor profile,โ€ Levine says. โ€œThe science of it is obviously just knowing these herbs really wellโ€”knowing their functions, knowing how theyโ€™ll interact with your body. The intuition is an interesting thing, because a lot of herbalists come from a clinical and scientific perspective.โ€

barista herbalist sarah levine denver city, o' city cafe apothecary tinctura sprudge

She explains that while specific herbs have scientifically proven medical benefits, thereโ€™s a certain merit to serendipitously following intuition while blending tea for individual customers.

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โ€œThe flavor profile is another thing,โ€ Levine says. โ€œIs this person going to drink a tea that tastes really medicinal? Do they need something that is a little bit lighter, floral, and sweeter?โ€

Levineโ€™s featured recipe is what she calls โ€œnutritive and nervous system regenerating.โ€ It emphasizes re-energizing, replenishment, and great tasteโ€”a particularly appropriate combination for a barista in need of a cup of tea.

barista herbalist sarah levine denver city, o' city cafe apothecary tinctura sprudge

The blend consists of nettles, milky oat tops, rose hips, tulsi, and licorice. Nettles provide a boost of magnesium and potassium and milky oat tops are great for the nervous system, while rose hips add tartness in flavor and vitamin C, and tulsiโ€”commonly known as holy basilโ€”acts as an adaptogen, which helps the body quickly adapt to stress. Licorice lends a unique sweetness to the cup, and as a synergistic herb helps harmonize the rest of the ingredients.

With dizzying variability, Levineโ€™s advice for a barista looking to learn herbs is to keep combinations simple.

barista herbalist sarah levine denver city, o' city cafe apothecary tinctura sprudge

โ€œI would pick a few herbs to start with,โ€ she says. โ€œI wouldnโ€™t overwhelm myself, because there are hundreds of herbs out there. Knowing 10 herbs intimately is so much better than knowing a hundred herbs on a superficial level.โ€

Ben Wiese is a freelance journalist based in Denver. Read more Ben Wiese on Sprudge.

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