Hops

Habitat & Origin

Hops (Humulus lupulus) is a perennial climbing plant native to riverbanks, light forests, and wet meadows in Europe and West Asia. In hop gardens, the vines are guided along high, tightly stretched wires up to four to six meters high. The female inflorescences – the hop cones – develop in the warm, late summer, when essential oils and resins concentrate in the lupulin glands inside the calyces. For botanical infusions, only intact, light green cones are used, picked early in the morning to prevent oxidation. After short, controlled drying, the cones are sorted by hand. Maison Tisane looks for cones that are still resilient, smell softly resinous, and have no brown edges—thus keeping the infusion elegantly bitter, retaining floral and herbal depth.

Active compounds

Hop cones contain humulone, lupulone, and a rich spectrum of aromatic oils that together form the soft bitterness, resinous depth, and fresh citrus accents. These compounds give infusions a mature, slightly drying structure with a long, aromatic echo. In blends, hops bring a calm, spicy tension — subtle, not overpowering, but clearly refining.

Ayurvedic approach

Hops are read in Ayurveda energetically as cool, dry, and inward-turning: a profile that cools Pitta and keeps Kapha neutral, but approaches Vata with mildness. In European brewing traditions, hops were seen as a 'night flower' — a plant that symbolized rest through its bitter-aromatic depth. In infusions, hops reflect that calm, slightly astringent movement. Energetically, it feels like twilight air above harvest fields: cool, silent, and refining.

Flavour profile & Blending