Urbal Tea’s mission is simple: “to bring herbal medicine to the masses,” explains owner, Nick Nowacyzk. Growing up, Nick and his family spent a lot of time outdoors, and his parents instilled in him an appreciation of nature, but it wasn’t until a nasty cold in 2011 that he turned to plants as medicine. Upon waking up with a scratchy throat, Nick resisted his first instinct – to buy cold medicine and cough drops – and opted to research natural remedies instead. This interest became a new hobby, then a business and a brand. Eventually, his passion for plants led to the shop on 13th St that we now know as Urbal Tea.
Nick explains that he is “not trying to reinvent the wheel” with Urbal Tea, but rather, strives to remind people that even the tiniest shift in behaviors can have a lasting impact. Whether someone is looking to reduce sugary drinks like soda or to incorporate hydration with more intrigue than water, tea is a great option. “Everyone has to drink liquids,” Nick points out, so why not drink something with “bold flavors and bold benefits”?
More than a cozy cafe with warm drinks and kind faces, Urbal Tea has positioned itself as an educational resource. The team at Urbal Tea loves to share their vast herbal knowledge with the community, judgment-free. Tea can be intimidating, especially to newbies, so not only does Urbal Tea offer a variety of flavor profiles, but they also love to help customers find just the right brew, based on the results they want and the tastes they enjoy. As a Certified Master Herbalist, Nick chooses every herb in every blend with a purpose in mind, so each herbal infusion carries its own host of benefits, along with a uniquely rich flavor.
Although potent, plant medicine is gentle and takes longer to work than the western medicine many Americans are accustomed to. For this reason, Nick stresses the importance of building habits around herbs. If not every single day, enjoying a cup of tea at least a few times a week helps to supplement trace vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids that might be otherwise missing from the diet. After a while, tiny changes will start to show. After a while longer, tiny changes will compile into bigger ones. The micronutrients in tea or herbal infusions can lead to benefits like increased immunity, better sleep, improved memory, higher energy, or all of the above.
The key to extracting the most benefits and taste from each cup of tea lies within the ingredients. The fresher the herbs or tea leaves at the time of brewing, the better the flavor and the more potent the benefits will be. Urbal Tea works directly with herb farmers to source the freshest ingredients possible. Most herbs are sourced from the Pacific Northwest, where ideal growing conditions allow herbs to thrive. Although Wisconsin has a short growing season, making local sourcing difficult, Nick explains that they do source local ingredients when possible, like lavender from Door County and ginseng from Wausau. Color and aroma are two crucial indicators Nick relies on to determine the quality and freshness of the herbs. Dead-looking herbs with little to no aroma will offer fewer benefits, he explains. Because of this, they do not make their way into the drinks Urbal Tea offers in-house, or for home-brewing.
In addition to their cafe beverages, Urbal Tea sells tea for steeping at home, both in looseleaf form and in teabags, to help make tea’s benefits more accessible on a daily basis. Not only does tea provide our bodies with vital nutrients, but it also returns them to the earth when given the chance via proper disposal. After sipping, tea leaves can be used as fertilizer for plants or added to a compost pile. Because Urbal Tea’s teabags are made from plant material and sealed ultrasonically, which eliminates the need for adhesives or staples, the bags will break down in compost along with the tea itself.
At The Workbench, we love the Brain Booster blend both for its caffeine-free energy boost and for its blueberry flavor, but we encourage you to find your own favorite! Whatever your flavor, Urbal Tea is here to increase wellness in Milwaukee, one cup and conversation at a time.
