Runner's Blend Decaffeinated Green Tea

A refreshing blend of decaffeinated green tea, cooling peppermint, bright citrus herbs, chamomile, nettle, and tulsi—created in honor of Cincinnati’s beloved Flying Pig Marathon and the runners who fill our city’s streets each spring.

The Experience

Some teas begin with a flavor. Runner’s Blend began with a Cincinnati tradition.

Created as a Churchill’s exclusive Artisan House Blend, Runner’s Blend honors the spirit of Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon—a celebration that brings runners, families, volunteers, neighborhoods, and visitors together across our city.

We wanted the tea to capture the feeling of the moment after the miles are behind you: when the pace finally slows, you sit down, and a fresh cup of tea sounds especially good.

The blend begins with light decaffeinated green tea and layers in peppermint, chamomile, lemon verbena, lemongrass, nettle, and tulsi. Peppermint provides an immediate cooling freshness, while lemongrass and lemon verbena bring bright citrus-herbal notes. Chamomile softens the cup with delicate floral character, while nettle and tulsi contribute deeper green and botanical complexity.

This tea is light, refreshing, herbaceous, and remarkably layered—cool mint first, bright citrus through the middle, followed by a softer floral and botanical finish. And despite the name, you certainly don't have to run 26.2 miles to earn a cup.

Tasting Notes

Top: Peppermint • Lemongrass
Mid: Lemon verbena • Fresh green tea • Tulsi
Finish: Chamomile • Soft herbs • Clean mint
Body: Light

Why You’ll Love It

• Churchill’s Exclusive Artisan House Blend
• Created in honor of Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon
• Decaffeinated green-tea foundation
• Peppermint brings crisp, cooling character
• Lemongrass and lemon verbena add two different expressions of citrus
• Chamomile softens the cup with gentle floral notes
• Nettle and tulsi add botanical complexity
• No added flavoring listed—its character comes from tea, herbs, and botanicals
• Significantly less caffeine than traditional green tea
• Excellent hot or iced

Tea & Ingredients

Tea Type: Decaffeinated Green Tea & Botanical Blend
Collection: Churchill’s Artisan House Blends
Exclusivity: Blended exclusively for Churchill’s
Inspiration: Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon
Ingredients: Decaffeinated green tea, peppermint, chamomile petals, lemon verbena, lemongrass, nettle, chamomile, tulsi
Added Flavoring: None listed
Caffeine: Decaffeinated*
Body: Light

*Because this blend contains decaffeinated green tea, it is not necessarily caffeine-free; small residual amounts of caffeine may remain after processing.

How to Brew

Because Runner’s Blend contains decaffeinated green tea alongside its herbs, treat it more gently than a black tea. Use approximately 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 oz / 237 ml of water at 175–185°F / 80–85°C and steep for approximately 2–3 minutes.

For a stronger botanical cup, extend the infusion slightly rather than immediately increasing the water temperature.

• Hot: Chamomile, tulsi, and the deeper herbal notes become more noticeable.
• Iced: Peppermint, lemongrass, and lemon verbena move forward for an especially crisp, refreshing cup.

Perfect For

Runner’s Blend was inspired by the ritual of enjoying a fresh cup after a long run, but its appeal goes well beyond race day. Reach for it after a morning run or walk, at the end of a busy afternoon, after exploring the city, or whenever you want a lighter cup with plenty of botanical character. It is especially well suited to customers who prefer fresh, herbaceous teas over sweet fruit, dessert, or heavily flavored blends.

From Cincinnati to the Cup

Few events capture Cincinnati quite like the Flying Pig Marathon. For one weekend each spring, the city becomes a course and the course becomes a community. Runners make their way through Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky while volunteers, families, friends, and spectators turn neighborhoods along the route into places of encouragement and celebration.

Runner’s Blend is our tea-sized tribute to that tradition. As a Cincinnati tea company, we wanted to create something that didn't simply put the city's name on a package. The character of the blend needed to fit the story. So we built it around freshness and contrast:

• Peppermint → cooling and crisp
  
• Lemongrass → bright and citrusy
  
• Lemon Verbena → aromatic and softly lemony
  
• Decaffeinated Green Tea → light vegetal structure
  
• Chamomile → gentle floral roundness
  
• Nettle → green, herbaceous depth
  
• Tulsi → aromatic botanical complexity

Together, they create a cup that moves through several sensations: Cool → bright → green → floral → herbal → clean. It's a blend inspired by movement, but designed for the moment when you finally get to be still.

Why “Runner’s Blend”?

The Flying Pig has become part of Cincinnati’s identity, with a famously playful name rooted in a city that once earned the nickname “Porkopolis.” Runner’s Blend celebrates the people who take on the course, but also the much larger community surrounding them—the volunteers, spectators, families, neighborhoods, and local businesses that make race weekend feel unmistakably Cincinnati.

That makes this tea especially fun for Flying Pig weekend, Cincinnati-themed gifts, visiting runners, race volunteers, and anyone who wants to take home a small taste of the city. And no finish time is required.

A Cincinnati Gift with a Story

For visitors, runners, former Cincinnatians, or anyone assembling a Queen City gift, Runner’s Blend offers something more personal than a souvenir. It's a tea created here, for a tradition celebrated here, by a Cincinnati tea company. Pair it with other Churchill’s Cincinnati-inspired teas to build a gift that tells a broader story of the city through the cup.

Packaging: Our loose teas are sold by the ounce and packaged in food-grade resealable bags.

Explore More from Churchill’s

Runner’s Blend Decaffeinated Green Tea — Churchill’s Artisan House Blend (This Tea)
Mint • Citrus • Botanical
→ Best for: a refreshing, layered botanical tea created in honor of Cincinnati’s beloved Flying Pig Marathon

Peppermint Decaffeinated Green Tea
Peppermint • Chamomile • Fresh
→ Try next if: you love Runner’s Blend but want a simpler cup with cool peppermint taking the lead

Inflammation Be Gone Decaffeinated Green Tea — Churchill’s Artisan House Blend
Lemongrass • Lemon verbena • Fresh
→ Try next if: you prefer a clean, citrus-herbal Churchill’s exclusive with fewer botanical layers

The Heritage Collection: Cincinnati Legacy
Cincinnati History • Local Stories • Tea
→ Explore next if: the Cincinnati story behind Runner’s Blend caught your attention. Our Cincinnati Legacy Collection brings together teas inspired by the people, places, and stories that have shaped our city—creating a tea journey through Cincinnati’s heritage.