About Our Tea

  • From the garden to the cup, our many layers of quality control ensure a safe and healthy experience every time you drink one of our teas.  If we’re not 100% confident about serving our products to our own families, we won’t sell them.  
  • Safe agricultural practices~our suppliers maintain extremely close links to the tea growers. All purchases must be able to pass the strictest CFIA, USFDA or EFSA regulations. (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, US Food and Drug Agency, European Food Safety Authority) All our tea is GMO free.
  • Premium teas are purchased from responsible tea producers. If a tea’s source is questionable, we won’t carry it.
  • Our suppliers conduct numerous estate visits with the belief that if the growers work in a socially and environmentally sound manner, they create a bright future for their staff, themselves, and their customers.  In return, our suppliers offer the growers the peace of mind that they will be paid a fair price for their premium teas.
  • Paper tea bags are made of 100% recyclable paper. 
  • Pyramid tea bags are made of 100% plant based compostable and biodegradable material. The pyramid shape allows for rich, full-leaf brewing.

Responsible Tea Production

 

HOW IS A RESPONSIBLE TEA GARDEN OPERATED?

  • A CONTINUOUS CROP

Unlike many other commercial crops, tea can be grown 12 months of the year. For workers in the developing world, this means a sustainable income is available year round. What’s more, the tea bush is a very hearty plant and certain varieties can yield suitable leaf for up to 100 years. This fact means that the emissions and financial output associated with replanting crops can be greatly minimized.

  • QUALITY TEAS ARE HAND-PLUCKED

Due to the mountainous terrain and high altitude of the world’s leading growing regions, such as Darjeeling, Sri Lanka or Kenya, luxury teas must be hand-plucked. This means that for most of the world’s luxury teas, and virtually all of our products, the harvesting process consumes very little fossil fuel and releases virtually no CO2.
One notable anomaly to this trend is Japan, where exceptional green teas are typically harvested by machine.

  • TEA PLANTATIONS ABSORB CO2

As a rule, tea plantations are net absorbers of CO2, one of the common gasses responsible for global warming. Most estates use renewable timber, refuse wood and root stock from exhausted tea bushes as a fuel source as often as possible. Not only are these fuel sources renewable and less costly than fossil fuels, they also emit fewer emissions.

  • SOIL REHABILITATION

On a regular schedule, fields are rotated and left fallow to rehabilitate soil. Chemical input is kept to a minimum to ensure soil beds remain healthy and nutrient-rich.

  • PESTICIDE USE

Wherever possible, our teas are pesticide free. Certain highly elevated tea districts, such as Darjeeling or the Kenyan highlands, can support tea without pesticides since pests that typically attack tea cannot survive at the lofty altitudes.

In cases where pesticides are used, our suppliers take great care to ensure all growers meet and exceed European Union or Japanese Minimum Residue Levels, the most stringent in the industry.