During our 7 Years of brewing custom craft teas, we’ve always noted that the best tasting teas come from organic ingredients. Browsing our catalog, it’s clear which ingredients are certified organic (and you’ll quickly notice that almost all of them are). But beyond taste, there are plenty of other reasons why we’re so selective.
Both green and black tea come from the leaves of the same plant: the Camellia sinensis plant. Its leaves, when picked, are green tea leaves at first. But once those leaves are exposed to enough oxygen, they begin to oxidize and become black tea leaves. To keep green tea from oxidizing long enough to brew, it can’t be washed. Water kickstarts the oxidation process.
We use organic tea leaves to ensure that pesticides or other coatings don’t make it onto green tea leaves. If they did, washing them would only ruin the supply. In addition, a crop with sprayed-on additives will only soak into the plant, the soil, and the leaves, eventually ending up in the cup of tea you drink. We choose to avoid this agricultural process fully, in the name of our ideals and namesake, integrity. We would always prefer our cup of tea to be wholesome and untainted. Of course we want to provide the same thing to you.
Aside from ingredient quality, we are also careful to source from sustainable farmers. Our environmental impact is just as important to us, as well as the ethical practices of those we support. We primarily source from family-owned farms, in which all employees are provided with healthcare and a living wage.
To all the fellow tea lovers out there, brew on!