Tea Transparency
There’s no doubt about it - the popularity of artisan tea is well on the rise. Broadly speaking, the term artisan tea refers to specialist tea blenders manufacturing traditional teas that typically differ from the mass produced teas you might find on supermarket shelves. This is not to suggest that mass produced supermarket blends are necessarily inferior, it’s simply that artisan teas are generally produced on a much smaller scale, making them more desirable from a quality, and an exclusivity, perspective.
As tea lovers we have naturally come to expect a higher level of quality from artisan tea brands. Unlike mass produced tea, small batch blending typically means more quality control, finer ingredients used and a generally higher level care woven into the overall blending process. In addition, the medicinal properties of teas and herbs have been known for centuries but have been largely unavailable for use by the average person. Thanks to modern globalisation, artisan tea blenders are now able to bring healthy, hand crafted traditional tea to the masses. You can definitely see why these teas are gaining so much traction in the global market.
However, one downfall of the artisan tea market is that it is largely unregulated. This means that it is very easy for anybody to start up a tea blending business, without any tea knowledge, or more importantly, herbal medicine qualifications. There are many tea blenders out there who are selling specialty teas using potent ingredients that they do not fully understand, accompanied by claims that these teas will provide certain health benefits.
Take the soothing herb lavender for example. Many blenders like to include lavender in their teas because, amongst many other benefits, it contains wonderful anti-anxiety properties. Now this blender may make what they believe is a great anti-stress, anti-anxiety tea full of lavender and chamomile, claiming that if taken regularly, people will experience less stress. But how do they know what quantities to put into that blend? Will they overdo one ingredient and skimp on the other? Will they just go down the middle and do half and half?
The truth is that even a seemingly innocuous herb such as lavender can be harmful if used incorrectly[i] – or if, like any herb, it is blended with the wrong ingredients. In addition to this, there is such a vast variation in the quality of ingredients that a blender may opt to use. These range from certified ingredients sourced from reputable suppliers down to - and this is unfortunately a true story – picking up some ingredients at the local supermarket for a ‘healing lemongrass and ginger’ tea. If we were only talking about taste, you could just about get away with it, but medicinal teas? Just no.
As consumers, we deserve to know whether the tea we are putting into our bodies is of high quality or whether it’s simply the product of a backyard start-up. Has this tea been blended in a dedicated business premises or on someone’s kitchen table? Where did the ingredients for this tea come from and are they really organic like the packet claims they are?
These may sound like pedantic questions but they are quite valid. The minimum requirements for food and drink labelling in Australia are very basic. This means that there is large scope for what brands can get away with disclosing, or not disclosing, on their labels and that even teas that are labelled ‘organic’ may not be. As with any product, there will always be a certain level of trust involved when it comes to believing what food labels tell us, but there are some clues[ii] we can look out for when deciding whether to put faith in a particular tea brand or not.
Firstly, look for where the tea has been produced.
As a minimum, the product label should state where the tea has been packaged and whether the ingredients are local or imported. Ideally, specific countries of origin should be listed.
Sometimes labels can be vague, so do make sure to also check out the tea brand’s website to see if you can find more information there.
Secondly, if the label claims that the product is organic, what evidence is there to back this up?
Keep in mind that there is a marked difference between stating that a product is organic and stating that it is certified organic. Under laws regulated by the Australian Competition Consumer Commission[iii], all general claims of organic ingredients must be able to be substantiated and on top of this, it is illegal to falsely label a product as ‘certified organic’. False organic certification by leading certifying bodies such as the Australian Certified Organic[iv] (ACO) simply cannot be bought. Therefore ACO certification on a tea product is one definite clue that the product is genuinely organic.
Thirdly, it’s all about transparency.
Let’s say you’ve checked out a tea label using the above guidelines and you’re not satisfied. Does that mean you should give up on this particular brand? No, it doesn’t. If you’re really keen on a certain tea but something on the label is putting you off, contact the tea blender and ask them to answer your questions. It could simply be that this particular blender is not very good at communicating valuable information on their labels. Some small tea brands don’t actually understand the need for this, and therefore neglect it. Or, perhaps there’s simply an ingredient that is listed and you would like further clarification.
Either way, if the tea brand is genuine you should have no trouble contacting them to find the answers to your concerns. If after this you still don’t receive satisfactory answers, then I would suggest it might be time to move on.
So in light of all this information, how does Australian brand Tea Now measure up?
Tea Now operates under a high level of transparency and their product labelling is extensive. The ingredients for each blend are thoroughly listed on their packaging, along with ingredient percentages and countries of origin. If there are any questions a customer has regarding a Tea Now blend and its ingredients, methods of production etc, customers can easily contact Tea Now via the contact page found on this website, teanow.com.au.
On the website, customers will also find a comprehensive FAQ section, which addresses some of the most common questions customer may have regarding their products.
In addition, Tea Now’s high performance organic teas are professionally apportioned into individual tea bags by an experienced organic herbalist, using the exact quantity of each ingredient required for the blend. These teas are produced off site in a dedicated tea blending facility, using only ingredients that come from suppliers with exceptionally high levels of quality control, such as HACCP[v] and ACO accreditations.
At the end of the day, it really is all about transparency. Artisan tea blends can be absolutely divine and they are a jewel in the crown of the Australian tea scene - but just don’t forget to do your own research in order to ensure that you are indeed purchasing a high quality artisan tea.
* Tania Pritchard is a tea enthusiast with an interest in health and wellness. We love her take on all things tea & she is a regular contributor to our blog.
Tania is not a qualified health practitioner. Always consult a heath professional before deciding if a health product is right for you.
[i] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lavender-tea-benefits#4.-May-improve-skin-health
[ii] Information sourced from https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2020/07/13/3-ways-check-if-what-youre-buying-really-organic
[iii] https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/groceries/organic-claims
[iv] https://aco.net.au/
[v] https://haccp.com.au/