Whether or not to purchase organic tea is a tricky subject in the world of tea. Just what makes a tea organic?

First, the general meaning of the word organic refers to growing a product without the use of conventional pesticides, chemical treatments, ionizing radiation, and soil that is free of the same. Being grown as organic doesn’t necessarily refer to the quality of the actual product nor post pollutants during processing or packaging.

There is no international standard of being organic. There are hundreds of agencies world wide that certify products as organic, and all of them have different regulations and standards. Being certified organic in one area of the world doesn’t automatically mean that it would pass mustard with an agency in a different region.

Even though a tea plantation may incorporate organic farming practices, take great care in its postproduction processes to ensure quality, and yield a product that is far superior in the marketplace, it may not have a ‘certified organic’ stamp on it. It is a large financial investment and a very long process for a plantation to receive organic certification. Some smaller plantations simply don’t have the means to jump through the bureaucratic hoops to be certified although they have a product that would qualify.
 
Western demand for organic teas is increasing however, so more and more tea plantations are moving in the direction of being certified organic and are in the course of ‘organic conversion’.

My thoughts on this issue are that it basically comes down to personal preference, taste, and building relationships. Although there are very fine organic teas available, simply choosing a tea because it is labeled organic does not carry with it any guarantee of quality tea. More importantly, I recommend purchasing tea from growers, distributors and/or retailers you have a relationship with and trust. After all, your experience with the tea and your enjoyment of it begins there.

Yes, I am a tree hugger. In my world, that’s not a derogatory term. Environmental considerations often drive many of my day to day decisions and behaviors. In my home, my husband Bryan and I take care to recycle all we can, replace light bulbs with energy efficient ones, keep the thermostat at conservative settings, take short showers, don’t use the heat dry setting on the dishwasher (when we actually use it), use our reusable shopping bags at the store, and continually find ways to do our part. We don’t have hybrid vehicles, we don’t have sustainable bamboo flooring, or a composting garden…yet. Even though, we do what we can within our reason to live in harmony with Mother Earth.

I bring this philosophy with me into the operations of Discover Teas. One of my goals with Discover Teas is to have an environmentally conscious attitude in the decisions I make with my business as well. Choosing to partner with other businesses with like mindedness, using biodegradable, compostable and recycled disposables ...and yes, we did put energy saving light bulbs in the shop as well.

The teas we choose to carry are imported from around the world. The tea plantations that produce our teas are those that try to have the least impact environmentally as possible—such as incorporating organic farming, fair working conditions for their employees, and sustainability practices working to reduce the impact on the environment.

Even though we have selections of organic, fair trade, and certified ETP (Ethical Trade Partnership) teas, many of our teas are not certified organic or fair trade. Why? It doesn’t mean much. More on why these certifications aren’t as relevant in the tea industry in the next blog.