teas that don't use additives -- and the issue of organics
Sorry for all the threads — I’m just realizing I don’t know anything and I have a lot of questions all of a sudden. So, I just found this from doing a search in discussions here:
http://www.hugotea.com/blogs/hugo-tea-journal/16113684-organic-tea-vs-non-organic-tea
But it doesn’t really answer my question about the issue of natural flavorings. I was alarmed when I realized almost all organic tea companies use natural flavorings except for Numi and a couple of others. Then I found this article in Scientific American:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-difference-be-2002-07-29/
It suggests that natural flavors might actually be more dangerous than artificial flavors because they aren’t subject to the level of safety testing that artificial flavors undergo in a lab. So while I enjoy some flavored teas — usually those that only have real ingredients — this is making me think I should maybe change to drinking only straight tea on a regular basis.
I don’t have a super clean lifestyle or anything, but I decided to at least improve the beverages I consume after an immediate family member was diagnosed with a genetic form of cancer this year. I used to drink Diet Coke when I needed a strong caffeine boost, but I’ve cut that out completely. And I’ve switched to all organic teas, but honestly I may have to narrow it down further with all the natural flavorings in these ingredients lists. Plus, I don’t even like the taste of anything that uses additives anymore.
Coffee tends to upset my stomach, by the way, which is why I was drinking the Coke — I don’t get much of a caffeine boost from tea. I do get that from Yerba Mate, but I haven’t found one that I like yet.
Anyway… I’m interested in finding some tea companies that go a little beyond the organic label and have really clean ingredients lists. Golden Moon Tea, which I found from reading this site, says prominently on its site that its teas do not use any natural or artificial flavorings, so I just ordered their big sampler.
What are some other companies that don’t use additives? I know Numi and Rishi don’t, but I haven’t loved any of their teas that I’ve tried either. I’m excited about the Golden Moon sampler, but that company may be a little too expensive for buying all my everyday teas. Thoughts?
If you want to avoid additives, just go for straight teas. You can opt for organic unflavoured teas at a number of companies. If you’re really concerned about possible transfer or something, avoid companies that offer any flavoured teas.
For me, it is all a matter of what you prefer to avoid. I loathe fake sugars and would never drink diet soda but would occasionally have a full sugar soda. I enjoy organic tea but I don’t make it a priority. I treat natural and artifical flavourings as equally risky and prefer unflavoured for my tastebuds but will go either way. I’d rather eat animal fats than processed plant fats. I try to avoid processing but still eat too many crackers.
Off the top of my head, here are some of the Steepster favourite tea companies that seem to have consistant quality and service (a list that many others can add to!)
Teavivre
Verdant
Whispering Pines
Mandala Tea
Yunnan Sourcing
White 2 Tea
Crimson Lotus
EDIT: This may not have answered your questions at all…sorry!
No this is very helpful, thank you! And so far, I was only aware of 3 of these — Mandala, Verdant and Teavivre, which I found doing some searches on here. The others… I have no idea where to start with Chinese tea. I do have some samples coming from various companies, but I don’t think I’ve ever tried any of them other than, say, a cheap gunpowder. What would be a good example of puerh? And oolong? I have tried oolongs from Thailand, not China, but apparently I didn’t brew them correctly and they were bland. I’m kind of lost. I haven’t found any great looking puerh or oolong samplers, so what would be a good intro level to these teas that would give me a sense of what to expect or look for?
As for flavors… Maybe I should just buy my own lemongrass or verbena or mint or whatever… I do need flavoring to find green tea palatable so far, but it wouldn’t be hard to add it on my own.
I just don’t like green at all, so I don’t drink it. I know some people power through it for one reason or another, but I am fortunate to drink tea for taste rather than benefits. Of course I don’t have any source material at the moment, but all tea contains healthy components, it is just that green tea either contains more or gets talked up more. I am a black tea fan and I feel the need to champion my poor victimized favourite! :)
I prefer Chinese blacks, but I know there are people that avoid Chinese tea because they do not trust regulation. I do, but that’s my choice. I also know some people avoid Japanese tea for fear of nuclear fallout. I am sure there is someone out there that avoids everything for one reason or another.
Yeah, I have not found any green teas that I like so far, except for teas in which I can mainly taste something else, like lemon or mint. I’ve tried most variations of Japanese green tea, and I don’t like them at all. I think it’s quite possible that I’ve never had a good quality one, so I did order the Den’s sampler. After that, I’m not gonna push it anymore.
On top of everything else, I have lupus, and while of course it’s incurable… Every now and then, I remember I need to consume more anti-inflammatory things and antioxidants, so this attempt to like green tea is part of that. The only teas I really know anything about are black teas from South Asia. Well, and the national beverage of Morocco, low grade green tea with fresh mint… And rooibos, which I realize is not — strictly speaking — actual tea, but I consumed quite a bit of it in Southern Africa. Drinking teas in Africa — including the higher grade black teas the British brought to Zimbabwe — changed my palate, I think. I came back never wanting to drink another cheap black tea popular in North America ever again. I’d previously liked things like bagged Twinings breakfast teas, but felt disappointed when I came back and realized they tasted like pencil lead. But in any case, I don’t know anything about tea beyond strong black teas, green mint tea and rooibos.
And I’ve always liked Earl Grey, but lately everything I try tastes like it has fake Bergamot flavoring.
If you want to try more unflavored herbal teas, Traditional Medicinals, or the new company Buddha Teas might interest you. If you want loose herbs, Mountain Rose Herbs sells lots of different kinds. All of these companies seem to have very high standards of quality.
Thank you all for these recommendations. I have ordered a custom sampler from Whispering Pines. Brenden emailed me back within minutes with a detailed list explaining what kinds of Chinese teas I might like based on my other preferences and then put together a custom order. I’m very impressed — this kind of customer service gives me high hopes for the quality of the teas.
A lot of DAVID’S TEA teas have extra flavouring whether it be natural/artificial/organic, but they at least list when they do use it. I’ve been trying to use up the teas with flavouring and not repurchase them and instead have been sticking with more straight teas from them. I find that only a few of their herbal and rooibos teas have no flavouring so I’ve been ordering instead from Steeped Tea through my representative(it is like the “Tupperware party” of tea-look it up online). They have really nice herbals without extra flavouring :)
Yeah, I read that about David’s Tea, so I haven’t really tried their stuff. I have a few flavored teas from Teavana and Mighty Leaf that have natural flavorings. I mostly like the Mighty Leaf, so I’m trying to use it up as well… And I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing with the Teavana. I have one of their samplers with 2 oz. each of some horribly scented teas and don’t like any of it. What do people do with bad tea to avoid tossing it out?
There’s a category in the discussion board called “Tea Swaps” (I’m brand new to the swapping myself). Offer it up on one of those boards and then you can trade with someone else for something different :)
Ah, I wondered what that was for. Not sure anyone will want any of the stuff I’m anxious to get rid of if I’m honest about it: “Hints of Robitussin brand cough syrup, mostly the darkest red kind — that’s Mucus Relief Double Action…”
One of the main complaints about organic tea is not really the pesticide issue, but rather the lack of nitrogen which fertilizer provides. Without it, the tea tends to lack flavor and the shelf life is therefore quite low. It will fade fast. The only other solution is to use dung. This can be fine for some types of tea which are highly processed, by that I mean heated or highly oxidized, and then the end consumer will be brewing with boiling water and doing rinses. But for fresh green tea which will brewed under a boil and not rinsed, dung can be a concern.
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