Grown Without Compromise

Organic certification in the tea world is meaningful and specific. By law, certified organic teas must be grown without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides, and without genetically modified seeds — standards that protect the health of the soil, the biodiversity of the growing environment, the wellbeing of everyone who works on the estate, and ultimately the purity of the tea in your cup. Many of the estates in this collection go further still, working to biodynamic standards or leading their own sustainability initiatives. Because we source directly from single estates wherever possible, we can be fully confident of the organic credentials behind every tea we list.

Flavour and Character

Three teas illustrate the range within this collection. Assam Tonganagaon is a beautifully produced organic black tea from a small estate near the Brahmaputra river in northeast India — established in 1927 close to the Namdapha National Park, one of India's richest areas of biodiversity, it produces a silky, full-bodied cup with gentle spice, malt and toasty character that reflects careful, unhurried cultivation at its best. Dragonwell Lung Jing is one of China's most celebrated green teas: from the West Lake area of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, the leaves are pan-fired entirely by hand in a wok and pressed flat to lock in their jade colour and characteristic chestnut-like aroma — a process largely unchanged since the Qing dynasty and still producing one of the world's finest green teas. 7 Chakras Organic Herbal Tea brings an entirely different dimension: nine herbs and spices chosen for their traditional associations with balance and wellbeing, creating a blend that is as interesting to explore as it is to drink.

Brewing Organic Tea

Brewing guidance varies across the collection as it spans black, green, rooibos and herbal teas. Organic black teas such as Tonganagaon work well with freshly boiled water and a steep of three to four minutes, with milk to taste. Dragonwell Lung Jing is best brewed at around 75 to 80°C — below boiling — to preserve its delicate green character; two to three minutes without milk is ideal. Organic herbal teas and rooibos are the most forgiving: freshly boiled water and five to six minutes, adjusted to taste. All of these teas can also be cold-brewed if you prefer a softer, naturally sweet cup.

The collection covers every tea style — organic blacks from Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri, Chinese and Japanese greens, rooibos, and herbal blends chosen with the same care applied to everything else we stock. Whether you are drawn to organic tea for environmental reasons, health reasons or simply because nothing gets in the way of a great leaf, there is plenty to discover here.