Monk's Mindset

Different blends and bases have different requirements, so we will always have precise brewing instructions on each of our product pages, and on the back of our packaging. But there are some general tips to keep in mind!

Most black teas and herbal infusions can be brewed with boiling water (100°c/212°f), but remember that hotter water will result in a more thorough infusion. This means that the resulting brew will more powerful in both flavour and body.

It's for this reason that we often recommend that green teas (85°c/185°f) or especially strong black tea blends are brewed at lower temperatures or for shorter times. This is to avoid astringency, the "dry-mouth" coarseness that some find to be unpleasant in a drink.

When it comes to customising your cup, we always want you to feel free to enjoy your tea in a way that works for you!

Of course, when it comes to stronger black tea blends, it's common to add milk (or non-dairy alternatives) and sugar to help balance powerful astringency. Sugar is often added to herbal infusions as well to add sweetness where a blend may be particularly tart.

You can also try adding a squeeze of lemon or orange to a black or green tea, which is another traditional way to brighten a blend!

That said, we generally don't recommend adding milk and such to green, white, and certain oolong teas as the addition may spoil the delicate flavours of these types.

Outside of traditional hot-tea brewing, the options are myriad! There's of course iced and cold-brew tea, an excellent option for flavoured teas and infusions. Steamed milk can be used to produce tea lattes, popular with Chai or Earl Grey blends. You can even mix brewed tea or tea leaves into cocktails for an exciting twist!

Remember, as a Teamon-to-be, you should be adventurous in your exploration of different blends and the ways to prepare them!

The answer to this varies based on the particular infusion, as well as how strong you like your tea since you'll be using more leaves per cup. But generally, 100g of loose leaf tea will prepare anywhere from 20-40 cups! Plenty for you to enjoy!

The beautiful, resealable packaging that we use for our 50g and 100g sizes is Grade 4 Recyclable, and measures at 130mm x 230mm x 80mm. Make sure to check with your local jurisdiction to find out if you can put Grade 4 materials straight into your recyling bin!

Our 10g samples and 25g size pouches measure 76mm x 220mm, and are made from a cellulose based bio-film. This is created from renewable resources, and is both eco-friendly and compostable!

We've made sure that our most popular blends are available in convenient teabags, so be sure to take a look at the product options at the top of the page, underneath the price.

And for more good news: all of our pyramid teabags are 100% compostable and biodegradable, so you'll stay in good standing with your local Druids! Plus, the pyramid shape allows us to keep the leaves whole, allowing for a rich and thorough infusion!

You might have spotted "Flavour" or "Flavouring" in the ingredient list of your favourite blend!

Whilst many of our teas have inclusions of fruits or herbs to add flavour, we are happy to say that we also use 100% natural oils and extracts to add more character to our lovely leaves. We absolutely refuse to use any artificial or synthetic flavoring in our blends, and while it costs us a bit more, you noble adventurers and explorers deserve only the best.

Bear in mind that natural flavours can be gentler than their synthetic counterparts, but we always make sure to add enough to enhance each and every cup you'll be enjoying.

As long as they are kept dry and airtight, tea leaves can actually stay entirely safe and drinkable for many years!

However, this isn't to say they'll be at their best for that long. Once opened, the flavour of flavoured teas will start to fade after 6-12 months.

So we recommend that you keep your tea in our airtight packaging, or a similar container of your own, and enjoy it often! Not that you need the excuse, of course!

You might have seen around that we speak loudly and proudly about the importance of ethics and sustainability in the tea industry, which larger corporations often sadly overlook.

From day one, it was imperative to us that we only work with suppliers that meet our stringent expectations for the safety and well-being of everything and everyone at every point in the life of our delicious blends. That includes the planet we walk on!

To this point, our supplier is entirely carbon neutral, making use of a solar array which produces almost five times the amount of energy necessary for their facility, thereby also substantially reducing the amount of emissions by said facility year-on-year.

We also ensure that the farms and estates we work with hand-pluck their teas. While this does result in a higher cost for us, the benefits far outweigh it. For one, this ensures our tea leaves are always of beautiful and high-quality. For two, it means that there is very little use of fossil fuels, and very little release of CO2.

The estates and farms we work with each have a detailed Environmental Management System, covering the conservation of the ecosystem, wildlife and water, as well as careful soil and waste management to ensure the protection of habitats surrounding them.

In terms of ethics, we take a hard, unwavering stance against any and all use of child or slave labour, and all of our blends and bases are 100% free of both.

Our suppliers conduct yearly investigations of the estates we work with to ensure this remains the case, as well as looking out for other important qualities, such as: fair compensation for workers; free housing, medical care and education; a reinvestment into local infrastructure and a respect and honour for the workforce. At a minimum, if any one of these qualities aren't found with an estate or supplier, we won't work with them.

In short, no. In long, we've tried many things to keep Tis-Anne from their adventures, but unfortunately, they always find a way to slip out. They say it's a common quality of many Teamons, the drive to seek out another delicious brew or blend.

Our best recommendation is to leave out a cup of tea and a pouch of the leaves, as this will allow Tis-Anne to be on their way without having to rummage around your cupboards.

Rest assured that we will have our best arcanists working hard to summon them back to us as soon as we work out where they've run off to!