Why You Should Drink Organic Tea

It’s tea season! While cold outside, millions of people across the globe drink tea in order to stay warm and cozy inside. Tea represents a morning indulgence for me as I usually take a break from writing mid-morning in the winter to stretch and sip something flavorful.

Why You Should Drink Organic

Many professionals from around the world recommend that you drink tea for the “claimed” anti-oxidant health benefits, yet many teas have artificial flavorings, colorings, and can have chemicals and pesticide content. The Canadian Broadcast Company did an investigative probe on tea contents and found several varieties of non-organic teas which have shocking chemical ingredients, some have more than 16 pesticides in a tea brand and many of these chemicals are considered toxic and are actually restricted in Canada. Here is a link to the study results – LINK (watch the video linked in the blog post to learn more). Organic teas generally offer you fewer chemical additives and pesticides, therefore providing you with a more beneficial result when you consume the teas.

When brewing tea, the longer you steep tea, the more things that are in or on the tea are released into the tea water. Therefore, do not over-steep your tea. Besides a bitter taste, you might also be getting additional chemicals in your cup.

How Long to Steep Tea

• Green and white teas – 2 to 3 minutes (do not boil water)
• Black and Pu-reh teas – 3 to 5 minutes (water to boiling)
• Oolong teas – 4 to 7 minutes (water to boiling)
• Herbal teas – 5 to 7 minutes (depending on the strength you desire – water to boiling)

I did this research when Tocha Organic Tea sent me a box full of organic teas to try at home. I love roses, so brewed the Rose Garden Pu-erh tea first. It tastes very mild and has a beautiful rose scent from the rose petals mixed in with the tea. The aroma when brewing was quite beautiful. Tocha whole-leaf tea sachets can brew multiple cups. I used two sachets in my lemongrass Fiestaware teapot in the morning, then brewed a second pot later in the day. You can see the light shining through the organic tea in the LaRochere Oeussant Coffee Mug, which is obviously gorgeous with tea or coffee (see top photo). Want to be healthier when drinking tea? Try drinking it in organic form instead of drinking tea with inadequate labeling. Find foods that have less toxic chemicals because they are safer to consume.