help & faqs

You’ll be pleased to hear the answer is no! And they never have. Our tea temples and the string attached are made from cornstarch, a natural carbohydrate extracted from corn. The label on the end of the string is made from simple, old-fashioned paper. Even the ink on the label is vegetable-based, and everything is sealed with heat – so no glue! As a result, our tea temples are fully biodegradable. 

Whilst they are fully biodegradable, this does differ from being compostable. Although they will eventually break down in compost, it would take a pretty long time, and result in tea temples strewn across your flowerbeds (and no one wants that). So instead, pop them in with your food waste. Most councils have industrial food waste systems which are designed to have the perfect combination of heat and moisture to allow the necessary micro-organisms to thrive that break down biodegradable materials. If you send your tea temples to your local council with your food waste, they will break them down within 12 weeks.

Short answer: the difference is in the end product. Biodegradable items break down and decompose naturally in the environment however it can take a very long time. While compostable items also break down naturally, they break down into organic matter, which in turn breaks down into nutrient-rich soil. Under the right conditions compostable items typically break down within 6 months to a year. So if you’re throwing both types of items into your garden, only compostable items will help your petunias grow. 

The outer cartons of our 15s, 50s, 30g matcha tins and matcha sachets are made from FSC certified paper. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. They are an incredible organisation who only source wood for production from forests that are sustainably managed. By using their packaging paper, we know that the forests it comes from will be protected and conserved for generations to come.

 What’s more, the ink we use to print on our cartons is vegetable-based, so you’re covered on all fronts. Just don’t try to eat it.

 To find out more about the fantastic work the FSC does in helping to preserve woodland worldwide, check out their website.

Our matcha RTD cartons are made by Tetra Pak - you can find more information on how to recycle these here.

We’ve recently invested in switching to a wonder-material called Natureflex. The geniuses at Futamura have figured out how to convert renewable wood pulp into airtight packaging, which means that the clear inner bag which keeps your delicious tea fresh is now compostable! (...game changer right!?) Most of our bestselling teas are already using Natureflex, and we hope that all our packs will be using Natureflex within the next few months. Do bear with us while we fully switch over - we’ll keep you all updated!

To read more about the amazing Natureflex, check out Futamura’s website here.

Both our tea temple and our NatureFlex bag are EN13432 certified. This means that at least 90% of the material will break down into water, CO2, inorganics and biomass in 6 months at a temperature of 58 degrees c (ie under industrial composting conditions).

We select our teas based on taste and quality. If we can find an organic tea that matches our quality standards, then we will use that tea. To maintain these standards, we have to source teas from various growers. Sometimes the teas may be organic, sometimes not.

The best quality teas aren't necessarily Fairtrade. We pay a premium price for our teas, sourced from quality estates which have a sustainable business model. In addition we are working towards achieving 100% Rainforest Alliance accreditation for english breakfast (everyday brew), and we have our own ethical scheme of which we are very proud.

Ha! We get asked this so many times. Well, we wanted a memorable name, and this really summed us up. We're just greedy for great tea and will do anything to get more. Fancy being a teapig like us?

We like to keep things simple. Yes, we could offer you 150 or more teas, but where would you start? With our tea knowledge we have carefully selected what we believe is a cross-section of the finest teas to make your selection that much easier. It's a start, and we will add to the list from time to time, especially with limited edition specials. Let us know of any special tea that you may have come across; maybe we can include it.

It's fair to say that our teas are more expensive than traditional "supermarket" teas. But it simply comes down to quality; the finest quality whole leaf teas cost more. We would actually like to pose the question the other way around: How can we deliver the exquisite taste of the finest teas from around the world for only pennies a cup?

We know the word ‘flavourings’ can sound a little suspicious and scary, but never fear – there are no nasties hiding in your tea! Flavouring can be anything from adding oil extracts to scenting the tea leaves, but we always use the highest quality natural products. Sometimes it’s necessary to add these flavourings alongside the flowers, fruits and spices you’ll find in your cup to round out the flavour and ensure the perfect brew. 

All teas from camellia sinensis naturally contain caffeine in varying amounts, depending upon a number of factors - in particular, where it is grown and how it is brewed. Typically the caffeine content of an average cup of tea will vary from between 30 – 75mg. Most, but not all, herbal teas are naturally caffeine free.

You may have noticed we have a warning about avoiding excessive consumption on any of our teas that contain more than 10% liquorice root  - but how many cups is excessive? Whilst the results from studies on the effect of liquorice on the body suggest that liquorice has the potential to increase blood pressure and decrease potassium levels, it is worth noting that the liquorice used in these tests aren’t in its natural form (which is the kind we use in our teas).

To be on the safe side though, we recommend anyone suffering with hypertension (high blood pressure) to limit consumption of our liquorice & peppermint, fennel & liquorice and sweet ginger teas to one cup a day and be sure to follow any advice from your GP.

We will only sell teas of the highest quality. The rather nasty processes used to decaffeinate teas will also reduce the quality - not a compromise we are happy to make. If you are looking for a regular style of tea without caffeine, then try our rooibos tea. It’s very close in flavour and appearance to regular tea, can be drunk with milk or sugar and is naturally caffeine free.

All tea comes from the same bush - the camellia sinensis bush. And no, we don’t mean one single huge bush, but millions of camellia sinensis bushes cultivated in many different countries. Teas from camelia sinensis are processed in different ways at the tea estate to produce black, green, white and oolong teas. Learn more here.

Any tea that doesn’t come from the camellia sinensis bush is not a “traditional” tea, and they would normally be referred to as herbal teas or infusions. There are literally hundreds of different herbal teas. 

Rooibos tea, often known as either redbush tea or just plain red tea, is not from the camellia sinensis bush, therefore is technically a herbal tea.

Growing conditions, soil, climate and altitude all make a big difference to the quality of a tea. In addition the process that the leaves go through, and the skill of the people involved, will ultimately decide a tea's taste.

We buy our tea and herbal infusions from all around the world, including countries as diverse as Rwanda, Taiwan, China and India.

We are aware that some of you may be concerned about the sourcing of our matcha since the tragic earthquake disaster in March 2011. The Nishio region is over 600km South of Fukushima and, as well as strict testing by the Japanese Authorities before it leaves the country, our matcha is tested twice more for radiation levels before it reaches our shelves.

We would suggest consulting your GP if you have any concerns about drinking teas or infusions during pregnancy or whilst breast feeding

Any drink that contains caffeine (either naturally or added) is considered a diuretic, but the effect will depend on how much caffeine is consumed – a few cuppas shouldn’t have a diuretic effect, but lots throughout the day might. If you’re still concerned, we suggest having a chat with your doctor to find out what’s best for your body, as it can really vary from person to person.