Despite recognizing its superior taste and health benefits, many consumers forgo drinking whole leaf loose tea, saying that it takes too much time and effort to brew during a busy day and when on the go.

That is why Herbal Republic Fine Teas in Vancouver has created the Tea Kit, a compact, lightweight, easy way to brew loose leaf tea on the go. Each Tea Kit contains loose leaf tea plus 30 unbleached compostable tea filters.  The idea is simple – take a teaspoon of tea and put it into the filter, put the filter into the cup or mug, add boiling water, steep, and enjoy. Once done, place the filter in the compost.

Now, you may wonder what’s so special about loose leaf tea? Why doesn’t it just come bagged, like other tea?

THE WHOLE PICTURE

Only whole leaves retain and deliver the optimum flavour, aroma and goodness of tea.   When cut and crushed, the delicate leaves lose their taste and polyphenol antioxidants.  Also, whole leaves keep the tea fresh – think about the difference between already ground coffee versus when one grinds his or her own beans and makes fresh coffee. The aroma and taste of freshly ground coffee is always better in comparison to pre-ground instant coffee. Broken tea leaves get stale much quicker than unbroken leaves, and the oil in them evaporates much quicker than if they are whole.

In addition, loose leaf tea must have room to infuse. This allows them to release their full flavour into the water.  Unfortunately, the conventional tea bag does not give tea leaves enough room to expand or unfurl, and therefore the full flavour does not release.  Health benefits suffer in tea bags as well; because the leaves are broken and torn, much of the antioxidant potency evaporates along with the flavour.

Another argument is that caffeine is high in tea bags than in loose leaves.  Again, the culprit is the broken pieces versus the whole leaf.  Loose tea leaves generally come from the higher quality top leaves of the branches of the tea plant. They are not subject to bumping and brusing as lower grade leaves are, which are often included in tea bag tea leaves. Also, the tea bag tea leaves are machine processed where leaves are compressed and torn, then dehydrated before they go into the bag

SIP TO SAVE THE PLANET

Although the Tea Kit is an appealing product for consumers, it is first and foremost a product that is earth friendly. This quality comes from Herbal Republic’s commitment to the environment and sustainability despite trends in the market.  The owners of Herbal Republic, have a personal commitment to leave a healthy planet for future generations.

Five years ago, they started a project called ‘Sip to Save the Planet’, which eventually led to the creation of the Herbal Republic Tea Kit.

In addition to better quality, tasting and healthy teas, the Tea Kit filters contain no bleach, corn starch materials, glue, metal, staples or string, and are completely compostable.   When the company originally launched the Tea Kit, it was packaged in a beautiful tin. In early 2011, they felt it was necessary to cut their carbon footprint and produce compostable packaging locally in Canada. They launched their new Tea Kit packaging in Spring 2011, which is completely backyard compostable.

Finally, Herbal Republic is a member of two environmental organizations committed to sustainable practices:  The Ethical Tea Partners www.ethicalteapartnership.com and The Green Table www.greentable.net.

WHY THE TEA KIT

To steep whole leaf tea well – it needs space to expand and ensure full infusion.

Offers 30 unbleached compostable tea filters in each box for convenience.

The packaging is also recyclable or compostable in backyard composts.

Offers taste, flavour, aroma and COMPLETE health benefits.

Why would you drink anything else?

Green Tea

• Arthritis: Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) inhibits inflammation, bone erosion, and joint damage from rheumatoid arthritis. • Cancer: Populations that drink green tea have lower rates of cancer. EGCG combats free-radical cell damage and activates p57, a protein that protects healthy cells. • Cholesterol: Lowers total cholesterol and raises good HDL cholesterol. • IntestinalInflammation: EGCG has potent anti-inflammatory properties that could help treat inflammatory bowel disease. • Liver Disease: Lowers risk of developing liver disorders in men. May also protect liver against damaging effects of alcohol. • Sunburn: EGCG mitigates sunburn reaction. May protect against skin cancer.

Black Tea

• Bone health: May increase bone mineral density. • Cancer: May reduce risk of many cancers. Theaflavin-3′-monogallate (TF-2) acts as a COX-2 inhibitor to suppress cancer cells. • Cholesterol: Drinking five cups of black tea per day lowers total cholesterol and bad LDL cholesterol. • Heart Disease: Helps lower blood pressure. May reverse endothelial dysfunction; also reduces blood platelet activation. Adding milk to tea cancels the beneficial effect. • Stress: Speeds recovery from stressful events, reducing levels of cortisol and diminishing blood platelet activation.

Both

• Brain health: Catechins in both green and black tea (although more concentrated in green tea) protect against buildup of amyloid deposits, implicated in Alzheimer’s and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. • Diabetes: Improves glucose tolerance in borderline diabetics. • Oral Health: Rich in fluoride, which protects against cavities. Theobromine found in teas appears to strengthen teeth and protect against cavities better than fluoride. Added to chewing gum, green tea extract protects gum tissue and stimulates salivary glands. • Weight Control: Catechins stimulate thermogenesis, boosting fat metabolism and calorie expenditure.

Ethical consumers are bombarded with an incredible amount of new terminology in the tea marketplace some of which address the packaging of materials. What is the difference between ‘compostable,’ ‘biodegradable,’ ‘degradable,’ and the standard of our own packaging material, ‘completely biodegradable.’ Compostability: Compost is organic matter that has biodegraded as fast as possible, under controlled conditions. Modern, methodical composting is a multi-step, closely monitored process with measured inputs of water, air and carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. The decomposition process is aided by shredding the plant matter, adding water and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi further break up the material. Aerobic bacteria manage the chemical process by converting the inputs into heat, carbon dioxide and ammonium. The ammonium is further converted by bacteria into plant-nourishing nitrites and nitrates through the process of nitrification. Biodegradation: is the chemical dissolution of materials by bacteria or other biological means. Organic material can be degraded aerobically or anaerobically, and different materials biodegrade at different rates. To be able to work effectively, most microorganisms that assist the biodegradation need light, water and oxygen, and the appropriate temperature (warmer usually equals faster breakdown). Many products that are biodegradable in soil – such as tree trimmings, food wastes and paper – will not biodegrade when placed in landfills, because the artificial landfill environment lacks the light, water and bacterial activity required for the decay process to begin. (Source: Wikipedia: Biodegredation Article) This introduces a very important concept: not everything that is biodegradable will actually break down in a timely way and become a part of the earth if it is not composted properly. WHOA! Learn more in this article: http://news.discovery.com/earth/garbage-biodegradable-earth-month.html. Although many websites will tote teabags as a fully biodegradable and compostable item, studies have shown that in fact many large tea bag manufacturers do not make fully biodegradable tea bags. A study published in British newspaper The Telegraph has shown that many UK tea bags are made up of polypropylene, a type of plastic that is used to glue the sides of the bag together. This is an industry-wide practice, which essentially renders many teabags only partially biodegradable. Other practices that also do this include staples and some types of string that are attached to teabags. In addition to taking longer to break down, the decay of polypropylene leaves byproducts in our soil that may be reactive and require further study with respect to their danger to humans. Some say that ripping the teabags before composting or disposing helps, but is not a complete solution. So what can be done? At Herbal Republic, we sell a teabag that is fully biodegradable in a backyard compost pile, made without propylene, staples, or string. To avoid an imprecise message, we market the bag as fully compostable instead of biodegradable. Additional features include: - Filter paper made from recycled materials - Packaging that is also 100% backyard compostable Fresh, delicious, and unique blends of loose-leaf tea, processed locally on site in Vancouver. Herbal Rebublic takes great care to obtain only the finest quality tea leaves and buds from the top of the plant, and creates its own unique blends of leaves and other herbs in order to create a great tasting and healthy tea. In addition, the processing of the leaves is unlike many commercial teas; we do not cut the leaves into fannings and dusts. Instead, Herbal Republic compostable tea bags are designed to allow full size tea leaves plenty of room to stay fresh, retain their health benefits, and create full-bodied, low-caffeine flavor when brewed. As ethical business owners we encourage you the consumer to further your compost-inclusive lifestyle. The following website is a great place to start exploring the process of setting up compost in all types of living spaces, large and small, soil-heavy or non. Check it out! http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/recycling-matters/composting.html

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