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Q: How do I prepare loose-leaf tea?
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A: We have a blog post dedicated to answering just that question. If you'd like to join our email list, we'll send you a free printable Guide to Making a Great Cup of Tea.
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Q: I'm avoiding caffeine in my diet. Which teas would be a good choice for me?
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A: Rooibos, herbal tisanes and herb & fruit tisanes are all caffeine-free.
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Q: I want to make time for tea with my children. What would be a good tea that we can both enjoy?
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A: Herb & Fruit Tisanes were developed specifically with children in mind. They are naturally caffeine-free, contain vitamin C, are packed with flavor, and you get to decide how much sugar they contain. They are delicious served hot or iced, and they make great popsicles on a hot day.
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Q: I've been reading a lot about antioxidants lately, and I want to get more antioxidants into my diet. Which teas are good for that?
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A: Though most of the buzz about antioxidants has centered around green tea, all true tea contains antioxidants, whether white, green, black, or oolong. Rooibos also contains antioxidants.
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Q: I prefer iced tea. Do you have any teas that are especially good for iced tea?
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A: All of the Herb & Fruit teas are delicious iced (or frozen!). Our flavored green teas also make wonderful iced tea, and our On The Rocks black tea was blended specifically for iced tea.
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Q: Are you ever going to be open on Saturday?
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A: No. Our family and staff honor the 7th day Sabbath, so we do no work on that day.
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Q: Are your teas Kosher? Organic? Vegan? Gluten-free? Soy-free? Allergen-free?
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The answers to those questions are both simple and complex.
We do not have Kosher, organic, vegan or gluten-free certification on our facility. That’s the short answer. Vegan: Tea is the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbals and tisanes are the dried parts of other plants, including flowers, bark, leaves, fruits, spices, and nuts. In that sense, they are as vegan as the broccoli you buy in the grocery store. However, some flavored teas do contain dairy, namely those with chocolate and butterscotch chips. Those teas do have an allergen note on their product description page. Flavorings: Some of the flavorings are certified Kosher, organic, vegan and gluten-free, but how exactly they are made is not disclosed by the manufacturer. Many of our teas do not contain flavorings. Organic: Many of the teas we purchase are organic, but there is a great deal of debate about the merits of that certification on products imported from other countries. The certification process is expensive, and fraught with red tape. We feel our customers are better served by spending our time and resources in other ways. We have chosen not to pursue certification, nor do we use the organic symbol in our labeling. Kosher: We are not certified Kosher, but our family follows the Leviticus 11 food laws. Our teas do not contain gelatin, carmine, pork, shellfish or meat of any kind. As mentioned before, some of them do contain dairy. We do not offer pork, non-kosher gelatin, carmine, or shellfish on our menu, ever. Gluten: We do not knowingly use ingredients in our teas that might contain gluten. But, our teas are sold from our tea room, where we bake and serve gluten-containing breads and desserts. Soy: A few of our teas contain soy, in the form of chocolate and butterscotch chips. The vast majority do not contain soy. Allergens: Some of our flavored teas contain citrus, strawberry pieces, nuts, dairy or soy. We list the ingredients on the label of all of our teas. As mentioned before, our teas are sold from our tea room, where we also serve food. We make every effort to prevent cross-contamination. We are not a certified peanut-free facility, but because we have staff with peanut allergies, we make every effort to keep peanuts and anything that may have come into contact with peanuts, out of the tea room. |