There has never been a better time to explore drinking loose leaf tea, with our change of pace, and many working from home, it’s a time to be curious, to try new rituals and focus on our health and wellbeing...

Enjoy the rituals of loose leaf tea. It can make you feel calmer, encouraging you to slow down both mentally and physically and momentarily take you away from the stresses of life. Tea drinking wraps itself around so many situations, a quiet moment to yourself to reflect, or a shared experience with the family: make it enjoyable and worthwhile, so it becomes a personalised ritual you look forward to.  

Why is tea considered healthy ? 

Interestingly, tea leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant, (black, green, white tea etc.) naturally contain a unique amino acid called L-theanine. Evidence suggests it reduces stress, promotes relaxation and sleep and works synergistically with caffeine to create a state of ‘alert calm’ and a sense of wellbeing.

Many tea bags contain low grade tea, made up of small particles, which lose their essential oils and have a flat and dull taste. Loose leaf offers a nuanced tasting experience and retains more of the health giving antioxidants than the standard commercial teabag.   

With loose leaf tea, importantly you are able to see, touch and smell the tea, both in the dry form and when brewed. There are visual, olfactory and physical cues to quality tea. An example would be Matcha, it is a meticulously prepared stone ground green tea, the best comes from Japan and has a vivid green colouration and a silky fine powder feel when touched.

Support independents, who produce smaller, fresher batches and offer more unique blends, often using local ingredients. 

Avoid the plastic. Many teabags contains plastic, PLA plastic is often marketed as ‘bioplastic’ or ‘made from plants’ or even ‘plastic free’ but PLA is a plastic and behaves like one in our bodies, landfill and oceans. 

Look for certified organic tea to ensure there are no pesticides in your favourite brew, particularly important if, like me, you drink multiple cups a day !

Look for sustainability. Tea Lab offers you teas in amber glass jars that protect the teas from UV light and can be refilled and recycled. Used tea leaves can go straight into your garden and biodegrade with none of the confusion you get with teabag disposal.

Think about giving back. When you purchase any of the rooibos teas in Tea Lab’s African range, 10% of proceeds goes to The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, to support their amazing work on conservation and wildlife protection.

Brewing tea is both an art and a science, with quality loose leaf you can create a cup of tea that perfectly suits your personal preferences, guided by the specific brewing times and temperatures. Green tea, for example, should always be steeped at around 70-80 C, for a shorter time, around 1-3 minutes. 

One of my favourite teas is Dream Catcher, rooibos ‘tea’, blended with organic and fair trade ingredients : hand cut true cinnamon quills from Sri Lanka and whole vanilla pods from Madagascar. A super healthy, caffeine free, evening brew.

Loose leaf tea can be used as a botanical to get creative with recipes, so for some inspiration check out our recipes here