Tea Cultures: organic tea in individually wrapped bags
Tea Cultures tea comes from the Tea Leaves Collection of a Dutch tea brand in Haarlem: organic tea and herbal tea in boxes of 25 bags, with every bag in a paper envelope of its own. That envelope holds on to the aroma until the kettle has boiled, and means you can slip a few bags into your bag for work or a trip away. Each bag contains 2 g of full-leaf tea, enough for one mug. Every blend is organic, and most are Fairtrade as well.
For breakfast, reach for English Blend; for a caffeine-free evening, Red Rooibos Chai or Vervain. If you are buying a gift or want to taste a range, go for the Discovery Box.
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How Tea Cultures tea is packed and how to brew it
The envelope around every Tea Cultures tea bag is paper, with no coating. The bag inside is made of non-woven plant fibre and is biodegradable, and the box can be recycled.
- Water: the maker suggests soft water that is low in minerals.
- Temperature: 80 °C for the green teas, Green Lemon and Finest Jasmine; 100 °C, straight off the boil, for black tea, rooibos and herbal tea.
- Making a pot: use 12 g of tea per litre, or six bags.
The brand supplies hospitality partners, gives tea training and says it works directly with tea growers in Sri Lanka.
Which Tea Cultures tea suits which time of day?
Pick a Tea Cultures tea by when you drink it: morning, daytime, or a caffeine-free evening.
Morning and daytime
- English Blend (No. 01, organic and Fairtrade): full, strong black tea from Sri Lankan estates, made to take milk; a proper breakfast cuppa.
- Pacific Dreams (No. 03, organic and Fairtrade): smooth, gentle black tea with notes of red fruit and fresh blossom that does not turn bitter or astringent, to drink black in the afternoon.
- Black Forest Fruit (No. 02, organic and Fairtrade): fresh, strong black tea with the flavour of wild forest fruits, strawberry leaf and raspberry leaf, for any time of day.
- Green Lemon (No. 10, organic and Fairtrade): sencha with lemongrass, lemon peel and lemon essence, fresh and thirst-quenching.
- Finest Jasmine (No. 12, organic and Fairtrade): Chinese green tea with jasmine blossom, soft and floral, nice with a light lunch or in the afternoon.
Chai with hot milk
- Original Black Spice Chai (No. 04, organic and Fairtrade): black tea with cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cardamom and cloves, drunk plain or as a sugar-free chai latte.
- Red Rooibos Chai (No. 06, organic and Fairtrade): rooibos with cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and cloves, where the pepper adds a bit of a kick; made for a chai latte.
Evenings without caffeine
Red Rooibos Chai and Vervain (No. 15, organic) are both caffeine-free. Vervain is a herbal tea made from vervain, with a fresh, citrusy taste.
Black Forest Fruit and Green Lemon work as iced tea too: brew them a bit stronger, let them cool and serve over ice.
Tea Cultures as a gift or for work
The Discovery Box (No. 16) brings together 25 individually wrapped bags of 15 teas from the Tea Leaves Collection, organic and with Fairtrade tea, with and without caffeine. That makes it a good thank-you, an introduction to the brand, or a box for the office kitchen where everyone picks their own envelope.
The shop also has more tea bags and a selection of chai tea.