Valinda
8 Best Zero Waste Tea Brands & 7 Brewing Methods
Updated: Mar 10
Nowadays you can find plastic everywhere. Even your innocent cup of tea can contain plastic if you do not pay attention. I love a good cup of tea. It is actually the drink I drink most often during the day. I love a sweet green tea in the morning to wake up and a minty herbal tea in the evening right before I go to bed.
Most teabags contain polypropylene. This can most often be found in tea bags that are ‘silken’ pyramid-shaped tea bags. These are often entirely made out of plastic. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is unfortunately not biodegradable. This type of plastic can unfortunately also be found in your regular tea bags as polypropylene is often blended with the paper for the tea bags to make the paper stronger and to seal the bag. Often there is also plastic in the sting and the tag attached to your teabag.
Pouring boiled water overall this plastic and drinking it suddenly does not sound like such a good idea. Especially when you consider that microplastics can be released by all this plastic into your tea. So, it is time to make a zero-waste cup of tea.
Brewing methods
Teabags
Teabags are the easiest brewing methods for making a cup of tea. You just put them into your cup and pour boiling water over it. That’s it. However, as I mentioned before, teabags often contain plastic so select a tea brand that makes compostable tea bags so you can be sure to avoid plastic. While you are at it, also choose a brand that produces organic tea so you can also avoid any residual pesticides in your tea. Below is a list of 8 brands that are both organic and compostable.
French press
A French press is not only great to make zero waste coffee. You can also use one to make zero waste tea using the same principle. Put your loose tea (or your fresh mint) into the French Press, pour boiling or hot water over your tea leaves and press the plunger after a couple of minutes. You could use one French press for both making coffee and tea but I prefer to use a separate one as I really don’t like coffee-flavored tea. Somehow, I can’t seem to wash the coffee taste out of the French press.
Teapot
If you love the aesthetics of brewing tea or often drink tea with guests and or colleges, a teapot is for you. There are many different types available but I love the ones that come with their own infuser. You could obviously also use a separate infuser and put those into your teapot. Either way, a teapot is great when you are drinking tea with others.
Tea infuser bottle
A tea infuser bottle looks a bit like a regular reusable bottle. However, on the inside, this double-walled glass bottle is an infuser that makes you a delicious cup of tea while you are on the go. The bottle is completely leakproof and comes in an extra pouch to keep it safe while you are hiking or mountain biking. This tea infuser is can not only be used for tea, it is also suitable to make cold brew coffee if that is something you are into. Because the bottle is insulated, it not only keeps your drink warm, it could also keep your drink cool for hours on end.
Tea infuser
A tea infuser is great for the ones among us who already have a beautiful teapot but still would like to use loose tea leaves more conveniently. The fine mesh of this infuser ensures only the beautiful flavors of your tea will end up in the water while the tea leaves stay in the infuser. This infuser has a close-fitting lid to keep your tea hot as long as possible. This is convenient as you most likely won’t be able to use the lid of your pot when you are using an infuser.
Tea infuser spoon
Are you the only one of your friends and family who adores tea? You are not alone. I have serval tea infusers spoons for when I am the only one who loves a nice cup of tea. They are perfect for loose tea as the ball keeps are the leaves contained and after use, it is easy to clean by just emptying it into my compost bin.
Reusable tea bag
A reusable teabag is another zero waste option to brew your tea. These tiny cotton bags can be filled with your favorite herbs and fruits to make a delicious cup of tea (or coffee or broth). The materials for these bags are unbleached 100% cotton and will not affect the taste of your tea.
Compostable tea bags
Is filling up a reusable tea bag or infuser, not for you? Maybe filling up compostable teabags is. This saves you the hassle of emptying and cleaning the infuser while still being able to use your favorite loose tea leaves. These are made from wood pulp and are sealed using a heat press meaning no glue was involved. Next to making tea, these bags can also be used for soup spices, bath soaks, foot-bath, etc.
Loose tea leaves
When you start exploring loose tea leafs a whole new world opens up for you. There are an incredible amount of different flavors available and even if you can’t find a mix you like, you can get creative and mix your own mix of loose tea leaves.
How to store loose tea?
Whether you buy tea bags or loose-leaf or tea bags, I recommend storing your tea in metal tins. This is because a metal container will protect the tea from the deteriorating effects of sunlight. Over time your tea may lose flavor when it is exposed to the sun for a long time.
Often when you purchase loose tea, you can also purchase metal tins from the same company. However, if you are lucky enough to have a bulk store nearby that sells loose tea, store those in the cans you already have, thrift some metal cans, or purchase a few cute ones.
Also, keep the tins away from heat and moisture as both also affect the quality of your tea. Choose tins that are air-tight to make sure you can enjoy a perfect cup of tea.
Plastic-free tea
There are so many different amazing tea brands available. Most contain the plastic mentioned above. Some are very clear on the package about that they are plastic-free while most don’t mention anything on the package. In my experience, if the package doesn't mention that the tea is plastic-free or compostable it probably isn’t. Therefore, I have listed some awesome tea brands that are both organic and fair trade.
Organic Fair Trade Tea Brands
Friendship Organics
Even though it may look like plastic was used in this tea, the cellophane bags are completely plastic-free making this an awesome eco-friendly tea to enjoy. Each gorgeous tin contains 20 single cup bags. In fact, I think the tin looks so beautiful that it will make a great container for another gift.
Silk Road Tea
Silk Road Teas is known for its rare and artisan teas from China. Each spring, they travel to the tea-rich southeastern provinces to source their teas. Visiting tea markets, small farms, specialty tea companies, and tea brokers to find the finest varieties of white, green, oolong, black and Pu-erh tea so you can make a perfect cup of tea.
Numi
Numi was originated by a brother and sister. She is the artist and he is the alchemist behind all of Numi's awesome tea blends. Their exceptional-tasting teas are captured in unique tea blends that use the highest quality organic ingredients sourced directly from Fair Trade Certified tea gardens. They combine premium full-leaf quality teas and herbs with 100% real fruits, flowers, and spices. Through authenticity, creativity, and commitment to people and the planet, Numi brings you the purest, best-tasting organic tea you can imagine.
Frontier
Frontier is known for bringing high-quality items to your family's table. Nowadays, they also offer Certified Organic loose Teas. They have quite a range of flavors. Ranging from decaf rooibos to Irish breakfast tea to wake you up in the morning.
Rishi
From the farmers we work with overseas to our manufacturing conditions at home, Rishi is steadfast in following our code of ethics. A conscious business pays attention to both the raw materials for their teas as well as the human effort. They recognize it is the sum of these resources that creates a sustainable and resilient business that makes delicious teas.
Twinings
Twinings was founded in 1706 in London where it evolved into London's first teashop. Over 300 years later, their passion has not changed and they still sell in the same shop. However, they now also sell all over the world so everyone can love the gorgeous blends they create.
Pukka
Pukka knows not only for their perfectly created teas but also their packaging is not something you will forget soon. They are made from premium recyclable packaging and finished with intricate details and pukka flourishes. Their selection boxes are the perfect thoughtful gift for all your friends or loved ones who also enjoy a cup of tea.
Clipper
At Clipper, they believe that every cup of tea counts. Their relentless quest for quality and attention to detail is matched only by their desire to always do the right thing in creating one of the best-tasting teas you can buy.
I hope you love these zero waste tea brewing options or found a new organic fair-trade tea brand you love. How do you make your tea more eco-friendly?
