How has everyone been enjoying Plastic Free July? I'm curious to hear about your successes? Where did you miss the mark? Did you learn anything new??
When you start paying attention to plastic, you learn that it's sneaky! So, so sneaky. It can disguise itself as almost anything.
- Chewing gum? Plastic.
- Produce stickers? Plastic.
- Paper cups? Lined with plastic.
- Tea bags? Woven with plastic.
YES. You read that right. Tea Bags are woven with plastic! You're steeping your daily cup with a side of polypropylene. Delicious.
However, finding loose leaf tea available in bulk/without plastic packaging can be rough without a nice tea shop or extensive health food store.
Also, I just have to give them a HUGE shout out for their plastic free matcha 1oz tins. If you watch my instagram stories, you know that I love to start my mornings with a cup of matcha and Arbor Teas is my brand of choice!
Arbor Teas dedication to sustainability is amazing. Did you know tea isn't indigenous to the US? All of it is flown over from Asia.
These farms aren't just interested in minimizing their impact on the environment, they're actively trying to have a positive effect on the environment!
Once the tea gets to their solar-powered facility they package it up in compostable packaging.
And, their packaging is COMPLETELY compostable down to the label! What I found to be so fascinating is that they used to send the tea in paper tubes and a kraft bag, but switched to cellulose (which breaks down in a backyard compost bin) to save on the weight of the package.
The switch to cellulose reduced the weight by 60% which means a lower carbon footprint!
Y'all. This is a company that has thought about everything! But, don't take my word for it just let me list all of their certifications: USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Green America Certified Business, Carbon Free Certified, Certified Compostable Packaging, International Green Industry Hall of Fame.
Arbor Teas has the plastic free tea market on lock! No plastic bags, no plastic packaging, no plastic tea bags.
Being from Arkansas, we're pretty die hard on the sweet tea, but I think garnishing with some sweet fruit or even a lemon wedge does the trick!
It's really important to note that you brew white teas with simmering water not boiling water. You're looking for 180 degrees or when the bubbles start to form on the bottom of the pan.
Now there are two ways to make the iced tea.
- The night before
- The - oh crap - guests are coming over in an hour
I'm going to show you how to make both!
the night before:
- 1 Regular 1.5 oz bag of Pomegranate White Tea
- 16 cups of water
- Bring 16 cups of water to a simmer approx 180 degrees
- Remove the pot from the heat
- Add in the loose leaf tea
- Let it steep for 2-3 minutes
- Strain out the tea leaves
- *OPTIONAL* If adding in sugar, add it now
- Store the tea in a sealed container in the fridge and it will be nicely chilled for the following day!
the party's in an hour:
- 1 Regular 1.5 oz bag of Pomegranate White Tea
- 8 cups of water
- A lot of ice
- Fill your 1 gallon container with ice
- Bring 8 cups of water to a simmer approx 180 degrees
- Remove the pot from the heat
- Add in the loose leaf tea
- Let it steep for 2-3 minutes
- Strain out the tea leaves
- *OPTIONAL* If adding in sugar, add it now
- Pour the hot water into the gallon container with the ice. The hot water will melt the ice and dilute the tea mixture to the perfect level leaving you with a refreshing treat and ready to party!
