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  • Organic vs. Certified Organic: What’s the Difference?

    Organic vs. Certified Organic: What’s the Difference?

    Food producers love buzz words. Any sort of marketing angle that will give them an advantage over their competitors is always exploited. In the tea industry, no other term has been more exploited than ‘organic’.

    As a business owner, when you decide to go down the path of organic certification it means you have committed your brand to operate and uphold an unwavering organic standard. In Australia, we have the ’National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce’ created by the department of Agriculture & Water Resources. 

    It’s the job of the private certifiers to audit and keep businesses like us accountable to this standard. You will know if a product is certified organic as the organic logo and certification number will be displayed on the physical package.

    Certified organic growers (referring to our gardens) go through a rigorous audit procedure every year. Soil samples, ground water and fresh produce samples are testing for pesticide, herbicide residues, and heavy metals. The procedure further audits manufacturing and packing records, traceability, batch code records, plus handling and warehouse procedures to insure there is no contamination or misrepresentation of organic products.

    It’s a lengthy process but necessary to insure that the standard is being met and no non-compliance events have occurred. On top of this, gardens and farms that are certified organic can have contamination events. Usually, this is not from direct spraying but rather from environmental factors like contaminated groundwater or pesticides being applied from neighbouring farms. In these instances, an investigation is launched to determine the source of the contamination and to set up procedures to negate its recurrence. 

    As a bulk importer/ purchaser (us!) we not only demand a valid Australian compliant organic certificate, but we also screen for pesticides and herbicides on each and every batch we purchase. 

    We receive hundreds of batch samples every year, and after we complete our R&D we choose the batches we want to import and order the required screenings. If clear, this extra test allows for the garden to issue us what’s called a Transaction Certificate, a document issued by the garden’s certifier approving the transaction of truly certified organic products. 

    These TC’s are the last line of defence to insure the products we get are truly pesticide free.

    So what’s my point? Companies who claim their products are organic without being certified do not have to go through the detailed procedures above. They are not accountable to any sort of standard or procedure allowing for gross negligence. It’s not just about pesticide residues, the handling and record tracing is just as important. 

    A tea product that has all or most of the ingredients listed as organic should be certified in order to use the word. If you’re an organic buyer/ consumer and want to make sure you are getting actual organic products, its best to purchase from companies who display an organic certifier’s logo and certification number on their packaging. It will provide peace of mind and ensure you are getting exactly what you are looking for.

    Keep sipping,

    Arjun Kumar, Teamaker

    XO

  • The Truth About Tea Flavouring

    The Truth About Tea Flavouring

    With an overabundance of information available online we are all more educated about what we’re consuming. From sodium and sugar to synthetic food stabilizers, colours and artificial sweeteners we as consumers are much more attuned to investigating the components of food we like to eat.

    Luckily for us, tea is a simple product. It’s stable and hence requires no added assistance to be made commercial.  However, as our flavour profiles change food companies are always trying to offer products that suit this changing market, which is why the addition of natural or artificial flavours has arisen over the last 30 years. So today I’d like to explore the use of flavourings so you can make the best choice for your tea consumption.

    Firstly, let’s define what flavour is. Flavour is the sensation of taste, smell and feel that we get when we consume a food or drink. This sensation is the effect on our central nervous system of thousands of molecules inherent in that food or drink. These molecules are effectively chemicals, which give the product its distinct taste and smell. Food companies try to mimic this effect through natural and artificial flavours.

    An artificial flavour is a chemical synthesis of the molecules described above created in a laboratory. The synthesis is purely artificial and from manmade sources. Further to this, these artificial flavours distort the composition of these molecules to having greater percentages of the ones that create a more intense smell or taste.

    For example, a product with an artificial mango flavour will smell and taste even more potent than a mango itself! In tea, you can usually tell if your product has artificial flavour as the taste and smell of the product will be strong; so strong that it seems it doesn’t exist naturally.

    Once the flavour has been made it needs a carrier, a medium to make the flavour stable and allow it to be applied to whatever application it is required. These stabilisers are generally solvents like propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, hexane and triacetin. These are classed as food safe, however, they are also used in other industrial applications so personally I would never consume them.

    Natural flavours are similar to the above in that they are molecules used to mimic a desired flavour, however these molecules are made from natural sources not synthetic. To create a particular flavour you might have molecules that are naturally inherent to 2 or 3 difference ingredients.

    Ginger is a great example. To increase the spiciness of a natural ginger flavour, flavourists use eucalyptus, which increases the impact and heat. In tea, you can usually tell if your product has natural flavour because the taste and smell of the product will be mild as it can’t be made more intense by any naturally occurring molecules.

    As there is no regulation on using the word natural vs artificial it can be very hard to tell whether the flavouring is artificial by packaging alone; many companies often misuse the two terms or use them interchangeably. And generally natural flavours have similar carriers to artificial flavours, so although the molecules are naturally occurring, they still use stabilisers.

    A great example of creative blending of herbs is our Native Uplift tea. I spent years adjusting the blend trying to get the right passionfruit taste profile to ensure customers get a 100% natural product that tastes real but also incorporates real herbs and flavours. I could have easily just added some passionfruit flavour, but instead I crafted an all-natural tea that highlights the benefits of bush plants and tastes great too!

    You can tell if your herbal tea product has been heavily flavoured as the colour of the leaves are often stained and dark. If compared side by side, unflavoured leaves are naturally bright colour, but the flavoured leaves are brownish. Personally, as a teamaker I see no need to flavour caffeine-free teas unless using oils. To change the inherent natural flavour of an ingredient destroys the taste of that ingredient and perhaps even its medicinal benefit.

    That’s it for this month. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

    Keep sipping,

    Arjun Kumar, Teamaker

    XO

  • Iced Green XO Tea with Lemongrass and Ginger

    Iced Green XO Tea with Lemongrass and Ginger

    Iced Green XO Tea is the perfect drink for summer in Australia and it can quickly be dressed up to create an even better and more impressive drink. Many of the best iced tea recipes are also the easiest. So mix it up and use some of the XO Tea Shaded Green Tea and Daybed Lemongrass and Ginger, plus the creativity we know is inside everyone of you!

    Whether it’s a sparkling jasmine XO Tea or a spicy lemon-ginger beverage, you will have a lot of fun this Australian summer exploring these tea recipes. Each is cool, refreshing, and perfect for entertaining or enjoying on the patio by yourself.

    It’s real iced tea made with Shaded Green Tea leaves. But it is also an infusion because there’s more to brewed tea in this drink. This iced lemongrass tea is made by mixing Shaded Green Tea, lemongrass brew, sugar syrup and just enough calamansi juice to cut through the sweetness. It’s a refreshing and delicious drink that’s easy to make. But a few tips can turn the drink from good to great.

    If using loose XO Green Tea leaves , steep the tea in very hot (80 degrees) water for no more than five minutes. If you want a stronger brew, use more tea leaves but steep for the same length of time rather than steeping a smaller amount for a longer period. Steeping tea in hot water for too long makes the drink bitter; four to five minutes are enough.

    What about tea in XO Tea Bags? You can use them too. XO Tea’s Amour Jasmine Green Tea will make a very aromatic drink. And, as with loose tea leaves, remember not to steep the tea bags in hot water for too long either.

    For the Lemongrass and Ginger brew Daybed, use a ratio of one bag per cup of water. Lightly tap the bag to release the essential oils and flavors. Place in a pot, pour in the water, boil for about ten minutes then leave to steep and cool. Brews made with herbal ingredients like lemongrass do benefit from long steeping.

    For the sugar syrup, simply boil together equal amounts of sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. If you want a more pronounced lemongrass or ginger flavor in your drink, add a stalk of lemongrass or ginger, lightly pressed, to the water and sugar before boiling. Cool the sugar syrup before using.

    Ingredient For Iced Green XO Tea

    • 1 liter cooled green tea
    • 1 liter cooled  lemongrass brew
    • 1/2 cup sugar syrup (or to taste)
    • 1 tablespoon calamansi juice (or to taste)

    Steps to Make Iced Green XO Tea

    1. Pour the cooled green tea and lemongrass and ginger brew into a jug. Stir in enough sugar syrup to sweeten according to your preferred level of sweetness.
    2. Stir in calamansi juice, one tablespoonful at a time, and tasting after each addition.
    3. Add ice, stir and serve.
    4. Tip: To add extra brightness to the flavors of the drink, stir in a tablespoonful of lightly pressed mint leaves to the drink before serving.