At The Organic Tea Project, we pluck (not pick) our tea leaves by hand rather than by machine. Machine-picking cuts away the tops of the bush indiscriminately, and the resulting yield includes more stalk and other larger leaves. Stalky tea results in a more fibrous woody character, typically prevalent in lower quality teas, iced teas and tea bags.
On the plantation, our masterful pluckers take great care to gather only two leaves and a bud at a time. This method best maintains the health of the bush and encourages the richest subsequent flushes throughout the year.
Unlike most teas on the market which are sent to tea brokers, sit in warehouses and spend a lot of time in big dark tea chests before finding their way into your tea cup, The Organic Tea Project’s leaves live life in the fast lane. By no means neglecting quality in favour of speed, we just don’t believe in wasting time.
Our tea leaves are plucked, made into black or green tea and transported directly to the packing facility in Cochin, India, where they are packaged and shipped all over the world. Consequently, our brews are the freshest on the market, propelling you into a lifetime of tea snobbery. (You have been warned.)