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Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea?

Tea is something I drink every single day. It’s sacred at my house – I even have a whole drawer devoted to it! I drink it because it is amazing for your health. There are so many varieties of tea that can improve digestion, metabolism and even prevent certain diseases. This investigation into tea ingredients has been in the making for a long time. What I’m about to share with you totally rocked my world forever and I’ll never look at tea in the same way again. Do you really want to know what’s in your tea?…Then read on.

Food Babe's Tea DrawerThe ancient Chinese tradition of drinking tea dates back thousand of years to the early Chinese dynasties and aristocrats who drank the beverage for its medicinal properties. In ancient times, leaves from the Camellia Sinensis (the tea plant) were either ground into a powder or placed as loose leaves directly into water to infuse it with herbal essence. Unfortunately, modern day tea is nothing like the unadulterated version of old tea. Many of today’s tea brands are operating under the guise of providing health benefits and promoting clean living, but are actually laden with pesticides, toxins, artificial ingredients, added flavors and GMOs.

CrazyChemicalsInTea2

Conventional Teas – An Abundance of Pesticides

Did you know that most tea is not washed before it is put it into bags? That means if the tea was sprayed with cancer-causing pesticides, those pesticides go directly into your cup. And this is the reason why tea is on my organic shopping priority list. To prove this point, here are some shocking facts about one of the most well-known tea brands – Celestial Seasonings.

A recent third-party analysis by Glaucus Research and discussed here found that 91 percent of Celestial Seasonings tea tested had pesticide residues exceeding the U.S. limits. For example, Sleepytime Kids Goodnight Grape Herbal contained 0.26 ppm of propachlor, which is a known carcinogen under California’s Propsition 65.

The “Wellness” tea line was found to contain traces of propargite, also a known carcinogen and developmental toxin. The FDA has already issued two warning letters to Celestial Seasonings in regard to poor quality control according to this source. Imagine what happens when pesticide-laden tea is steeped in boiling water.

If grocery store brands don’t provide a clean option for you, perhaps a high-end loose leaf tea would circumvent some of the issues of grocery store brands. Right? Wrong! Take Teavana, which is found in malls across North America for example. Teavana taps into tea culture with the “Teavana Experience.” Convincing their employees to take customers on a sensory journey – they open a huge canister of loose leaf tea and wave the top of the canister so you can smell the tea – touting all of the wonderful health benefits of tea complete with samples and manipulative demonstrations that end in an expensive visit to the tea shop. Is all the extra money worth it? Are customers getting a superior tea product? No.

Teavana tea was tested by an independent lab and 100 percent of it was found to contain pesticides. One tea in particular, Monkey Picked Oolong, contained 23 pesticides. 77 percent of the teas would fail European Union pesticide import standards, and would be banned from import. 62 percent of the teas tested contained traces of endosulfan, a pesticide that has been banned by the U.S., China, the E.U., and 144 other countries because it has been linked to impaired fertility and could harm unborn babies.

UPDATE (May 27, 2014): Glaucus Research funded the research done by Eurofins Scientific (an independent lab) and admits on their disclaimer that they are biased because they would make money if Hain’s stock declines. However – I am not sure that Eurofins’ research should be completely discounted on this point alone. Since I wrote this post, Celestial has been sued in a class-action lawsuit based on the pesticides that Eurofins found in their teas and for mislabeling of them as “100% Natural”.  The jury is still out on whether Eurofins’ research will be considered legit, as this case is still active in California.  The Plaintiffs contend that Celestial’s teas contain “pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, carcinogens, and/or developmental toxins (collectively, “Contaminants”)” and Celestial “did not dispute – and has never disputed – that the tea Products contained Contaminants. Nor has (Celestial) challenged the results of the Eurofins Tests” and “has not claimed that Eurofins was biased or that the Eurofins Tests were not, in fact, accurate”.   Even if it is determined that Eurofins’ research was not accurate – it’s important to note that Celestial’s tea that was tested is NOT organic and some of this tea is sourced from China.  Greenpeace issued a report on the alarming amount of pesticides found on tea from China, followed up by a detailed report on Lipton brand tea from China – in which they recommend only purchasing certified organic tea to avoid these pesticides. Reference law documents: Complaint; Plaintiff’s Memo in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss. Case 8:13-cv-01757-AG-AN

 

Teas Can Contain Artificial Flavoring, Natural Flavors, and Hidden GMOs

Furthermore, a majority of Teavana teas contain added flavor – specifically “artificial flavoring.” If their tea is so high end, why would they be adding ingredients produced by fractional distillation and chemical manipulation of various chemicals like crude oil or coal tar? Coal tar in my tea? No, thanks.

PopularTeaBrandIngredients

Many popular tea brands get away with using the ingredient “natural flavors” to trick the consumer into thinking they are buying better, cleaner ingredients; however companies are just covering up the inferior taste and low quality of their tea. Fortunately, there are brands that are putting the kibash on the use of natural flavors and using all real ingredients. I was happy to learn that Ahmed Rahim, CEO of Numi Tea is just as disgusted by this ingredient as I am. He said to me “You can breakdown anything that is found in nature and if it ends up tasting like the flavor you wish to use – you can add it to any product and call it NATURAL FLAVOR on the ingredient label. It could come from a stone in the ground and you’d never know.” This is why when I see the words “natural flavor” listed on a label – I put the product down and run far far away. I want to know what I am eating! Don’t you?

Additionally, the added risk of consuming possible GMOs is not something many people think about when consuming teas. Before this investigation and witnessing tea companies using modified corn starch and soy lecithin in tea (additives likely made from genetically engineered corn and soy), I didn’t think about it either! I can’t imagine having a serious soy allergy, considering all the places companies try to hide it.

TjsTea

Why The Tea Bag & Packaging Matters

A recent article in The Atlantic discusses the “silky sachet” and “luxurious mesh bags” that hold loose leaf teas (like in brands Tea Forte and Mighty Leaf). Turns out, these modern day bags meant to showcase the tea leaves, are made of plastic.

PLA (polylactic acid) is a (likely GMO) corn-based tea bag material that has attracted major tea companies due to its nice look and its claims of biodegradability. Terms like “silky sachets” and “corn-based biodegradable tea bags” mislead customers into believing a product is more natural and sustainable than it really is. While the processing for PLA removes all traces of genetic material, it is still made with genetically modified corn. Although the actual tea bag is not an ingredient like teas and herbs, it is an element that is put into boiling water.

According to The Atlantic, tea bags are most commonly made from food grade nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which are two of what’s considered the safest plastics on the scale of harmful leaching potential. However, Dr. Mercola disagrees, he states:

“While these plastics are generally considered among the safest in terms of leaching potential, the molecules in these plastic tea bags may still in fact break down and leach out when steeped in boiling water…” Well, isn’t that how tea is prepared?

Another temperature consumers need to worry about in tea is the “glass transition” temperature. Here’s the science behind the glass transition temperature or, Tg, and why it becomes dangerous according to The Atlantic:

“That is the temperature at which the molecule in certain materials such as polymers begin to break down. As a rule, the Tg of a material is always lower than the melting point. In the case of PET and food grade nylon (either nylon 6 or nylon 6-6), all have a Tg lower than the temperature of boiling water. For example, while the melting point of PET is 482 degrees Fahrenheit, the Tg is about 169 degrees. Both nylons have a lower glass transition temperature than PET. (Remember that water boils at 212 degrees.) This means the molecules that make up these plastic tea bags begin to break down in hot water.”

 

So, while the plastic itself won’t melt in your tea, the glass transition temperature could potentially leak out harmful phthalates if there are such things in your tea. Another thing to worry about is that some of the newer tea bags are made with a variety of plastics. Some plastics are nylon, some are made of viscose rayon, and others are made of thermoplastic, PVC or polypropylene.

Beware of paper tea bags too, which can be worse than plastic tea bags.

GET THIS: Also according to Dr. Mercola, many “paper tea bags are treated with epichlorohydrin, a compound mainly used in the production of epoxy resins. Considered a potential carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health2 (NIOSH), epichlorohydrin is also used as a pesticide. When epichlorohydrin comes in contact with water, it hydrolyzes to 3-MCPD, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals. It has also been implicated in infertility (it has a spermatoxic effect in male rats) and suppressed immune function.”

So what do you do the next time you want a cup of tea? Antioxidant rich teas aren’t going to do much to counterbalance the chemicals, additives and artificial flavorings in today’s modern teas.

First, I recommend looking at this chart below to see how your favorite tea brand stacks up:

Tea Comparison Updated 2 2015

And then when brewing and picking out the safest tea remember these tips:

1. Choose an organic & non-GMO certified brand of tea. (My favorites are Numi, Traditional Medicinals, and Rishi Tea (loose leaf)).

2. Check the ingredient list on the back of the tea package to make sure there are no added flavors, GMO ingredients like soy lecithin and corn starch added to the tea leaves.

3. Make sure the brand you buy uses a safe form of packaging material or buy loose leaf tea and use a stainless steel or glass tea strainer. Have the company verify that bags do not contain epichlorophydrin, and avoid plastic tea bags all together. (Numi and Traditional Medicinals are some of the only brands I trust in this category because they have publicly stated they do not use this harmful ingredient or GMO packaging and are Non-GMO Project verified.)

4. The majority of restaurants use some of the most pesticide ridden tea and brands that have harmful packaging like Celestial Seasonings, Lipton, etc. Don’t fall victim to this. Bring your own tea when eating out or going to restaurants and ask for pot or cup of boiling water (remember to leave a good tip if you do this). I even do this at Starbucks because I like to vote with my dollars and not buy tea brands that are harmful. If you drink iced tea, brew your own at home and carry an insulated water bottle with you.

5. Remember these temps and times for brewing the perfect cup of tea

TeaBrewTimes

 

If you know someone who loves to drink tea, please share this post with them. I was just as shocked as you probably are about all of this craziness – knowing what’s in our tea and what we put in our body matters! Let’s change the world together.

Xo,

Vani 

 

 

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1,549 responses to “Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea?

  1. Hi,
    What about Barry’s Tea? I love this tea, it’s from Ireland, I buy the gold blend in the red box. I’m curious if this tea is safe?
    Thank you.
    Tiffany

  2. Hi,

    This article is very eye-opening, but upon further investigation I’m not so sure that I’d stop buying Tevana tea, or find it harmful. I was about to contact Starbucks to ask them if they realized the tea they are now selling is full of pesticides, but then found this article. The research firm that found Teavana tea to have pesticides also held stock in the company, and planned to make money by shorting that stock. In other words, they had vested interest in tarnishing the company and the tea it sells. Check it out. http://www.businessinsider.com/teavana-pesticides-2012-11

    Either way, it’s worth doing a double fact check.

    1. Well, all Teavana did in that article is say their tea doesn’t have pesticides, but it didn’t show any proof, i.e., any links to results of tests, independent or otherwise.

  3. Hi Vani,
    Do your findings for Twinings and Choice brand of teas apply to their Organic & Fair Trade versions of tea? Twinings has a new Organic Fair Trade Breakfast Blend tea. Just curious.
    Thanks!
    Tammy

    1. Vani & team, I’m also curious to know your thoughts on Stash Organic teas. Thanks!

    2. Pretty sure you can’t generalise everything any given company sells in a simple table like that. For example, I doubt that Twinings have natural flavours in their normal black teas, even if they do in some of their herbal teas and so on.

  4. I was concerned about lead and mercury in my teas as many are grown in
    China and China now has an increase problem of pollution. What I have found was that lead and mercury are in the soil, tea leaves then absorb the chemicals and when they are processed and the added to hot water it is now in your tea. Now, I
    have found that all this other stuff is in my tea too! Is anything really safe anymore?

  5. Green teas are commonly grown in Japan and China. Get a geiger counter before consuming them! FUKUSHIMA

  6. I have Bigelow green tea and it specifies USDA Organic on the label. Says 100 percent organic. Gluten free and for ingredients, it just says “organic green tea.” Is this good?

  7. Most tea suppliers come from Asia. Foreign countries do not have the quality controls that we have here in America. Even the water that is used to irrigate the plants are not up to our standards.
    In addition, you should take a good look at the spices we put in our foods. I was a quality taster at a major spice company and was told the same about spices. As far as organic spices are concerned, they are grown in fields where animals tread through and birds fly over. All is harvested and anything that drops on the spice goes along for the ride and ends up in the bottle. That is a fact.

  8. I just couldn’t keep your blog before hinting which i incredibly relished the common facts somebody offer in your visitors? Will likely be again regularly so that you can check out completely new content

  9. i heard that numi tea bags are oxygen bleached, so how do you know if there are not harmful chemicals left over?

  10. One of the hazards of living in the middle of nowhere – I’ve never seen or heard of any of the brands you favor… I’ll have to be ordering all my tea online from now on I suppose.

    1. Is there a Wal-Mart where you live? I just noticed this past week that my walmart recently had traditional medicine teas (they also had yogi teas, which isnt as bad as most others), maybe yours will start carrying soon? Otherwise some co-op stores carry brands not normally found in regular stores. I understand what you mean as most of the brands food girl mentions are not in my stores.

  11. I like to buy Adagio Tea online and Thunderbolt Tea (direct from Darjeeling), both sell loose teas. Any idea about the toxicity of these teas?

  12. Hello from Puerto Rico…What about ORGANIC INDIA TULSI TEAS? I used NUMI, TRADITIONAL MEDICINE, ORGANIC INDIA AND LNOW FOODS GREEN TEA….Thanks,
    Elizabeth

    PD- Very nice article…I would recommend to my friends…….

  13. Do you have any information on teas that are sold from the Tea and Spice Exchange? I just ordered some and I am curious how they rate when it comes to pesticides.

  14. To Food Babe: What do you know about Southern Tea Company in Marietta, GA? They produce the “National Cup” tea brand found at Wal-Mart. I called the manager there (Ronnie) who told me their tea is from Vietnam and Argentina, and they blend the teas in GA. He said they do pesticide testing, and use a “standard tea paper.” He personally visits the plantaions, and they do an annual review of product quality. He sai there tea has no added ingredients, just tea blended from the sources…??? : )

  15. Food Babe: I have 3 questions:
    1.) Can you recommend a brand of tea bags that I could buy and fill with my loose leaf tea?
    2.) Would an unbleached coffee filter be safe? I use the pour-over method for making coffee and sometimes with loose tea. I buy the unbleached ones. But I was wondering if they were sprayed or treated or what-have-you?
    3.) Do teas made in the UK have to fulfill EU requirements for safety levels of pesticides, etc.? I know that the UK hasn’t signed on to every that the EU does and wondered if you might know. I am wondering because I buy my favorite tea from England.

    Thanks for any help with these questions.

  16. Hi, how about Lupicia brand? It’s a Japanese brand that starts opening stores in Los Angeles. On the package, the label says “Lupicia teas passed strict pesticide residue tests in Japan”. Do you know if Japan’s standard is stricter than US? I love their Oolong Super Grade tea. Thanks 🙂

  17. saw your piece on Teas i drink Tetley’s British Blend and pau D’arco teas from Botanic Choice what would you say about them being safe to drink? those two are together mixed in a gallon pitcher and drank once a week, been doing that for about 10 years

  18. Why does her tea drawer have Yogi tea in it, if it’s listed to have all those terrible things in it?

  19. I haven’t read anything here about Eden organic sencha. I simply cannot pay for organic sencha by Numi. Is Eden’s tea really organic? “Organic” can be put on lots of products that are not strictly organic anymore. I use the bags, which say they are unbleached.

    Thanks for the information,
    Judy

  20. okay so you say what teas not to consume……what teas do you recommend and where are they available to purchase? All this what not to buy/consume is mind bogging especially when I don’t know where to shop for the best options!

  21. Will you be reviewing more popular tea brands? I noticed a lot of people are saying, ‘What about… this brand or that brand?’ I see brands listed in the comments that I’ve seen in the supermarket, and there are also some brands that I see commonly in the supermarket that aren’t in the chart. For me, as someone who is getting away from plastics when it comes to my hot food, and getting away from chemicals, I find myself dumping many packets of tea, but without readily available brands to choose from. Out here in the country, it isn’t so easy to find popular health food store brands in the major supermarkets. Stores like Whole Foods Market and really good health food stores such as one expects to find in the major metropolitan areas (where I’m originally from) just aren’t around in the country. This leaves folks with limited options. I appreciate all your hard work and research, and look forward to more great posts in the future!

  22. Thank you Vani!!
    Great and informative article on tea! Like you, I drink tea everyday. Loose leaf tea from mountainroseherbs.com. For bagged tea, I’ve switched to Numi & Traditional Medicinals based on your research and spreading the word.
    Teatulia advertises they are USDA organic, tea is grown in Northern Bangladesh, use compostable eco-canisters, and eco & tagless bags. Is Teatulia tea a trusted brand of yours?
    Thanks again.

  23. Hi l am in canada now l drink tea every day what kinds can l buy that are safe please tell me

  24. You do realize that herbals are not tea? And to make a proper cup of tea you flush the leaves? This process washes all the so-called harmful stuff off the leaves.

  25. Over the past 2 years I have been trying to remove as much extra fluoride from my diet. I have learned that tea naturally has absorbed fluoride from the dirt in its growing process. Of all the teas, young Japanese tea leaves have the least traceable amounts but that doesn’t make it any safer. Why this warning? Who doesn’t know someone who doesn’t have thyroid disease? Well, fluoride in the last decade has been found to accumulate in the thyroid gland and penal gland. In young girls it can cause early onset puberty and early onset sleeping disorders due to the pineal gland being filled with this toxin. And we all know that metabolism is regulated by the thyroid gland as well as a myriad of other functions. We need to guard this gland’s proper functioning ability to out utmost. Do your research and you too, I believe, will become passionate in helping the younger generation from becoming enslaved to Big Pharma’s plan to make every American pharmaceutical dependent.

  26. Hi, Vani, I found your article about teas to be an eye opener! How about loose tea grown and packaged in India, such as Brook Bond Red Label or 3 Roses tea, Lipton Yellow Label (one of my favorite teas), Lipton Green Label tea, etc.? Are these safe?

  27. I just came across an article titled “Hazard in a Tea Bag No One Ever Dares Talk About” here: everythingfortea.com/tips-coupons . Apparently in order to make sure the tea bag’s paper does not disintegrate in hot water they add a chemical to it to make it stronger (they say it is a kind go glue, really). That chemical is apparently known to be quite toxic. Who would have thought? Scary.

  28. Nerada tea from north Queensland ,Australia says on the box -pesticide free. It comes in loose 250g. Also tagged and untagged tea bags. Sold in Australian supermarkets. 200 untagged bags about$5.50. I use it all the time.
    Also the only place in the world you can buy true pesticide free coffee is from Northern Australia or northern N.S. W. from small growers who don’t use pesticide as here we don’t have all the coffee diseases here that the rest of the world has. As coffee is such a desperate crop for the poor , they use anything ,it’s a wonder it doesn’t glow in the dark. I wont drink unqualified resourced coffee!. In china most people wash all green tea before use by pouring hot water over in the cup and tipping the water out before infusing

  29. green tea has a life of about 12 months ,after that an astute tea drinker will tell you it is old and will not pay a premium price for it. We were offered some, dining in the tea planted hillsides of Hangzhou . My friend tasted it and passed no further comment.. After the meal I said you didn’t buy any. He said it was last years. The taste changes -it’s stale. So if you drink green tea ,it needs to be less than a year old. Compressed black tea -age doesn’t matter. I’d say it would be hard to find insecticide free tea from china or elsewhere especially when they blend it. My friend has paid in equivalent of over $100 usd for 500g of tea – if it is good. For good tea they pay real money in china. Just a rave about tea. I DRINK NERADA TEA IT’S PESTICIDE FREE!!!!!!!. Go to their website Neradatea.com.au

  30. Thanks so much for all the great info. Just wondering if you are familiar with the brand Steeped Tea. They are becoming popular here and push the idea of being natural, although many of their teas list “natural flavors” as an ingredient. I am considering buying these teas and perhaps selling them but the natural flavor as an ingredient makes me wonder. Thanks.

  31. Everything is very open with a really clear description of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your site is very helpful. Thank you for sharing!

  32. What about STASH tea ? I have one that has bergamot, and I hear that not much of oil of bergamot is made, so most out there is fake.This worlds food supply is so polluted. grief.

  33. NOOOO!! You’ve ruined tea for me forever. 😛 Please tell me Stash tea is ok – I saw a few ppl asked, but there was no answer. Do you have any information on this brand?

  34. My concern is certainly with Iced tea. I love those drinks, but I can’t find a single one that doesn’t say something like “natural flavors”. It worries me.

  35. I’ve been wondering about tea for a while. I can find really cheap teas in the Asian stores. But I just don’t know if I can trust them.

  36. Mighty Leaf has been exonerated of having Pouches that have harmful packaging by the very same Atlantic article this post references. Here is what they posted

    *This post was updated on June 4, 2013, to remove a reference to Mighty Leaf Tea. Mighty Leaf uses bags made of corn plastic, which do not contain phthalates and do not leach even at boiling temperatures.

  37. check out ArborTeas. they have wonderful organic teas at great prices and they are amazing with customer service. they also have great repeat customer incentives. i buys all of my tea from them now 🙂

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