We’re often so consumed about what we eat – the chemicals, where its grown, is it local/organic, fresh, seasonal, over processed (the list could go on) but we often forget about what we’re drinking. Now we’re not just talking about the quality of water or telling you to put down the soft drink (obvs’), but we’re talking things you presume is a 100% healthy option, like herbal teas.

Now let’s just start by saying herbal teas are an amazing way to get a safe dose of medicinal medicine in every sip – helping a variety of things from digestion, help sugar cravings, aid with your sleep or stress and even the quality of your skin, but, did you know that a number of herbal teas out there have a secret? A kinda unnecessary dirty one at that – hiding an array of additives, flavourings and preservatives hanging out in small print on the ingredient list? Yep, even that really popular brand you love. I was actually taken back when one of Australians most loved and cool tea brands have all of these sin bin items in a majority of their blends.

Even more shocking, those super convenient tea bags you brew after lunch that tastes delicious and eases bloating? They’re likely to contain plastic, glue, pesticides and other bits that kinda shouldn’t be in tea.

You may have seen an article making the rounds which shares that investigators at CBC found that over half of all teas tested had pesticide residues that were above the legally acceptable limit. Multiple chemicals were found in 8 out of 10 teas, with one brand of tea containing over 22 different types of pesticides. Yikes…

So what can you do?

We always suggest to sip local, an organic at that. Loose leaf is always a safe bet as most tea bags are bleached and contain plastic and glue to keep it all together (yep silk ones too) but if you are a die hard tea bag fan (we hear you!) there are a few on the market now which the bags are actually made from plant fibre AND are compostable – so a double win for you and the environment.

Our go to organic, plastic/chemical free AND compost friendly tea bags are from Little Wildling Co.

So next time you reach for that cheap tea, flip the package over to see if there’s added unnecessary ingredients and to make sure that the tea (loose and bags) say that they’re biodegradable/compost friendly, as that will be a giveaway sign they are made from plant fibre. And lastly, save the bargain shopping for things like toilet paper and spend a little more for things that you digest.


Happy sipping!