Quality criteria for herbal tea
What to look for when buying herbal tea
As herbal specialists, it is not only our concern to offer our customers outstanding quality products, but also to give them an understanding of the parameters that define this quality so that they can make their purchasing decisions consciously.
When it comes to herbs and their quality, three main points are crucial:
- Quality
- Filling quantity
- Protection of raw materials
Quality in the origin
What was never in the plant cannot be used in the tea infusion, so quality naturally starts with growing and using the highest quality herbs. This is particularly true for herbs from controlled organic farming, as no fertilizers are used there. Long-term, fairly paid partners in cultivation, ideal transport routes and strict laboratory controls form the basis for the highest possible product safety and consistently outstanding raw material quality.
Naturally, these factors cause enormous production costs. At the same time, they are only “recognizable” to the customer to a limited extent. Our advice is therefore - pay attention to the naturally intense taste of the tea infusion and trust in brands that have proven their reliability over many decades.
Capacity of the tea bag
An often unrecognized but extremely important factor for product quality is the optimal capacity of the tea bag. The full aroma and with it the full effect of the herbs can only be achieved if there are enough herbs in each tea bag. At the same time, due to the lack of attention to this detail, you can always see that this is where savings are being made. Although this saving disguises aromas, it does not change the fact that the product can no longer develop the desired herbal effect and a naturally intense aroma. In addition, with an optimally filled tea bag you get a highly aromatic tea infusion even with larger quantities. We recommend cups of at least 250 ml per tea bag and in the Neuner's offices, even for entire teapots, we only ever use 2 tea bags.
Aroma protection right up to the cup
Many herbs contain highly volatile ingredients. Herbs that contain essential oils are increasingly being used, especially in the tea sector. Their name alone suggests that they taste more pleasant than their bitter and tannin counterparts. They remain relatively stable in herbs in the so-called concis cut, which is used for open teas. Fine-cut tea herbs that we find in tea bags have significantly more surface area over which their ingredients evaporate much more quickly.
While you can certainly do without aroma protection in the Concis area, you can scent the shelves of retailers with tea bags that are not wrapped or wrapped in paper, but by the time the tea bag is infused, you will only find remnants of the herbal power in it. However, if you want the herbal power to only develop in the tea cup, the tea bags must be packed in appropriate aroma protection bags.
If you take these factors into account, the price of a product is often put into perspective, so you should also pay attention to small details when making your purchase. Thanks to decades of experience, international partnerships and future-oriented investments, as a Tyrolean family business we can offer our customers the countless positive effects of herbs in special products. We thank you for your trust and promise to handle it very carefully in the future, as we have done for over 4 decades!
