Last week we wrote about the typical tea’s journey. This week, we want to tell you how we bring our teas to you! At Mana, we are the producers, packagers, exporters, importers and retailers. The tea comes from our family owned estate – Chota Tingrai, in Tinsukia, Assam. The tea is manufactured and packed at the Estate, and sent to Calcutta for customs clearance and shipping. The tea is then shipped directly to our warehouse in St. Louis, Missouri, upon US customs and FDA clearance. Once it reaches our warehouse, it is ready for dispatch. As soon as we get your order, the warehouse picks-packs and ships the tea to you!
So what’s the difference between our tea, and those that come through the traditional supply chain.
Here’s a short list that can help you understand the differences better. Our teas are:
Fresh
You get teas straight from the tea gardens. The shorter journey reduces how long they are stocked in warehouses, keeping them more fresh. You can get seasonal teas depending on the time of the year, such as Spring teas, summer teas or autumn teas. Each of the seasonal teas have different taste and properties that you can enjoy.
Original, Pure and Unblended
You get teas that are black or green tea in their original make. During the tea manufacture the factory makes up to 12 different grades of leaf teas. Different sizes of tea leaf make for different grades. The best grades are full leaf teas.The leaves that get broken during manufacture, are called ‘brokens’ and are mostly used for blending teas. Most tea in the retail market are blended teas with other tea grades, and/or other tea sources. The blended teas while consistent in taste, don’t capture the original tastes and seasonal variations that pure, unblended teas have.
Authentic
You get authentic, organic teas. Whether you believe in organic agriculture or not, the organic market has been growing, and there are more and more organic items on grocery shelves. To know whether something is genuinely organic can be very difficult. At Mana, beyond being certified, we are working hands on at the tea estate, and can personally vouch for the organic practices that are used. Our customers can follow our blog, our work on Chota Tingrai and also visit us on site to see how their tea is cultivated, and where the tea comes from.
Traceable
You get teas that have specific batch numbers that can be traced back to their origin. You can trace it back to the date the tea was plucked, and manufactured. This allows you as our customer, to know exactly where your tea comes from, how old your tea is, and the journey it took to get to you.
And while many of these benefits may seem behind the scenes, they produce a better tasting, healthier cup of tea we are sure you will enjoy. Check out our online store, or sign up for two FREE sample tea bags to try a cup today!