5 Sustainable and Organic Tea Brands to Start Sipping

Maybe you like to wake up with a cup of hot green tea every morning, or maybe you're more of a chamomile-before-bed type of person. Either way, have you ever thought about what goes into what you're drinking?

Sure, on the surface it's just a leaf-infused beverage. What could be wrong with that? Well, often times, pesticides and chemicals go into producing those leaves. On top of that, the bags they're housed in can contain microplastics, which then leak into your cozy beverage. Not exactly something you'd want to be sipping on.

Luckily, there are a variety of eco-friendly tea connoisseurs out there that want to make sure you can enjoy a cup of tea that's healthy for you and the planet. Some focus on organic tea production, which eliminates the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms, making it much less impactful on the environment than conventional farming practices. Others are known for their compostable packaging, Fair Trade selections, and carbon offsetting programs. Some even do it all!

To learn more about these plant-approved brews, continue reading below for the best eco-friendly and organic tea brands.

5 Sustainable and Organic Tea Brands

1. Arbor Teas

Based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Arbor Teas offers an enormous selection of organic teas. That’s right: Every single one is USDA certified, and they even offer Fair Trade certified varieties as well. But it’s not just the teas themselves that boast some seriously eco-friendly attributes.

The packaging is something to write home about as well. When you receive your tea, it will come in backyard compostable packaging that's derived from sustainably-sourced wood pulp. Even more notable is the lack of tea bags. All Arbor Teas are loose leaf teas, which eliminates even more waste. Instead, the teas can be brewed in one of their reusable tea filters. 

2. Pukka

Pukka is a certified B-corp with a vision to build a truly sustainable organic value chain. The company partners very closely with farmers and growers to ensure fair wages are being paid and sustainable practices are being used. They offer an eclectic collection of herbal teas that will support your health while also promoting ecological conservation.

Sustainability is also present within the tea's packaging. Pukka’s boxes are made from FSC certified card, which can simply be tossed in your paper recycling bin after use. Meanwhile, the tea bags are made from 99 percent natural fibers with one percent resin (so that it doesn’t fall apart). The company is in the process of obtaining a certification that will confirm that the bags are 100 percent home compostable. 

3. Adagio Teas

Adagio Teas is a family-founded tea shop known for its wide variety of flavorful and fresh teas. While not all of the brand's teas are organic or Fair Trade, they do have organic and Fair Trade collections to select from.

In an effort to source the highest quality teas, two of the co-founders traveled to Asia to meet and form relationships with the country's finest tea growers. Today, all of the teas they offer come directly from the farmers who cultivate them. The brand also participates in a carbon offset program. For every purchase, a contribution is made to help sponsor the offset of two pounds of carbon.

4. Rishi Tea

Rishi Tea is a self-proclaimed conscious business that pays close attention to both the raw materials and the human effort needed to create its teas. Approximately 95 percent of its products are certified organic. Also, the company offers both loose leaf and sachet tea, but don't worry—they've taken care to make sure their sachets are healthy for you and the earth.

Rishi tea bags are made from a plant-based material called polylactic acid—a fancy way of saying they're not derived from petroleum and will not be leaking microplastics into your morning brew. They're also fully biodegradable, so you can compost them once you're done sipping.

5. Teapigs

Founded by two former tea company employees, Teapigs is on a mission to give quality tea the attention it deserves. The brand is all about providing, real, quality tea that's sourced sustainability in planet-friendly packaging.

Its tea bags, which the company has coined "tea temples," are made from corn starch and paper, meaning that it's 100 percent ok to throw in your compost heap. While not all of the brand's teas are organic due to quality and sourcing reasons, they are always completely natural and tested against pesticides.