Tea has been around for thousands of years. The tea plant is hardy and can live to be over 100 years old. Tea was once considered more valuable than silver. This is a precious, endlessly giving plant that needs to be respected and cared for. We are trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Our goal is to be close to 0% waste at Elden Street Tea Shop. We plan to have biodegradable, compostable, and reusable utensils, cups, plates, tea bags, packaging, etc. 
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We look forward to sharing our ideas of using tea compost, growing plants sustainably, and following good gardening practices with the community. If you have ideas or suggestions of environmental practices you would like to see in the tea shop, post them in the comment section below. 

On Saturday, Mike and I were invited to go to Green Alchemy Boot Camp at Sarah's house. Sarah, is our tea blender and owner of Green Alchemy Teas. When she said boot camp, she wasn't joking. She prepared us to answer all of your tea questions. One of the things I would like to share with you about our learning experience is the different classification of teas. 

First things first. Tea all comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The different names for tea comes from different classifiers.

1. ​How long the tea leaf has been on the plant itself. 
2. Naming the tea is based on the origin of the tea. Darjeeling is from Darjeeling, India. Ceylon comes from Ceylon, Sri Lanka, etc.  

​  Example in Picture: Orange Pekoe is named after the Dutch Royal House of Orange- Nassau and their role in bringing tea to England. 
    3.  Color is another classifier. The longer the tea is left to oxidize, the closer it gets to
          becoming a black tea. 

There are several different classifications for tea. 

​Orthodox Tea​- tea in it's purest form. Nothing is added to it. 
​Altered Teas​- teas that have been altered by way of infusion, blending, or decaffeinated.
​Red Teas- ​teas from the Assam bush or Honeybush tea plant, not Camellia Sinensis. 
​Herbal Teas​- orthodox teas blended with other herbs or just herbs. 

​I look forward continuing to share my knowledge on teas and happenings with the store. If you would like to share your knowledge of teas or have a specific topic/ question for me to answer, put it in the comments below.