We thoroughly scrutinize our decaffeinated teas to ensure that they stand up to Canadian Quality specifications. All of our decaffs are processed using the Co2 Process. The advantage of this decaffeination process is that no chemical solvents are used to remove the caffeine. Also, using the naturally occurring Co2 in a circulation process which carefully uses high pressure and temperature to extract the caffeine, the origin distinct character of the tea is retained in the cup. There is a slight change in the character of the tea due to the process but the end result is an uncompromising cup of tea with no chemical overtones.
There is an old Chinese saying that there are seven matters related to the starting of a family’s life: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. In the villages tea was brewed as follows. A clay teapot was filled 1/3rd with tea leaves, and fresh spring water was drawn and heated to about 160 degrees. Water was then poured onto the leaves and immediately poured off. This washed the leaves and started the leaves opening. The pot was then refilled and the tea allowed to infuse for 3-5 minutes. Following this the entire contents (except the leaves) were poured into small porcelain cups. If more another cup of tea was required heated water would be poured into the pot once again. To this day, in the countryside of China the tradition remains.
Chinese tea aficionados take their tea very seriously. To protect their tea from enemies - air, light, heat, and humidity - the tea is stored in an airtight tin or opaque ceramic pot. The rule of thumb is that green tea should be used right away since it tastes better with fresh leaves.