FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Local pick-up of your order is available for those who are in Savannah and nearby areas. When completing your order online, select "Pick-up" as your shipping option during check-out. We will need a few hours to complete your order. Once it is ready, we'll send you an email with pick-up instructions. If you place your order before noon, you'll be able to stop by our E. Macon Street shop the same day between 4pm and 6pm to pick it up.

Simply, it is the plant known as Camellia sinensis; a perennial, semi-deciduous shrub that at times grows to tree height of 25+ feet, and can be grown on several continents which have a warm, humid climate, plentiful rainfall, long sunny days, and well-drained soil. The plants reach picking maturity in 5-7 years and can be cultivated for more than 100 years. The two main variants which we drink as tea are C. s. var. sinensis and C. s. var. assamica. After the leaves are harvested, they are withered to varying degrees of oxidation and then fixed with heat. White teas have the most caffeine and least amount of tannins, while black teas have lesser amounts of caffeine and the most amount of tannins. Caffeine content and "body" are not the same. A teas "body" is describing the depth of tannins present in the brew; while caffeine content is higher in those teas which are comprised of the bud and first two leaves - these being the youngest part of the tea plant.

As a general guidance for most teas which fall within the following categories. WHITE TEA, GREEN TEA, & GREEN OOLONG 1. Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil. 2. Allow water to cool until 160-180 degrees. 3. Swirl boiling water in the teapot or mug for 1 minute to warm it up, discard water. 4. For each cup of tea place 1 level teaspoon of tea leaves in the tea infuser. 5. Pour water over tea leaves, cover and brew for 2 minutes. 6. Remove infuser and leaves, and serve. 7. Can be rebrewed several times, adding 1 additional minute to the brew time. BLACK TEA & AMBER OOLONG 1. Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil. 2. Swirl boiling water in the teapot or mug for 1 minute to warm it up, discard water. 3. For each cup of tea place 1 level teaspoon of tea leaves in the tea infuser. 4. Pour boiling water over tea leaves, cover and brew for 3 minutes. 5. Remove infuser and leaves, and serve. 6. Can be rebrewed several times, adding 1 additional minute to the brew time. PUERH 1. Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil. 2. Swirl boiling water in the teapot or mug for 1 minute to warm it up, discard water. 3. For each cup of tea place 1 level teaspoon of tea leaves in the tea infuser. 4. Pour just enough boiling water to cover tea leaves, rinse for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Discard water. 5. Pour boiling water over tea leaves, cover and brew for 3 minutes. 6. Remove infuser and leaves, and serve. 7. Can be rebrewed several times, even over the course of a few days, adding 1 additional minute to the brew time. HERBAL TISANE 1. Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil. 2. Swirl boiling water in the teapot or mug for 1 minute to warm it up, discard water. 3. For each cup of tisane place 1 level teaspoon of leaves in the tea infuser. 4. Pour boiling water over leaves, cover and brew for 5 minutes. 5. Remove infuser and leaves, and serve. 6. Can be rebrewed two times, 7 minutes for the second brew time.

No longer limit yourself to brewing tisanes and decaf tea. Caffeine is highly water soluble and is one of the first components of the tea leaf to be extracted during the brew. Usually around 80% of the caffeine content is released within the first 60 seconds of steeping. By following the directions below the entire world of teas are available to you once again. 1. After measuring out tea into the filter, place into a mug or tea cup. 2. Paying attention to the suggested brewing temperature, pour water over the tea leaves just enough to cover the leaves. 3. Set timer for 1 minute. 4. After the timer goes off, remove leaves and toss the liquid. 5. Place tea leaves & infuser in the cup/mug/teapot of choice. 6. Proceed as instructed for that tea in particular.

Not all teas do well being iced; they loose their nose, which effects the depth of flavour and layered nuances; and in the case of Darjeeling, they become cloudy. However, if you choose wisely and pick one which has added fruit or a strong tannin, you'll find something enjoyable. We find that Summer Solstice, Coconut Pouching, Citron Green, Golden Puerh, Assam Mangalam, White Honeydew, Cherry Blossom Green, and such similar teas fair well. When brewed properly, iced teas need very little or any sugar. To make 2 quarts Iced Tea: In a saucepan, bring 1 quart water to the correct brewing temperature. Remove from heat source. Measure 1 tablespoon tea in large tea ball. Place the tea ball in a heat safe container and set timer to correct brewing time + 1 minute (White & Green = 3 minutes, Black = 4 minutes, Herbal Tisane = 5 minutes). In a 2 quart pitcher, add 2 cups ice, and a metal spoon to absorb the high heat. When tea is brewed, remove tea ball, and carefully pour tea over ice in pitcher. Repeat Step 1. Using same leaves, place tea ball back into heat safe container and brew for 1 minute longer (White & Green = 4 minutes, Black = 5 minutes, Herbal Tisane = 7 minutes). Repeat step 4. to combine both brews in the same pitcher. Refrigerate for several hours or pour over ice filled glasses to serve immediately.

1. In a heat safe container, measure out 1 cup white sugar. To this, pour 1 cup water - just off a boil - stirring continuously until sugar dissolves and syrup is clear. 2. Counter cool and then refrigerate. Consume within a week and store in refrigerator when not in use. Alternatively, you can use brown sugar, or honey, adjusting ratios of sugar to water until desirable sweetness is obtained.