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Blackberry Leaf Tea: Use, Effect and How to Make it

Blackberry leaf tea is a tried and tested home remedy for diarrhea. The leaves also contain valuable antioxidants. You can read here how the tea works and how you can make it yourself.

The real blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) belongs to the rose family and has long been used as a medicinal plant. The leaves of the climbing shrub are used for medicinal purposes. Blackberries originally came from the Mediterranean region, but are now widespread throughout Europe and large parts of the northern hemisphere.

In this article you will find out how blackberry leaf tea works and what ailments you can use it for. We have also summarized for you what you should pay attention to if you want to collect blackberry leaves yourself and use them to prepare tea.

This is how blackberry leaf tea works

Blackberry leaves are a valuable source of antioxidants. These substances support the body in cell renewal while fighting free radicals and reducing oxidative stress. These properties can also prevent cancer in the human body.
Due to the tannins it contains, blackberry leaves have an astringent effect. Therefore, blackberry leaf tea is used to treat acute diarrhea.
The leaves also have strong antimicrobial properties. They fight various bacterial strains, such as Helicobacter pylori, according to another study from the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.
Blackberry leaves have also traditionally been used to treat diabetes. Animal experiments with rats suffering from diabetes were able to demonstrate a blood sugar-lowering effect.
Blackberry leaf tea can also be used as a gargle to treat sore spots in the mouth and throat.
The following ingredients are mainly responsible for the medicinal effects of blackberry leaves:
Tannins, including tannins
flavonoids

There are no known side effects for blackberry leaf tea.

Prepare and use blackberry leaf tea
Blackberry leaf tea can help you with acute diarrhea and inflammation in the mouth and throat.

If your symptoms don’t improve after two days, you should still see a doctor. If you have other symptoms such as a high fever or blood in your stool, you should go to the doctor right away instead of resorting to home remedies.

For inflammation in the mouth and throat, you can drink blackberry leaf tea or gargle lukewarm.

How to prepare blackberry leaf tea:
Pour 250 milliliters of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of dried blackberry leaves.
Let the tea steep for five to ten minutes.
Then remove the plant parts.

You can get the dried leaves for blackberry leaf tea in any pharmacy. If you have planted blackberries in your own garden or a blackberry bush near you, you can easily collect and dry the leaves yourself.

You should pay attention to this if you want to make blackberry leaf tea yourself:
The bramble must under no circumstances be treated or left by the road if you want to benefit from its healthy ingredients.
Collect the leaves in spring when they are freshly sprouted. According to the Pharmacognosy Review, the young leaves have the highest active ingredient content.
Pick the fresh leaves and place them in a cotton bag. But be careful not to take too many from one branch.
Spread the picked leaves out on some newspaper in a dark place (attic, closet) to dry. It is important that the leaves do not get direct sunlight so that the active ingredients are preserved and no bitter substances are produced.
If you can easily crumble the blackberry leaves with your fingers, they’re dry. Then you can chop them up and store them in a jar in a dark place. The blackberry leaves can be kept for about a year in this way.
Blackberry leaves are also great for tea blends. The taste goes particularly well with fruity teas such as rosehip tea or apple tea.

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Food

Alkaline Tea: Application, Varieties and Whether it is Really Useful

Basic tea can be prepared from different types of herbal tea. We’ll tell you how to use alkaline tea and whether it has positive effects.

Basic tea: definition and application

In the commercial sector, some tea blends are offered as “alkaline tea”. This means that these food products are above 7 on the pH scale and are alkaline rather than acidic. They are therefore suitable for an alkaline diet. Because alkaline tea is supposed to flush out the acids and pollutants from the body.

Alkaline tea is a suitable alternative to water if you are doing an alkaline treatment or eat an alkaline diet. For example, one tea maker recommends drinking three to five cups of alkaline tea daily.

Alkaline tea as part of an alkaline diet

Followers of an alkaline diet generally assume that the human body is overly acidic. According to this theory, acidic foods, coffee drinks, alcohol, and stress imbalance many people’s acid-base balance. This hyperacidity can trigger various diseases. In order to detoxify the body again, acid-forming foods should be reduced and alkaline-forming foods such as fruit, vegetables or herbs should be increased. Basic tea should also contribute to this.

Types of tea that are considered alkaline teas

Basic tea hides various herbal mixtures. These include the following ingredients:
fennel
Ginger
peppermint
rosemary
sage
thyme
Some herbal teas have been in use since the 5th century B.C. used as medicinal tea. Within the last 200 years, herbal tea has been used more and more as a stimulant in addition to its medicinal function. Today, herbal tea can be found in many medicine cabinets. Alkaline teas, i.e. herbal teas, are not prescribed by conventional medicine. In naturopathy, on the other hand, which promotes an alkaline diet, types of tea are prescribed for recovery. In another article we will inform you which types of tea you should know and what effects they have.

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Food

Hop Tea: Application, Effect and How to Make The Home Remedy

Hop tea is not beer, but rather a tried and tested remedy. Hops have a calming effect and have a positive effect on our sleep.

Hops belong to the hemp family. Long before the plant was used to brew beer, it was valued as a medicinal plant.

Hops are now cultivated throughout Europe and in parts of Asia and America. The plant sprouts anew every year and climbs up to twelve meters. Hops are dioecious. This means there are male and female flowers. For hop tea you only use the female flowers.

This is how hop tea works

The most important active ingredients in hop tea include:
Bitter substances: humulone and lupulone
flavonoids
tannins
essential oils
The bitter substances in particular are said to have a calming and sleep-inducing effect. In the meantime, the effect of hops and its ingredients has also been extensively scientifically investigated:
The positive effect of hops on the human psyche was proven in a pilot study. Test persons who consumed dried hop extract daily for four weeks reported reduced anxiety, depression and a lower stress level compared to the placebo group.
In an animal experiment with quail, it was shown that hops regulate the day-night rhythm and improve sleep at night. The birds should have a comparable sleeping rhythm as we humans. However, it is unclear to what extent the data can be transferred to humans.
In addition to the calming effect, hops also have antibacterial and antioxidant effects, according to a 2019 study. The authors of the study conclude that hops extract could help against acne. Because of the same properties, hops are also often used in folk medicine for digestive problems and other complaints such as loss of appetite. However, research is still needed here.

Hop tea and other hop products

The main uses of hop tea include:
nervous restlessness
sleep disorders
anxiety states

In addition to hop tea, there are other ways in which you can benefit from the effects of the medicinal plant:
In the pharmacy you can get capsules or tinctures made from hops. Hop essential oil is used in aromatherapy.
Hops are also suitable for a soothing bath for mind and body. To do this, boil a liter of water, pour it over 20 grams of hop blossoms and mix it into your bath water.
Another option for better sleep is a scented pillow filled with hop blossoms. You can just put that next to your pillow.

How to prepare hop tea

For the soothing tea you use the female flowers of the hops. You can recognize them by growing cone-shaped, spike-like bud sites, while male flowers hang more loosely. You can easily prepare hop tea yourself:
Pour 250 milliliters of boiling water over 2-3 teaspoons of dried female hop flowers.
Let the tea steep for five to ten minutes.
Then remove the plant parts.
You can have three cups a day. To help you sleep better, you should drink the tea about half an hour before you go to bed.

To increase the calming effects of hops, you can combine them with valerian or St. John’s wort. Lavender and chamomile are also good.

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Food

You Should Know These Types of Tea: From Jasmine to Peppermint

Many types of tea can relieve colds or strengthen the immune system. Here you can find out how to prepare the most popular types of tea and how they work.

Tea is considered healthy, warms on cold days and tastes great as iced tea even in summer. No wonder he’s popular all over the world. Over time, countless types of tea have emerged: tea was served either as a traditional drink or as medicine. Ginger, rosehip and many other plants have a beneficial effect.

But most tea comes from the tea plant: Depending on how the tea leaves are processed, we get green, white or black tea.

Many types of tea – many problems

Tea is the ideal drink for a healthy diet: if you don’t sweeten it with sugar or honey, it contains almost no calories. Many parents give their babies unsweetened tea as it is healthier than (fructose) juices.

However, you should find out exactly where your tea comes from. Fair trade tea is rarely available in many supermarkets.

Fair: On many tea plantations, the workers are exploited and receive wages below the subsistence level. Abuse and discrimination are commonplace.
Pesticides: On large tea plantations, synthetic chemical agents are sprayed to kill pests and maximize yields. The soil, the water and the health of the workers suffer from the chemicals. In the end, pesticides are always found in the finished tea.
Toxic Herbs: Many herbal teas are contaminated with weeds. The plants are often accidentally picked at the harvest. Often these are poisonous herbs that are potentially carcinogenic.

Teas with a clear conscience

Jasmine Tea: Good for the immune system
Green tea: A particularly healthy type of tea
Lime blossom tea: Good for colds
Ginger tea: Type of tea against nausea and colds
White tea: Traditional fine tea from gentle production
White tea: Traditional premium tea from gentle productionCaraway tea: Tea against flatulence
Rosehip tea strengthens the immune system
Black tea is popular and has an invigorating effect
Chamomile Tea: For drinking and inhaling
Peppermint tea: remedy for stomach problems

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Cooking Tips

Quickly Cool Hot Tea to Drinking Temperature

Tips for cooling hot tea quickly. Tea lovers can sing a song about it. Again the tea was drunk much too hot and the tongue is burned. It takes a little eternity for the tea to cool down to drinking temperature.

For those in a hurry, there are simple and highly effective ways to avoid hot tea and a burned tongue while still enjoying it quickly. So that you no longer lose valuable time in the morning and no longer have to wait for tea in between.

From hot to an enjoyable tea

Many ask themselves the question “How can tea cool down faster?” And this question is justified. Because we love tea and coffee in the morning. Or a delicious tea in the evening for supper. And in winter, this hot drink is also a must. In addition, it is enjoyed during the day in many warm countries. So one thing is certain: sooner or later you too will be drinking a cup of tea. That’s why we’ve collected a few tricks for you on how to cool your tea quickly. So you don’t have to wait any longer. In addition, note our tips for making tea with temperature and brewing time.

1) Hot tea with ice cubes

Hot tea tastes great and there are many different varieties. But it takes a while before the tea can be enjoyed. If you drink from it too quickly, you’ll burn your tongue. To prevent this from happening, you can put an ice cube in your hot drink. This allows the tea to cool down quickly. You should make sure to remove the ice cube as soon as the correct drinking temperature has been reached.

2) Quickly cool tea with a cold spoon

You can also bring your hot drink to the right drinking temperature with a chilled teaspoon. You can store a few teaspoons in the freezer for this. And if necessary, add them to the hot drink. So tea enjoyment is not long in coming. Also, read our article about the special properties of Match Tee.

3) Hot tea with cold milk or water

If you like green tea or black tea, you can also add a dash of cool milk or cold water. This allows the tea to cool down and enjoy quickly. You can add more or less cool liquid depending on your preference.

4) A cool water bath for the hot tea

You can also put your tea in a cool water bath. It’s a bit tedious, but it helps. To do this, fill a large bowl with cold water in which you can place a cup. Once you’ve brewed your tea, you can put it in there. Whether as a home remedy for abdominal pain or just because, with the water bath, hot tea can be enjoyed quickly.

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Food

Preparing Green Tea: This is How it Does Not Become Bitter

Preparing green tea takes a lot of learning: you have to pay attention to a few things when it comes to the infusion and the temperature so that the green tea doesn’t become bitter and the desired effect occurs.

Green tea is said to have many positive effects on the metabolism, fat burning and the immune system. Since it contains caffeine, it also wakes you up and is better tolerated than coffee.

If you want to prepare green tea in the traditional Japanese way, there are a lot of things to consider: the type of tea, the brewing time, the water quality, the temperature and the amount of tea. The teapot can also affect the taste.

Preparing green tea: that’s what matters

The water temperature and brewing time are particularly important when preparing green tea. If it brews too long, it becomes bitter. If it is too short, it hardly tastes good. If the water is too hot, good ingredients such as antioxidants or tanning agents are dissolved. If the water is too cold, these substances are not bound in the water and your tea has no effect.

For a good green tea you have to pay attention to the following:

Use low lime water
Brewing time: Depends on the type of tea, but no longer than three minutes
Water temperature: depending on the type of tea between 60 and 90 degrees Celsius
Amount of tea: 1 -2 teaspoons loose tea or 1 tea bag (approx. 10 g)
Amount of water: depending on the type of tea, one cup to one pot
In most cases, the packaging states how much tea needs to be brewed, for how long and at what degrees.

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health

Tea and Coffee Protect Against Heart Disease

Drinking coffee without regrets, who doesn’t wish for it. In the face of many opinions circulating that drinking coffee promotes cardiovascular diseases, strokes and other ailments, many a passionate coffee drinker may try to hold back for the sake of health. After a study recently revealed that coffee is good for the heart, Dutch scientists are now daring to take another step that clearly weakens the stubborn prejudice against the black hot drink. The results of their long-term study with more than 37,000 subjects, published in June 2010, show that moderate consumption of coffee, but especially tea, can lead to a significant reduction in the risk of heart disease.

Coffee protects For 13 years, the researchers from the University Medical Center in Utrecht have analyzed data on the tea and coffee consumption of the study participants and linked it to the incidence of heart disease and death in this group of people. The result of the tea drinkers was clearest. Those who drink between three and six cups of tea a day have a 45 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than someone who drinks less than one cup of tea a day. With higher tea consumption (more than six cups a day), the risk is still reduced by 36 percent.
The study did not record the type of tea the subjects consumed. However, based on statistical values, it is assumed that 78 percent of Dutch tea drinkers prefer black tea and 4.6 percent consume green tea. This means that the results of the study can primarily be related to black tea drinkers.

The study also showed positive results for coffee drinkers: two to four cups of coffee a day reduce the risk by 20 percent. The effect is therefore not as strong as with tea drinkers, but is still clearly present. The researchers also state that heavy tea and coffee consumption does not increase the risk of stroke, as is often assumed. No corresponding correlations could be established.

The scientists can only guess why the positive effects are weaker for coffee drinkers than for tea drinkers. It is possible that heavy coffee drinkers are generally more careless with their health, smoke more often and eat less healthily. They had higher cholesterol and blood sugar levels than the tea drinkers in the study. Nevertheless, coffee and tea drinkers can rejoice. The good effects on health cannot be denied and will perhaps calm down one or the other heavy coffee drinker a little…

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Food

The Bitter Truth About Tea

Exploitation, poverty, environmental destruction: That is the true price for our tea enjoyment – and others pay it. We show why responsible consumers should spend their money on fair tea instead of cheap tea.

Strictly speaking, “tea” is only the infusion made from the leaves of the tea plant, i.e. black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong. So the following post is about that. Because especially with the tea plant, the cultivation and processing conditions are often criticized.

The reasons are of a geographical and economic nature: Today, tea comes mainly from China, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Vietnam (see FAO) – countries in which social and environmental standards are comparatively low or compliance is rarely monitored. The tea market is dominated by a few large corporations, in particular Unilever, the Tata Group and Associated British Foods. This gives these companies a lot of power, for example to enforce their ideas about prices and production conditions.

Tea often means exploitation and poverty

A prerequisite for employees to be able to protect their interests against such powerful corporations is that they can organize themselves. In a study, the Catholic aid organization Misereor writes that on many Asian and African tea plantations, employee representatives such as unions and works councils are being obstructed – in principle not a rare phenomenon in the plantation business. In 2019, however, Oxfam did report trade union activity in the Assam region of India.

Both organizations and a few others also report on diverse and widespread forms of discrimination on tea plantations, abuses of any kind do not seem to be uncommon.

There are hardly any living wages in the tea industry: the wages of plantation workers are often below the national minimum wage. Oxfam and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation mention wages of less than 2 euros per day in different regions of India.

According to various research, there are usually services on the tea plantations that plantation companies agree with their employees, such as medical care, accommodation and food. But these are often deducted from wages, so that there is hardly any money left to live on. In addition, research by NGOs and journalists consistently shows that the shelter and food provided is inadequate.

All three organizations mentioned denounce the catastrophic nutritional situation of tea plantation workers. This is also a consequence of the practice of withholding wages under various pretexts. Many employees on tea plantations are therefore undernourished or malnourished, and an alarmingly large proportion of their children are physically underdeveloped.

Nobody likes it: poison in tea

On large tea plantations, the tea is harvested all year round. Those responsible spray plenty of pesticides to combat pests and optimize yields. Soil, water, biodiversity and the health of the plantation workers suffer from the chemicals. We consumers in Europe can also taste the rampant use of pesticides: Test institutes regularly find high levels of pesticides in tea samples.

Greenpeace India, for example, found residues of at least one pesticide in 94 percent of the tea samples examined in 2014, and even more than ten different pesticides in 60 percent. However, pesticides in our food are not necessarily harmless: some have been linked to various health problems such as cancer, hormonal imbalances and fertility disorders.

What to do?

So far, so sad. If you don’t want to let the problems surrounding the cultivation of the tea plant spoil your enjoyment of tea, you can definitely do something:

Buy organic tea to reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides. The organic certification prohibits the use of dangerous sprays and fertilizers. With the purchase, you strengthen organic agriculture in the countries of origin and contribute to reducing the use of poison.
Buy fair trade, organic tea. This is the best way to combat exploitative working conditions. However, it is not easy to make a concrete recommendation here, because in addition to the well-known Fairtrade seal, there are a variety of initiatives.

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Lavender Tea: Effect and How to Make It Yourself

Lavender tea is a versatile and proven remedy. It has a calming effect on the nervous system and can help with various ailments. Here you can find out how to make lavender tea yourself and what you should consider when preparing it.

Lavender tea has an intense aroma and a delicate scent. In addition, lavender tea is a good way to benefit from the versatile healing properties of the plant. Even the ancient Romans used lavender as a medicinal plant and as a bath additive. And the colorful blossoms are still very much appreciated in monastery gardens to this day.

Lavender flowers are used to make lavender tea. You can find out how to make the tea yourself below. If you want to buy lavender tea, you should definitely use organic quality flowers. Öko-Test found increased residues of pesticides and other pollutants in conventional teas.

This is how lavender tea works

Lavender can not only enrich your garden, the medicinal plant also has a wide range of health effects. The valuable ingredients of the flower are responsible for this. These include, among others:

essential oils
tannins
bitter substances
flavonoids
saponins
Lavender has been extensively studied in both animal and human studies. A study from 2013 dealt extensively with the effects of lavender, especially on the nervous system. The following properties of lavender were proven:

antibacterial
antiviral
anti-inflammatory
calming
pain relieving
anxiolytic
mood-enhancing
antispasmodic
circulation-enhancing
You can use lavender tea for various ailments:

Insomnia: Lavender tea can calm and help you fall asleep better. The tea is even said to intensify sleep. The best way to do this is to drink a cup of lavender tea before bed. Even if you suffer from jet lag, you can use lavender tea.
Depressive moods and anxiety: Lavender can have a calming effect on our nervous system and relieves anxiety. In addition, it brightens your mood. It is best to drink two to three cups throughout the day.
Indigestion: Its calming effect also helps with indigestion and can relieve abdominal cramps. It is important that you only let the tea steep for a short time. The highly concentrated essential oils could also irritate your mucous membranes.
Menstrual cramps: Lavender tea can relieve abdominal cramps and has a physically and mentally calming effect.
Respiratory diseases: Lavender can relax the airways and helps against viruses and bacteria, especially in the case of coughs and diseases of the bronchi.
Blemishes and acne: You can use lavender tea as a bath additive for external use on blemishes and acne. To do this, boil a liter of lavender tea and add the tea to your bath.
Lavender tea is generally well tolerated and also suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women. A 2015 study looked at the positive effects of lavender tea on new mothers. The participants felt less exhausted and depressed, and lavender tea had a positive effect on mother-child bonding.

In addition to tea, lavender is also often used as lavender oil for medicinal purposes. Here, the content of essential oils is significantly higher, so the effect is different.

Make your own lavender tea

Only the colorful blossoms are used for homemade lavender tea.

At best, lavender grows in your garden. You should make sure that it is real lavender “Lavandula angustifolia” so that you can benefit from the healing effect.

How to make lavender tea yourself:

Harvest lavender:

Depending on the weather conditions, lavender starts blooming between June and August. As soon as the first buds open, but not all have started blooming, you should harvest them.
The best time is midday on a sunny day. Then the dew evaporated.
Cut off the buds with their stalks, this will make drying them easier.
Dry lavender:

Tie the harvested buds together by their stems into bunches and hang them upside down.
Make sure the buds are not exposed to direct sunlight or heat while drying.
After a week or two, the lavender flowers are completely dry. Then you can easily rub them with your fingers.
Use a knife or sharp scissors to separate the buds from the stems and place in a jar.
Store the dried flowers in a dry and light-protected place.
Preparation of the tea:

For one cup (250 milliliters) of lavender tea you need about two teaspoons of dried lavender flowers.
Boil the water first and then let it cool down to about 80 degrees. The effective essential oils are very sensitive to heat and should therefore not be boiled.
Let the tea steep for 8-10 minutes before removing the flowers.
If the intense aroma of lavender tea doesn’t suit your taste, you can tone it down with a little milk or honey.
Lavender is also great for tea blends. To increase the effect, you can mix the tea with St. John’s wort or valerian. In terms of taste, lavender harmonizes particularly well with:

chamomile
licorice
Linden Blossoms
rose petals

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Enjoyment with a Clear Conscience: Fair Trade Tea

Traditional tea has a bitter aftertaste: pesticide pollution and exploitation on the plantations. If you shop responsibly, you can do something about it. However, there is not one all-round good alternative – there are many different initiatives.

If you don’t just want to drink tea (black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong) but want to enjoy it with a clear conscience, you should follow two pieces of advice: Buy organic tea, because the pesticide load there is significantly lower. Also make sure that you really only buy fairly traded tea, because that way you can also counteract the problematic working conditions.

The problem: making a clear recommendation for “fair trade” tea is not that easy. In addition to the well-known and widespread Fairtrade seal, there is an almost unmanageable variety of initiatives. We present a small selection.

Fairtrade: higher wages, fairer conditions

The Fairtrade seal stands for better working conditions in the production countries. An important tool is the Fairtrade premium: it is paid to the local workers’ cooperative or workers’ representation and used for charitable purposes. Fairtrade prohibits discrimination, forced and child labor and requires occupational safety measures and formal employment relationships. Genetic engineering is excluded, the use of pesticides is severely restricted. There is an extra premium for organic cultivation.

The price that producers receive for their tea depends on the quality, origin and processing methods. Due to the included Fairtrade surcharge, however, it is generally slightly higher than without certification.

According to Fairtrade, the wages of the workers must be at least as high as the standard industry wages or statutory minimum wages, whichever is higher. If these are below living wages, there must be continuous wage increases. However, what is considered to be “living wage” has not yet been clearly defined. “There is currently no uniform living wage calculation system, but we are aiming for it,” says Verena Albert from the policy department of the fair trade company GEPA (see below).

Fairtrade does not guarantee physical traceability for tea. This means: If you buy 100 grams of tea with the Fairtrade seal, the pack does not necessarily have to contain 100 grams of Fairtrade tea, it can also contain conventional tea. The only thing that is certain is that the tea manufacturer bought 100 grams of Fairtrade tea – this is guaranteed by the umbrella organization FLO (Fair Labor Organisation).

Buying: Fairtrade products are available almost everywhere: in supermarkets, discounters, organic shops and supermarkets, health food stores, world shops, drugstores and in many online shops.

GEPA: stricter rules, better traceability

At GEPA, the standards go beyond those of Fairtrade. The company also does public relations and lobbying for fair trade and is a member of FLO and WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization).

A long-term trading partner of GEPA is the Indian tea producer TPI. The company pays its employees above minimum wage for every kilo of tea they pick and also invests in a pension fund for them. Unlike many other plantation operations, TPI employs workers year-round, providing them with education, health care, and electricity.

The price that GEPA pays the producers is based on their calculations; they receive a fair trade surcharge per kilo. After all, around 80 percent of all goods at GEPA come from organic cultivation. Many of the teas bear the seal of the Naturland cultivation association.

GEPA guarantees that there will be no balancing of quantities for tea. For consumers, this means that GEPA tea packs actually contain 100 percent tea from certified tea gardens. “Physical traceability is very important to us. It helps to promote not only fair trade in the minds of the people here, but above all the local producers,” says Verena Albert from GEPA.

El Puente: special support for disadvantaged groups

The non-profit El Puente focuses on trading with self-governing smallholder cooperatives and family businesses. Unlike Fairtrade International and GEPA, El Puente provides producers with up to 100 percent interest-free pre-financing of production.

The company works according to the standards of the WFTO: It makes the special support of disadvantaged groups in the producer countries a central criterion. Wages must correspond to the respective statutory minimum wages or the wages customary in the industry, whichever is higher. Living wages are also “desired” here.

According to their own statements, about 80 percent of the food range is certified organic. El Puente gets its tea from cooperatives in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Rwanda.

Buying: The products can only be found in world shops or online so far.

Direct Trade

Initiatives such as the Tea Alternative and the Tea Campaign buy certified organic tea directly from plantations in India, ship it to Germany and sell it directly to consumers in bulk. The tea alternative offers only one type of tea (Assam), the tea campaign two (Darjeeling and Assam); both support the respective region to a special degree. They can offer their products relatively inexpensively by bypassing middlemen, certifiers and complicated marketing structures.

The plantations from which the two direct traders get their tea are mostly FLO-certified. During visits to India, the companies regularly convince themselves that the workers are treated fairly. “The advantage is that I know exactly where the tea comes from and who benefits from it,” says Thomas Zimmermann from the tea alternative. “When I’m there, I look behind practically every machine.” Both initiatives support charitable projects in India with part of their proceeds.

Conclusion: Enjoying fair tea is possible

We believe: every step counts. And that’s why the most important thing is that you do something at all to counteract exploitation and environmental destruction on the tea plantations. The alternatives presented may not be perfect, but they are relatively easy to put into practice for every tea fan and just as useful as they are worthy of support.

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