Organic tea is tea that is grown in conditions without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or genetically modified antibiotics or organisms. In order for any food, tea or otherwise, to be labeled organic, it must be grown under these guidelines according to the Department of Primary industries.
The tea must also be harvested and prepared in a way where it does not come into contact with any chemicals. Also, once the tea is shipped and labeled organic, during transport it is important that the leaves stay free from any of the above mentioned as well.
The end result is a cup of healthy tea, which in most cases would be organic loose tea, that is as pure as nature intended and is absent of any man-made chemical. Organic tea is grown in naturally rich soil, on carefully monitored farms where pesticides are not allowed to be sprayed on the tea bushes. Drinking teas grown under such conditions help reduce the chemical load on the body.
However, not all tea farms use pesticides, and even grow their tea in natural soil. But do not get the organic label unless some industry supervises the whole cultivation process. In some cases, tea farms use pesticides so as to save their crop from leaf-munching insects. If you are concerned about the use and possible consumption of pesticides, then organic sealed tea will probably be your choice.
You can always try and check with the merchant you buy your tea from and ask them if their tea product is organic, or if they have knowledge of the conditions their tea was grown under. More than likely they will have an answer for you, (when I asked one online merchant, their response was "no", and stated that "it has been their experience that organic types tea is of a lesser flavor quality compared to non-organic teas.)
Although they do not sell organic products, their tea still remains one of the best on the web...especially for newcomers of loose leaf tea. I have never had an issue, and never heard of one. Just because tea is not labeled organic doesn't mean it is bad. Tea farms have a reputation to keep, so even if they use pesticides, it is in their best nature to make sure that their tea is healthy for the customer.
