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Numi brews up tea innovation
Jun
Numi brews up tea innovation
By Jennifer
LaDuke
When I
first told a friend that I don’t like coffee, his immediate response was “Have you
seen a doctor about that?” This reaction was neither uncommon nor unwarranted.
After all, how can someone not like coffee? It comes in so many varieties! You
can even add chocolate! But at the end of the day, I’m just not a java person
(no matter how much I’d like the caffeine boost.) I happily start my mornings
with a mug of tea rather than the standard cup of joe. It’s for this reason
that I am so excited to share with you the release of a new product from Numi
Organic Tea: the Artisan’s Tea Blending Kit.
Those
of us who wait patiently for tea leaves to steep rather than watch the coffee
pot drip full know that the best teas are all about the subtleties of flavor,
and Numi recognizes and caters to that sentiment with their new product. The
Artisan’s Tea Blending Kit invites tea enthusiasts not to settle for the
prepackaged tea assortments, but rather to experiment with their beverage by
mixing organic and free trade ingredients on a quest to become “tea
alchemists.” Each kit includes a variety of herbs, spices, flowers and fruits
that allow consumers to blend to their hearts’ content. The product encourages purchasers
to let their creativity bubble over as they mix and match tastes and scents into
unique combinations to be enjoyed solo or shared with friends. The kits even
include a handmade glass teapot that aficionados can use to flaunt their
creations.
Created
by Ahmed Rahm, CEO and “chief alchemist” for Numi, known in the industry for
his skilled tea blending, each Artisan’s Tea Blending Kit comes in an
eco-friendly box and includes:
-
10 premium organic ingredients:
green tea, black tea, white tea, rooibos, Moroccan mint, rose, lemongrass,
orange peel, cinnamon and ginger - 1 handmade glass teapot
- 20 tea sacs
- Recipe booklet
The
kits are marketed toward “connoisseurs and novice-tea drinkers alike” in the hopes that the product’s
inventive nature will capture the imaginations of tea fans of all types and help
create “a truly unique and personal tea experience.”
When researching for this post, I also came across the
information that in addition to the release of the new product, Numi also
recently became the first and only company
to receive verification of its packaging and tea bags by the Non-GMO Project, a
non-profit organization committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO
products, educating consumers and providing verified non-GMO choices. Thirty
varieties of Numi’s organic teas will now boast the prized Non-GMO Project
Verification mark on their packaging. I discovered that Numi attempts to
embrace sustainability in every step of the farming, production and packaging process,
which is why the company attempts to avoid certain industry trends like the
commonplace diamond shaped “see-through” tea bags, which are typically sourced
from GMO corn or petroleum based nylon, and unnecessary plastic overwrap on
their boxes. Numi’s tea bags are made with natural hemp-based unbleached
filter-paper, are printed with soy-based inks, and are biodegradable and home
compostable. Numi attempts not only to encourage its customers to have fun and
be artistic with their drinks, but also to provide quality, Earth-friendly
products in the process. If, like me when I started writing this, you don’t
know what GMO means (genetically modified organisms, for the record,) you can
check out the links at the end of the post for more information.
While
I have old favorites I tend to return to time and time again (nothing says
morning quite like English Breakfast!), I love trying new tea flavors. My “tea
cupboard” is already overflowing with a dozen varieties I couldn’t resist
trying, but when the Artisan’s Tea Blending Kits hit shelves this fall, I know
I will certainly follow Numi’s advice and let the “creative-tea” flow!
(Numi’s Artisan’s Tea Blending Kit will be
available this September at NumiTea.com, Amazon.com and select outlets with a
suggested retail price of $34.99-$39.99.)
(Information
on GMOs is available at www.NonGMOProject.org, to learn more about Numi Organic Tea
visit NumiTea.com.)
