Bigelow "Constant Comment" Black Tea FAQ's

What is the difference between black tea, green tea, white tea, and oolong tea?

All tea is processed from the same bush called Camellia Sinensis. White tea is tea made from new growth buds and young leaves of the plant. The leaves are steamed or fried to inactivate oxidation, and then dried. Green Tea is processed by steaming and scalding the tea leaves for several minutes; they are then rolled and dried. Black Teas go through a different process; the tea leaves are not steamed, but are oxidized or fermented and then dried. The fourth type of tea, which is oolong, goes through the same process as black tea, but it is only oxidized for half the time.

Does green tea (or any tea) contain lead?

For multiple years we have used top-quality testing facilities that can detect amounts as low as .00125 ppm for lead, as well as other heavy metals. As a frame of reference, the EPA allows up to .015 ppm of lead in our drinking water and .005 in bottled water. In all of our years of testing of our brewed tea, we have found that heavy metals, including lead, are significantly below the allowable levels of lead in both bottled water and tap water.

Which has more caffeine, coffee or tea?

Pound for pound, tea contains more caffeine than coffee, but you get 200 cups of tea per pound versus 50-60 cups of coffee per pound. Black tea contains approximately 30-60 mg of caffeine per 8 fl oz serving while coffee contains approximately 100-120 mg per 8 fl oz serving. Therefore, tea contains ¼ to ½ the caffeine per cup.

Is there corn or corn products in any of your teas?

We do not use corn as a primary ingredient in any of our teas although some of our teas contain flavors with trace amounts of corn Maltodextrin. It is an easily digestible carbohydrate that contains no corn protein.

What is Oxalic Acid and how much is in a cup of tea?

Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring component of tea, chocolate, beer, soybeans, wheat germ, some fruits and vegetables, and is especially high in spinach and other dark leaf greens. Oxalic acid is usually excreted in urine as a harmless by-product of digestion and assimilation, however it can also combine with minerals, and particularly with calcium, to form oxalates.

These oxalates are salt crystals that can be irritating to human tissue and can contribute to the formation of kidney and bladder stones. This is especially a concern for those who have kidney or bladder problems or those with an inability to properly absorb fat.

Of all the tea types, black and black decaffeinated teas contain the most oxalic acid, typically ranging from 12 to 30 mg per cup. Green, green decaffeinated and white teas typically contain 6 to 18 mg oxalic acid per cup. However test results tend to vary cup-to-cup and some of our independent laboratory testing of oxalic acid content has resulted in quantities too small to be measured or to contain none at all.

Herbal teas typically contain only 0 to 2 mg oxalic acid per cup.

Nutrition Facts

Ingredients

Black tea, rind of oranges, sweet spice, natural flavor.

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