Cortile Coffee’s Specialty tea is We source the finest teas certified ETP (Ethical Tea Partnership), Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and Organic. This allows us to create the best possible ethical

a high-grade premium loose-leaf tea. These are considered as high in quality tea leaves. The whole tea leaf is the type of tea leaf that can be used for multiple infusion and take the longest time to infuse.

All types of “true” tea actually originate from the same plant. The botanical name for the tea plant is camellia sinensis. This plant originated in southern China thousands of years ago, and has been cultivated and consumed for hundreds of years. Camellia sinensis has two main varietals: camellia sinensis var. sinensis, which grows primarily in China and other East Asian countries and has a milder, mellower character, and camellia sinensis var. assamica, which grows primarily in India and is generally heartier and more robust.

Black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and purple tea are all made from the camellia sinensis tea plant. Each of these teas develops its unique characteristics through different harvesting and processing methods. Some teas are steamed, some are pan-fired. Some are allowed to oxidize and some aren’t. Some tea leaves are hand-formed into tightly rolled balls, while other tea leaves are roughly chopped, or left to air-dry in their natural shape. Some teas are harvested in the first weeks of the spring season, while others are harvested in the summer and fall.

There are so many different factors that influence the appearance and flavour of tea, and specific tea processing methods have been developed over hundreds of years. Today, there are six main categories of specialty tea, each with different signature characteristics and processing methods.