What decaffeination method does Stash Tea use?

There are several natural methods used to decaffeinate tea. They include water process, ethyl acetate or EA, and carbon dioxide, or CO2. Each method has a different effect on the amount of caffeine, flavor and antioxidants removed from the tea leaves.

Since 1972, we've been proud to offer our customers exceptional quality teas -- that's our commitment and our mission. We adhere to several policies to ensure our tea is of the finest and purest quality.

First, we buy our teas directly from the world's premier tea gardens and only conduct business with reputable suppliers, most of whom we have worked with for years. Then, we require every vendor to sign a certificate of compliance based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

In addition, our line of Organic Teas is certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Quality Assurance International (QAI).

We also set equally high standards for our herbal and spiced teas by purchasing herbs and spices whole from the world's best sources. We mill them right before blending for superior taste and flavor. They are also tested according to strict guidelines set by the American Spice Trade Association, the Food and Drug Administration and, ultimately, our own even more stringent guidelines. The flavors and extracts used in our teas are always 100% natural.

Green tea has a high content of vitamins and minerals. It contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in amounts comparable to a lemon. Green tea also contains several B vitamins which are water soluble and quickly released into a cup of tea. Five cups of green tea a day will provide 5-10% of the daily requirement of riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. The same five cups of green tea also provide approximately 5% of the daily requirement of magnesium, 25% of potassium, and 45% of the requirement for manganese. Green tea is also high in fluoride. A cup of green tea provides approximately 0.1 mg of fluoride, which is higher than in fluorinated water. Scientific studies have shown strong evidence that green tea may help reduce the risk of strokes and heart disease, and may also prevent some cancers.

Centuries ago the inventive Chinese, who created the earliest banking system with coins and paper bank notes, found that their currency had no value when trading with people in far away Mongolia and Tibet. Their solution to this problem was to turn their most valued product, tea, into bricks. The tea bricks were even scored so they could be broken to make change.

Today, these sculpted tea bricks with traditional Chinese motifs, are mainly used for decoration as the quality of the tea is very poor. They make very unique gifts and interesting conversation pieces.

Tip: If you choose to purchase a tea brick you may want to apply a coat of clear lacquer to protect it from humidity.

I have heard a lot about tea companies bleaching their filter paper. What is your filter paper made of?

All of our teas are kosher through KOF-K. There are also a few other items in the catalog that are kosher.

• Honeysticks - KOF-K
• Nikki's Cookies - Circle K

So what exactly is Chai?

Chai means tea in many languages. In India, the generic word for tea is chai. The word is derived from the Chinese word tea, cha, which the British turned into tay, which then evolved into tea.

Indian Chai is enjoyed in both cities and the smallest of villages, and is offered to every visitor to a home. In Northern India, where Chai is the beverage of choice, tiny tea stalls line the streets where all day long chaiwallas (tea vendors) brew and serve tea.

Chai is usually brewed very strong with lots of sugar and milk and often concentrated. Traditional Indian Chai combines very black tea that is boiled in milk and flavored with local spices such as sweet cinnamon, sharp clove, penetrating cardamom, and occasionally black peppercorns, pungent ginger and hot red chilies, and sweetened with sugar. This spicy tea is brewed in a samovar-type vessel and is always served very hot.

Chai has become very popular in recent years capturing the crowd that is beginning to feel over stimulated by too many tall lattes and shots of double espresso. There are many variations and preparation choices for Chai, but fresh brewed (vs concentrate or ready-to-drink) delivers the best tasting Chai as it unlocks the black tea and spice flavors immediately upon infusion.