After sourcing the world’s finest tea, the next step to ensuring the best cup of tea for our customers is preservation and packaging. Today we take a look inside Newby’s preservation and packaging facility in Kolkota, India.
Newby’s teas are sourced primarily from major tea-growing regions in Asia – China, India, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan – so to facilitate a quicker transit time from source to factory, it was only natural to have our preservation and production facility located in this region.. Due to tea’s delicate nature, unpackaged tea must be stored in a cool and dry environment. All these factors contribute to maintaining the product’s freshness.
Newby’s factory is built with separate rooms to hold various tea. Green and herbal teas are stored in cold rooms (45 – 55°F), where as aromatic teas, like Earl Grey, are placed in another. Because Green teas are less processed, they are more vulnerable to warmer climates, where as, the aroma of bergamot oil in Earl Grey can easily penetrate into other tea leaves, and will contaminate the flavor.
Before our teas are placed in the factory, our team inspects the vehicle that delivered the tea to the factory for any damage or stains. For any indiscretions, the Quality Control (QC) department inspects further. Upon arriving, each tea is assigned a PIN number and designed location, which allows for easy tracking, to guarantee fresh stock is always drawn.
The three enemies of tea are heat (light), humidity, and air contamination (i.e. foul odors). This is why packing and preservation is so critical to the perfect cup. Each of Newby Teas’ is packed in a laminate that is made of a tri-layer aluminum and PET. (Fun Fact: Newby’s packaging can withstand fire!)
Each envelope of tea is put through extensive testing like soaking in water, to check the barrier for potential damages if exposed to any of teas enemies. These are just some of the factors that contribute to Newby’s facility receiving consistent ‘A’ ratings since 2005.
