News

Not All Teas Are Created Equal- Part 1

Are all loose leaf teas organic?
I get asked this question all the time. The short answer is no. But this is a wildly complicated question the further you dig into it. Many traditional loose leaf teas are going to be natural with no additives but the term organic gets tricky especially when you talk about any international foods.
You can get loose leaf tea that is just as bad as the tea found in common tea bags, and much of the common organic terminology is misleading or flat out wrong. You are more likely to be getting a high grade product when it is available loose but many factors should go into your decision before purchasing.
Let me clear up a few things first. There are many problems with the organic terminology.
I like the way it is put here-
Many small farms grow as they have for thousands of years, but have never been certified by an agency that the USDA requires for you to be able to have the word organic on the label. Also, some of my favorite teas grow in the wild and there is no way for any agency to guarantee that a giant swath of the wilderness that just happens to grow tea in some places is pesticide free. 
And many teas that are sold in America claim organic yet are not technically organic to other parts of the world because each country has different and changing standards they go by. This goes for all food products, not just tea. 
All Wendigo teas are either pure unflavored teas or traditionally scented. I tend to use the EU (European Union) Standard which is way more strict than the USDA standard for tea quality and if I say it is organic it means really organic (not just the "organic" that is needed for USDA Organic certification in the US). EU also seems to keep up with the most recent studies on pesticides. Literally just a few days ago they added a few more chemicals to the list of banned chemicals. 
The terminology does get pretty confusing. I have seen well educated tea shop owners just dumb down the explanation in order to not weird out a potential customer… EU Standard does not mean Organic and neither of them means Pesticide Free which is what Teavana got wrong a few years ago and found themselves in trouble for systematically misleading consumers. 
or 
Check this video out
I am a firm believer in buying the highest grade tea you can find and afford from a reliable and knowledgable source. Try everything you can get your hands on but your end goal should be to find a tea supplier you trust for the majority of your tea. I work really hard to always get the best and healthiest tea for Wendigo Tea Co. because that is the kind of tea I want to drink. But seriously try as many teas as you can from as many different suppliers as possible. You will thank me and most likely come back to Wendigo : )
Why We Do What We Do.
I kind of get weirded out when someone overly messes with something that people got right dozens to thousands of years ago. If it is going to be a blend it damn well better use good ingredients ( especially the tea base). Or if it is scented it better be done traditionally. For example many Jasmine scented teas in America are sprayed with a chemically extracted Jasmine scent and/or they will just throw some Jasmine flowers in there to make it seem like a natural flavor you are experiencing. When you see a bunch of Jasmine flowers in a supposedly traditional Jasmine tea they are just for show, and this is often a sign that the tea makers have no idea what they are doing. 
If you are looking specifically for a high end tea then I highly suggest not using the word organic as a gauge of quality. Look for a trusted source and use your common sense. If you really care then you should be willing to pay a little more and when talking to a tea supplier look for a genuine excitement and knowledge base about the product. Certified Organic is great and all... but for me quality of the source is by far more important. And if it happens to be certified organic then that is a bonus.
Thanks
Sky 
Read more →
19 comments

The Search For The Greatest Iced Tea - part 1

I'm on the hunt for the greatest possible iced black tea for restaurants. I find myself at a crossroads here because the focus of Wendigo is the rare, extreme, and weird world of tea and many (all?) of the finest teas we have discovered involve at least a small amount of tea brewing skill and decent amount of brewing time for commercial use. Currently our Bigfoot Black Tea makes an bold and unique hot tea and a smooth iced tea but it does take a bit more finesse than a high traffic may be able to handle. 

Someone needs to do something about making great iced tea easy for restaurants. Currently the average American restaurant iced tea at best tastes like nothing and at worst like some old dirty water. This bums me out because as a society we are caring more about what we consume from craft beer and coffee to organic or natural based diet and still accept shit-tea simply because it is easy.

So I am trying to make it as easy as possible for consumers to get a pure unflavored perfect cup of iced tea as possible in a restaurant setting and will share my journey as I find and experiment with brewing techniques along the path to the perfect easy cup of iced tea. 

The criteria this tea must meet is-

1. Easy to brew

2.  Tasting OBVIOUSLY better than all other iced teas

3. Dark color (color directly impacts the perceived flavor... weird right?)

4. Unflavored pure black tea with no silly shit added

5. Reasonable enough cost for restaurant use 

6. High caffeine content

7. Low astringency 

 

Taste Test -

Red Thunder

I find myself on a path I never expected. CTC teas tend to be of lower quality but are extremely easy to brew. I have found some unique kinds of CTC that have qualities that may be needed. I feel like I need to learn more about this and taste variations on CTC teas to completely discount it. This CTC Red Thunder I have come across is pretty cool. 

Brewed hot it has a rich malty taste with very little bitterness. Once cooled though the malty flavor becomes way more subdued. This tea steeps up a dark red color and strong unique flavor within a few seconds though... I have never seen a tea do this before.

I enjoyed this tea but don't think it is as high quality as I would be willing to have on the Wendigo Tea roster and only meets a few of the requirements for the perfect iced tea. Good try Red Thunder but not quite good enough.

Thanks

Sky

Read more →
0 comments
Tags: iced tea, large batch, tea

How I Learned To Cold Brew For A Hot Day

I use my EZBrew to brew small batches of tea throughout the day. It’s a great way to make a cup or two at a time, but sometimes you just need a whole bunch of Bigfoot Black Tea all at once. Maybe you’ve got friends coming over, maybe you’ve decided to never sleep again, or maybe you need energy to defeat The Kraken in a battle to the death. I don’t know your life. Whatever the case, small brewing systems just can’t cut it when you need a big ol’ huge batch of delicious all-natural tea.

I never really gave cold brewing the time of day. I always associated it with over-sweetened weak iced tea made from low-grade baggies. I was wrong.


While looking into alternative brewing techniques, I stumbled across a cold-brewing method that actually produces a burly high-quality tea without leeching tannins or other nasty bitter flavors. After a few tries, I realized that cold brewing is super easy and gives you a chance to create subtle variations in the teas you already love and drink regularly. It is handy for making large batches, is less caffeinated than regular brewing, has lower astringency (smoother taste), and makes your morning routine a bit faster so you can get tea into your body and get down to business. Yeah!!!

I’ve since fallen in love with cold brewing, and I’ve taken to brewing larger batches for myself once a week. Traditionally brewed tea will always be my go to, but you just can’t beat an ice cold Wendigo Green Tea on a hot summer afternoon. And this is a very easy may to make it. So get to it!

Cold Brew the Wendigo Way

Step 1: Add loose leaf tea to a jar or pitcher (I use 6 tsp. for a 32 oz. jar).

Step 2: Add water (and sweetener if you are into that kind of stuff).

Step 3: Cover or seal the container and place it in the refrigerator.

Step 4: Wait 8 hours or so (just wait for a while or go to bed—a few hours more or less isn’t a big deal).

Step 5: Strain the tea leaves out of the water.

Step 6: Pour over ice and drink ravenously!  

*Can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days* 

*Herbal teas should not be cold brewed since some contain bacteria that are normally killed during traditional brewing methods*

Variations

Try using half or twice as much tea as you normally use. Experiment to find the ratio that works well for you and the kind of tea you are brewing. Start with the above method and see if you would prefer it stronger or smoother.  

Be impatient. Start with warm water and you can cut a few hours off that brewing time

Get fancy. Throw a handful of fresh fruit or a small amount of mint in there. A drop of citrus helps keep all the healthy stuff fresher for longer.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So whether you are fighting the heat by drinking a giant glass of iced tea or you need a whole bunch of tea at once, cold brewing could be worth a try for you. To be honest, nothing beats a tea brewed the traditional way, but it’s always worth trying new things every once in a while. Let me know if you find a cool trick or a tea that tastes awful being cold brewed. I have only tried a handful, but figured I would share this in case you guys wanted to try it out!

Sky

Hit me up any time by emailing me at Sky@WendigoTea.com 

Read more →
81 comments
Tags: bigfoot, brewing, large batch, sky white, tea, wendigo

Getting the most out of your tea 101

One of the coolest parts about having awesome tea is that you can steep the leaves over and over and over. All Wendigo Teas can be brewed four times or more. This makes for a very economical way to brew massive batches of tea.

Example 1: The Economical Host

step one- Heat your water to the right temperature and get out the proper amount of tea that your tea steeping device can handle (usually 1 tsp. per 8 oz. water).

step two- Place tea in a tea steeping device (teapot, french press, stepping mug, EZbrew).

step three- Pour water over leaves and wait suggested brew time. Then immediately separate the leaves from the liquid tea you just made.

step four- Pour your fresh brewed tea into a pitcher.

step five- Bring your water back up to the right tempeture.

repeat steps three to five until you have as much tea as you want.

 

** note that each successive brew has less caffeine and loses a little bit of the boldness so you are creating an average of all those brews you made so your final product will be approximately half the caffeine per cup unless you brew it the next way. **

 

Example 2: The Straight Ballin Host

step one- Heat your water to the right temperature and get out the proper about of tea that your tea steeping device can handle (usually 1 tsp. per 8 oz. water).

step two- Place tea in a tea steeping device (teapot, french press, stepping mug, EZbrew).

step three- Pour water over leaves and wait suggested brew time. Then immediately separate the leaves from the liquid tea you just made.

step four- Pour your fresh brewed tea into a pitcher.

step five- Bring your water back up to the right tempeture.

step six- Add another 1-2 tsp. of tea leaves into teapot

repeat steps 3-6 until you have as much tea as you want.

** note this will guarantee a full strength flavor and caffein level for a huge batch of tea. **

Thank You

President of Wendigo Tea 

Sky White

 

If you have any questions please email me at Sky@WendigoTea.com. 

 

ps. Watch your little fingers and don't burn yourself!!!

Read more →
10 comments
Tags: brewing, large batch, sky white, tea

Its Eyes Have Opened

Out from the darkness lurked Wendigo Tea Co., born from the wilderness and the wonders of the unknown. 

This is where world class tea and mysterious beasts have become one. We carry only the best teas that the world has to offer and will never give you the standard old pretentious nonsense that other tea companies give you.

 

Sky

 

Read more →
37 comments
Tags: bigfoot, loch ness monster, sky white, tea, wendigo, yeti
Home / News