Does the harvester know how to identify the right species for consumption?

There are many species of Pine in the world. Pine trees can be identified by their beautiful needle-like leaves, shape of the cone, and color of the bark. Certain types of Pine are edible and beneficial, like the Eastern White Pine, which has many health benefits. Some conifer varieties should be avoided because they are toxic so it’s important to know what is being harvested. Ivory Honeycomb uses Eastern White Pine, which is native to the Eastern US.

‍

What’s the quality of the pine harvested?

If pesticides or chemicals were ever used on the trees or on the grounds surrounding, those chemicals can find their way in your tea, yuck! It’s important to know where the harvester sources their Pine Needles. We’ve heard of some hobbyists sourcing their tea by following arborists cutting trees in communities. We don’t recommend this since the history of the tree’s health and chemical use can’t be verified. Also, since arborists aren’t cutting trees with human consumption in mind, they can contaminate the tree with things like gravel, dirt, and even chainsaw oil, another yuck! Ivory Honeycomb uses healthy Pine Needle trees that have never been treated with chemicals and grown on our own private land and picked with the utmost care!

‍

Fresh is always best!

How healthy are the pine needles being harvested? Older (darker green) needles can be higher in vitamin C, but have a little more bitterness. Younger (bright green) needles have a sweeter and pleasant taste. While some browning can happen to the pine needles, make sure your harvester isn’t sending you dead brown needles. If your pine tea arrives already browned and smells fermented, that’s a sure sign your harvester did not pick your tea fresh or may be using pine needles that were already dead off the tree.

Our Ivory Honeycomb Family picks only the freshest blend of young and mature pine needles from the tree! While some color is lost in the gentle drying process, you’ll find a nice green color full of vitamins and nutrients and a fresh sweet scent and flavor.

‍

How are the Pine Needles processed?

Some harvesters allow large amounts of picked pine or pine branches to sit outside in the elements before plopping in a bag and calling it tea. Make sure your harvester keeps high standards for your pine needle tea from the tree to your cup! The way your pine needle tea is stored and processed makes a big difference in the quality of your tea. Once pine needles are detached from the tree, it’s important that they are not left outside to weather and dry out. Not to mention, this also leaves the pine exposed to dirt, pests, and debris.

Ivory Honeycomb is proud to set the standard in Premium Pine Needle Tea. We pack our tea with the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. We are honored to say we are Food Safety Certified and we follow the high standards of Food Safety Certification procedures from the tree to you! We only process our Pine Needle Tea with our equipment, no worry of cross contamination such as nut allergies and our equipment is cleaned daily. 

‍

What are the teabags made of?

When you go through all the effort and research to reap the benefits of pine needle tea, you don’t want to be let down by something like the tea bag. Tea bags make drinking pine needle tea much more convenient! Pine needles release more benefits when chopped up but they’re no fun to swallow or make a mess straining. Make sure your pine needle tea doesn’t come with poor quality tea bags that fall apart in the water ruining the experience. Synthetic tea bags should be avoided since they can leach out microplastics and chemicals into your drink.

While some harvesters cut corners on the tea bags, the extra time and attention we put into fully sealing our tea in professional quality biodegradable tea bags provides a tea that is simple to use, no mess, and allows you to reap more benefits.

‍

Ivory Honeycomb Tea Bags:

•  Ours are larger than your average tea bag, you get more tea goodness in every brew
•  No need for infusers, filters, measuring spoons, and great on the go
•  No clogged sinks or messy spills 
•  Chopped pine needles equal better steeping and nutrient extraction 
•  Made from plants so ours are safe for you and the environment 

‍