As more and more communities in the US and abroad become increasingly reliant on Internet commerce and deliveries, we at Assam Teas are dedicated to keeping you informed about the safety of our products and business practices. As most of our products are imported from other nations, including China, we want to share vital details that can help you make informed decisions about ordering tea from our store.

We have been in regular communication with our principle tea suppliers during this emerging crisis. We are assured that they already have large warehouse inventories maintained under vacuum. Shipments are continuing to arrive from farms and plantations, which keeps the supply fresh and available with little no disruption of business. Our suppliers are constantly in contact with the farms and receive weekly updates. Tea is packed at the estate into superior food grade packing materials, then mechanically* palletized, containerized, and shipped by sea. It is – again, mechanically* – unloaded and refined as necessary, blended, and vacuum packed.

*Mechanically – no human contact

Our flavored teas are made using an ethyl alcohol based compound. Ethyl alcohol is plant-based, water-soluble, and in itself, a known sanitizer. Manufacturing is virtually human contact-free. Between flavors and/or blends, equipment is sanitized with food-grade sanitizers (eliminates contamination with 99.99% effectiveness).

At the Estate: All black, green and oolong teas, including Chinese and Japanese teas, are mechanically dried at temperatures in excess of 200°F (95°C) for at least 15 minutes. Chinese white tea is sun dried and may undergo up to 5 minutes of mechanical drying at that temperature. Reports from the W.H.O. and other health authorities indicate that the incubation period of Coronavirus is up to 14 days in a live host – transit time from the estate to our warehousing facilities is 60 days, thereby further eliminating the possibility of contamination. There have been NO reports that the virus can survive high temperatures or in products dried to below 4 to 5% moisture.

The recommended steeping temperature of tea is greater than 190°F (90°C) for 5 minutes. We also recommend bringing the water to a boil before allowing it to cool to the desired steeping temperature. The longer you steep, the higher the probability that any microorganisms in your water will perish due to high temperature.

We firmly believe that drinking tea, regardless of the origin, remains a safe and healthy practice. Please let us know if you have any questions.