Are Ippodo's teas grown with pesticides and fertilizers? Are they tested?
All of our teas are grown using the minimum amount of pesticides to produce a reliable crop of tea each year.
Fertilizers are used in growing all of our teas, and they give the tea plants the nutrition they need to grow healthily, energetically, and predictably in the cool mountain climate where the farms are located.
All teas in our organic collection are grown using only fertilizers and pesticides derived from nature, following the rules and regulations set by JAS. The teas in our regular collection are grown using a combination of fertilizers and pesticides that are synthetic and derived from nature.
The use of pesticides and fertilizers is highly controlled in Japan under strict regulations. These laws specify both the maximum amount of residue in the final product, and the maximum amount that can be used in the tea fields. In addition to testing and records kept by the Kyoto Prefectural Government on the tea farms, we conduct third-party testing for the residue in the teas we sell, and the tests have always shown results at miniscule levels, far below the maximum limits set by regulations.