Metropolitan Freshness
From estate to cup.
Tea is a highly specialized agricultural product. As such, buying and selling luxury grade teas is an art form. To preserve optimal quality, we only buy peak seasonal tea and herbs and vacuum-pack them in specially designed Flavor-Sealed bags. This preserves garden freshness and protects against contaminants during shipping.
Seasonal Purchasing
The first step to ensuring sustained luxury quality, is to buy tea only when it is at its seasonal peak. Most global tea regions have only a 3-7 week window when quality peaks
| Product | Country | Region | Peak Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peppermint | USA | Washington State | September |
| Camomile | Egypt | El Fayyoum | Nov. — Feb. |
| Apple pieces | Turkey | Anatolya | September |
| Rosehip | Chile | Patagonia | Feb. – May |
| Hibiscus | Egypt | El Fayyoum | Nov. – Feb. |
| Black Tea | India | Assam | June |
| Black Tea | India | Darjeeling | June |
| Black Tea | Sri Lanka | Nuwara Eliya | February |
| Sencha Green | Japan | Kyushu | May |
| Jasmine Green | China | Jianxi | April |
Metropolitan Advanced Atmospheric Vac-Pac® (MAAV-P®)
Tea declines in quality through exposure to O2. Our in-house packing process – MAAV-P® - vacuum-seals our teas in an O2-free, nitrogen environment. Depending on the style and variety of tea, this process offers an extremely long shelf-life:
- Flavored teas and herbals: 10-year shelf life
- Unflavored teas / herbals: 20-year shelf life