At The Tea Smith, the health and safety of our Smithies and our customers are of paramount importance.
We pride ourselves in our daily practices and procedures, which earn us an Excellent Rating from the Health Department. We purchase organic and EU compliant teas, and vet our suppliers carefully. So when an event like the outbreak and spread of the coronavirus occurs, we review what we are doing and what extra steps we should implement to minimize any impact.
First, on teas, including teas from China, we keep abreast of developments and information relative to their safety. The teas we currently have in stock were grown, produced, packed, and shipped prior to the public outbreaks.
When tea is produced, it is heated to over 180°F to halt oxidation and dry. At this temperature, we are told the virus does not survive well, if at all.
Authorities state the virus has a short surface life, which is significantly less than the transportation time from the country of origin to the US.
Second, we maintain good sanitation practices in our facilities, which include handwashing and surface sanitizing. We are increasing the frequency of those procedures in the store and providing extra hand sanitizers for our customers use. Online orders are shipped from our distribution center, not our retail store.
At this time and always, we are pleased tea provides health benefits and continues to be a great and safe part of a healthful (and enjoyable) lifestyle.
Thank you for supporting The Tea Smith!
For more information about coronavirus, visit the CDC website.
