Kawakawa NZ, Pure Native Botanical Tea from Aotearoa
Kawakawa is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most treasured native botanicals: a lightly spicy, refreshing tea with centuries of traditional healing wisdom behind it and a flavour unlike anything else in the world of herbal infusions.
Known to Māori as kawakawa and to botanists as Piper excelsum, this native pepper tree holds a revered place in rongoā Māori, the traditional healing practices of Māori people. Its distinctive heart-shaped leaves, often marked by the tunnels of the looper moth (a sign of vitality in Māori tradition), produce a warming, lightly peppery brew with a refreshing, uplifting quality that is truly unique to Aotearoa.
At t leaf T, our kawakawa leaves are carefully selected and dried to preserve their natural character, offering you an authentic connection to New Zealand's botanical heritage in every cup.
Why You'll Love It
Kawakawa leaves contain a rich blend of essential oils, antioxidants, and naturally occurring compounds that have been valued in traditional Māori healing practice for generations. Traditionally used to support digestion, ease inflammation, and promote general wellbeing, kawakawa is widely regarded as a revitalising herbal tonic, refreshing, rejuvenating, and uplifting.
*These statements reflect the traditional and cultural use of kawakawa in rongoā Māori. They are not intended as medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional for personalised guidance.
Origins & Character
Kawakawa tea brews to a light, golden-green cup with a gently spicy, peppery warmth and a clean, refreshing finish. It's approachable and satisfying, more herbal than floral, with an earthy liveliness that makes it equally enjoyable hot or cold-brewed as an iced tea.
The Kawakawa NZ tea lovers are discovering as their go-to native botanical brew, pure, authentic, and proudly from Aotearoa. Same-day dispatch on orders placed before 3pm.
Tea bag packaging material
There are generally 3 main types of tea bags: Pyramid shaped tea bags made from PLA – Polylactic Acid (t leaf T only uses this type), old style paper tea bags (usually rectangular and heat sealed), Pyramid shaped tea bags, made from nylon.
PLA tea bags – used by t leaf T – commercially compostable and 100% non-gmo
PLA teabags have been around since the mid 2000’s and they are 100% Plant based (non-petroleum based) and our NeoSoilon® Pyramid Tea bags are derived from sugar cane.
PLA (polylactic acid) is mainly extracted from corn or sugar cane and is then spun into thread which is used to weave the clear material that is used in t leaf T’s teabags.
PLA behaves like a plastic, even though it is plant based, this enables the sealing of the tea bags using ultrasonic vibrations that effectively welds the seams together at a specific temperature without the need of petro-chemical based plastics.
PLA tea bags are 100% INDUSTRIAL or COMMERCIALLY COMPOSTABLE -100% NON-GMO
At t leaf T we would love our PLA tea bags to be easily home compostable, but the technology is not there yet. The technology currently exists to achieve home compostability, however it has the tea bag material breaking down in in a matter of weeks so this material would not be a practical option for a long shelf-life like product like tea.
Old Style Paper Tea Bags
Paper tea bags have been around for almost 100 years. They Require heat sealing to close the tea bag because the paper fibres do not naturally adhere to each other. To be able to seal the tea bags, petro-based nano plastics are blended into the tea bag material by the material manufacturers, about 2 % of the teabag, so that when heat and pressure are applied it melts the plastic and the teabag can be sealed.
So, most paper tea bags contain approximately 98% paper fibre, that will break down in home composting, BUT 2% of the teabag is petro-based nano plastics that are not compostable or biodegradable. Not an option for us here at t leaf T.
Nylon Pyramid Shaped Tea Bags
The nylon tea bag material has been around since around 1996 as the PLA technology did not exist at the time. The pyramid tea bags look nice, but the material is entirely a petro-based plastic. The cost of Nylon is substantially cheaper than PLA so low cost driven produces will mostly opt for nylon because of the price.
Nylon is not compostable, or biodegradable so will be around for hundreds of years. Again, not an option for us at t leaf T!
In summary
No teabag solution is perfect but at t leaf T we believe that the PLA material we are using is the most sustainable solution currently for, convenience based, teabags. Every tea we sell is also available in loose leaf and is a better environmentally friendly and sustainable option.