Southern Green - New Zealand Kawakawa Sencha Green Tea
A proud celebration of Aotearoa in every cup: Southern Green weaves New Zealand's revered kawakawa leaf into a foundation of traditional Chinese sencha, creating a uniquely local green tea that is fresh, clean, and unmistakably Kiwi.
Kawakawa, sourced from Poverty Bay on the East Coast of the North Island, is one of New Zealand's most culturally significant plants. In this blend, its naturally peppery character provides a subtle, distinctive warmth that lifts and enlivens the clean, vegetal quality of Chinese sencha. Steam-processed to preserve freshness, the sencha base brews to a lovely golden-green liquor with a refreshing, grassy character. The kawakawa adds a gentle spice on the finish that makes Southern Green unlike any other green tea you will try.
Why You'll Love It
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Uniquely New Zealand: Kawakawa from Poverty Bay meets Chinese sencha in a blend that celebrates local botanical heritage
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Clean and refreshing: Steam-processed sencha delivers a fresh, vegetal quality that is crisp and easy to drink
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Peppery warmth: Kawakawa adds a natural spice note that sets this apart from any other green tea NZ has to offer
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Multiple infusions: Quality leaf rewards up to four steepings, each showing a slightly different character
Origins & Character
Southern Green brews to a golden-green liquor with a fresh, clean aroma. The first sip is vegetal and refreshing, the classic character of quality sencha, followed by the gentle, peppery warmth of kawakawa. The finish is clean and inviting, encouraging another sip. It is
Functional & Wellness Benefits
The sencha base is sourced from China, where steam-processing techniques produce a leafy, fresh tea that brews to a consistently lovely cup. The kawakawa is sourced from Poverty Bay, a region with ideal growing conditions for this native New Zealand plant. The combination reflects t leaf T's commitment to celebrating both global tea heritage and the remarkable botanicals of Aotearoa.
Traditional Wellness Benefits
Kawakawa has long been valued in Māori tradition for its medicinal and spiritual properties. Green tea is widely associated with antioxidant benefits and gentle, sustained energy. Together, they make Southern Green a tea with a meaningful connection to both traditional Māori and Chinese wellness practices.
*These statements reflect traditional use and are not intended as medical advice.
Southern Green is a tea with a story, of two plants, two traditions, and a blending of worlds. Order today with same-day dispatch on orders placed before 3pm, and taste something genuinely unique to t leaf T.
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.
