In some parts of the United States, iced tea is only served in the summer months. However, for a large group of us iced tea is enjoyed year round (regardless of the weather). And for those who want to reduce their caffeine intake, our Organic and Fair Trade Certified Decaf Iced Tea is the answer! The intentionally small cut leaf provides greater surface area for a full, quick infusion that mimics many of the popular (non-organic) brands used to make iced tea.
This hearty north Indian organic decaf tea can be enjoyed as a self-drinker (without milk or sugar) or used to make a decaf version of the ubiquitous sweet tea of the South. Because this organic loose leaf tea is decaffeinated using a state-of-the art carbon dioxide (CO2) decaffeination process, the rich and earthy flavor of the organic black tea comes through nicely. Also, CO2 decaffeination does not involve the use of harmful chemicals, so the resulting product is simply a healthy cup of organic decaf tea with most of the caffeine removed (and no chemical overtones)!
Ingredients: organic and Fair Trade Certified Indian decaf black tea
All true teas contain caffeine. Decaffeinated teas are leaves from the plant Camellia sinensis that have had at least 97.5% of the caffeine removed. The term “decaffeinated” is different from “caffeine free.” Decaffeinated refers to a product that originally contained caffeine (like Camellia sinensis) and underwent a process to remove most of its caffeine content. Caffeine-free, on the other hand, refers to a product (like many of our herbal teas) that never contained caffeine to begin with. For our decaf teas, we exclusively use the carbon dioxide (CO2) method of decaffeination. We believe this is the safest form of decaffeination, and retains the greatest flavor and health benefits.
Read our field notes about our visit to a decaffeination plant!
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend black teas to be steeped for 3 to 5 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"Partly because of its smaller leaf, this tea brews up stronger than our Organic Decaf English Breakfast Black Tea. So, if you are looking for a heartier version of the Decaf. English Breakfast, give this a try."
I hate, yes hate, this tea. It is NOT tea leaves. It’s just DUST. It leaves soooooo much sediment. Sadly, my favorite (from another company) had been out of stock for a while and this was the only other loose leave decaf tea I could find Because we drink so much tea, I bought 2 of the biggest bags. Now I’m stuck with this tea dust. I will never buy from this company again.
This tea is wonderful -- best iced tea I've ever tasted. But it doesn't look like the picture. It's a very fine grind, like espresso coffee. We bought the ForLife tea capsule filter, but you need a much finer mesh for this tea. We brewed it in a separate carafe and had to pour it through a filter in a pour-over coffee maker. Not ideal, but it worked. Just wish we'd known the ForLife filter wouldn't work with this tea. I was also a little annoyed that the filter didn't fit our tea pitcher, even though it has a 3-inch mouth. The filter lid is just shy of 3 1/4 inches, which makes a difference. Not very happy to have spent $30 on something that doesn't work with our tea or our pitcher. The product description for the tea should clearly state that an extra-fine mesh filter is needed, and the description for the filter should state that it won't work with this tea. It would help if the picture of the tea matched what you get.
The flavor from this decaffeinated loose leaf tea is excellent. I especially appreciate that it is a malty decaf black tea. I would have rated it a “5” except after infusing the tea I noticed a large amount of leaf particles left behind in my glass ice tea container. The product description clearly stated the leaves are intentionally cut small. Noting this, I used an extra fine mesh infuser and still had a lot of sediment. I learned that I prefer a larger leaf when brewing tea. I will try the Organic Decaf English Black Tea because the leaf size appears larger. I’ve been a customer since 2014. Arbor Teas remains my favorite on-line shop for loose leaf tea.
I like this tea, because it's smooth and has a nice, earthy flavor. It also brews up very quickly. But if you brew it too long, it does tend to get bitter. The leaves are very fine, so you need to use a tea bag or an extremely fine mesh tea ball, otherwise you get a lot of sediment and leaves in the bottom of your cup.
This Decaf version is stronger than some of Arbors other decafs and I like it a lot for that reason. I brew it hot even though it's an iced variety and it's great before bed..
Decaf Marsala Chai tea has warm spices and a smooth flavor, especially when you add your favorite milk. It is further complemented by adding some of Arbor's Decaf Iced Black Tea, which is bolder. Use equal amounts of each for a richer taste that's more similar to a full bodied regular Marsala Chai, but without the caffeine. A winner!
The decaf iced tea is WONDERFUL. Strong and bracing, and re-steeps well, too. (I brew with half the water then add the other half as ice or cold water to the concentrate). Doesn't even need lemon/sugar doctoring for flavor--but delicious when I do. My go-to summer drink. Thank you for a great product.
I’ve been trying to cut back on my caffeine intake and decided to give this a try as an alternative to my usual favorite Organic English Breakfast. It is full bodied and takes milk and sugar very well. I’ve tried many decaf black teas over the years (to include Arbor Teas Decaf English Breakfast) and this one comes the closest to a regular black tea as I have found. I started drinking it 50/50 with the English Breakfast and now I have it alone. I can’t believe it’s not caffeinated. I am thrilled!
This is by far the best decaf black tea I've tried. It really is perfect for ice tea, which is great as I love Arnold Palmer's in the summer, and with this I can actually have two or three in a day and not worry about the caffeine. I've also used it to mix my own decaf chai, and it works perfectly in that, too!
I drink a pitcher of iced tea every day. I have done this for about 35 years. This is by far the best the best Iced Tea I have ever brewed. The taste is outstanding. I boil 6 cups of water, steep 2 or 3 tablespoons of tea for 5 - 6 minutes, then pour it over a pitcher of ice. Excellent!
Brisk and full-flavored decaf blend, with lemon and coppery notes
Medium-bodied decaffeinated green tea with notes of spinach, endive, and mineral