WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — We are surrounded by items made from recycled materials and items that are able to be recycled. The thing is, the symbol on the bottom needs context.
"A lot of people don't understand and they think, 'I'm drinking from a compostable cup this is great, when I throw this away, it will to the earth again', and that is not necessarily the case," said Chad Morris, Founder of Chad's Chai in Winston-Salem.
The company has been in existence for almost two decades now. In the last year or so, Chad's Chai opened up a tea room in downtown Winston-Salem. Along with teas, the company has a focus on Mother Earth.
"There's been a push over the last few years to do fewer things with plastic that just sits on the earth. These bags, we've been working on these for a few years, will debut this Saturday. These bags will be available at our tea house and at the Cobblestone Farmers Market," said Morris.
The bags were a Kick-starter project years ago. The bag is backyard compostable, meaning, you don't need to get it to the right facility to break it down, you can do it in your own backyard.
A lot of well-meaning folks put something in the recycle bin that says it is recyclable, but can't really be recycled by the machines our cities and counties have. You have to be very aware of what your city or county takes and don't include what they can't, because it causes problems for the machine it could contaminate the good stuff you put in there.
THREE THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TEA:
ALL tea comes from the same plant. That's right, black tea, green tea, Oolong, it's all from the same plant.
"What makes black, green, oolong, what makes it different is what they do with it once they pick it, whether they dry it and for how long," said Morris.
ALL tea should not be made with boiling water. Really. Black tea uses boiling water, but green tea tastes best at 180 degrees, Oolong at 195 degrees, and white tea at 170 degrees.
"If you don't reduce the temperature you're going to get something bitter and harsh and you're going to think, I don't like this," said Morris.
How long you steep your tea matters. Just like the water temperature, the steeping time depends on the tea. If you leave it in for too long, it will start to taste bitter. Some teas need to only steep for two minutes!