FAQs
Q: What does Nela-Nela mean?
A: Nela-nela, or ნელა-ნელა in Georgian writing, means “slowly slowly”. It is a common phrase in Georgian which is used to indicate that good things take time, that life is not a rush. Nela-Nela is our brand and our philosophy – in the crowded and busy modern world, it’s not impossible to take moments and enjoy them, to step back, relax, dream, and wonder, starting with daily cups of tea and extending to every aspect of life.
Q: Are Nela-Nela teas caffeinated?
A: All of our teas are naturally caffeine-free! Other tea companies create decaffeinated teas by passing tea leaves through chemical processes; we are proud to offer herbal teas which have the same rich, deep flavours as a regular cup of tea but naturally do not contain any caffeine.
Q: What does Nela-Nela tea taste like?
A: Nela-Nela currently comes in three flavours:
- Blueberry leaf tea, is a traditional drink of Georgian mountainous communities made from young leaves of the wild blueberry bush. It tastes like a fine, well-balanced light black or oolong tea with a pleasant aftertaste of sour berry and citrus.
- Mulberry leaf tea, an invention of our Lechkhumi teamaker Shota, created from the young leaves of rewilded mulberry trees. It has a rich, complicated aroma and flavour, reminiscent of malt, chocolate, and yerba maté.
- Blackberry leaf tea, created from the smallest tips of wild blackberry plants. It has a dark, deep flavour quite similar to a traditional breakfast tea, while being completely and naturally caffeine-free.
Q: How should I prepare Nela-Nela tea?
A: Nela-Nela teas are loose-leaf, so you will need a tea strainer, French press or tea pot. Blueberry and blackberry leaf tea require freshly boiled water whilst 80-85 degree water is best for mulberry leaf tea.
The flavours of our teas get more intense the more tea you use and the longer you steep. While the blackberry leaf tea can get a bit tannic in a very strong brew, the blueberry and mulberry leaf teas are essentially impossible to overbrew, instead releasing deeper and more vivid flavours. Try to brew each tea for at least five minutes.
Q: Do you offer regular tea or other kinds of tea?
A: Our teamakers craft a wide variety of different teas, including regular tea, and we hope to be able to offer some more interesting tastes in upcoming seasons! Follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter for updates about new products.
Q: Where does the tea come from?
A: Our teas are created by artisanal teamakers from villages in western Georgia. Our blueberry leaf tea is foraged from wild blueberry (also known as bilberry) plants that thrive in remote forests in Chiatura municipality. Our mulberry and blackberry leaf teas are produced in Tsageri municipality. The mulberry leaves are gathered from rewilded mulberry trees on the sites of former villages which have been taken over by the forest, while the blackberry leaves are gathered from vast patches of wild blackberries that cover the local mountains.
Q: Who makes the tea?
A: Our tea is made by our good friends Nika in Chiatura and Shota in Lechkhumi. Nika and Shota are innovative, original artisans, using the best combination of traditional knowledge and modern technology to create a delicious and relaxing brew. By supporting us, you also directly support local economies in rural Georgian communities. In Chiatura, the main employer is a destructive and polluting manganese mine whilst Lechkhumi’s countryside is slowly being abandoned as people seek employment in larger cities.
We visit our tea makers often to check in on the tea making process and celebrate our journey together with feasts of delicious, homemade village food. Learn more about Georgian tea makers here.
Q: What does fermented tea mean? What makes Nela-Nela different from other herbal teas?
A: Fermentation or oxidation is a part of the typical process of black tea production. It occurs after a withering and rolling process which breaks up the cell walls of the plant leaf, and is a natural chemical process caused by the interaction of oxygen with the leaves. Fermentation creates the deep, rich flavours typically associated with black tea.
Georgia, almost uniquely in the world, has a tradition of crafting herbal teas using the same method as black tea making. Our teamakers roll and ferment our teas resulting a vastly more complicated flavour than would be achieved by simply drying the leaves. Most herbal teas on the market are only dried.
Q: Does Nela-Nela tea have health benefits?
A: Blueberry leaf tea is traditionally drunk across the mountains of Georgia and is reputed to strengthen the immune system and benefit the internal organs; mulberry leaf tea and blackberry leaf tea, while not as traditionally well-known, are also held in esteem by local herbalists against a variety of ailments. We are currently in the process of conducting laboratory analyses of our teas in order to establish the presence of various beneficial compounds the teas may contain. While we cannot, for legal reasons, recommend any specific health benefits our teas may provide, we are confident that they are free from chemical contaminants and will give the drinker a sense of happiness and well-being with every cup.
Q: Does Nela-Nela come in teabags?
A: Nela-Nela tea is loose-leaf and should be prepared by placing the tea leaves directly into a teapot or cup. Loose-leaf tea creates a better-tasting tea by allowing the tea leaves to unfurl and expand, diffusing their maximal flavour. To avoid having floating tea leaves in your cup, we recommend the use of a good French press, a teapot with a strainer, a tea ball, a maté straw, or simply pouring the tea through a strainer.
Q: Is it possible to mix Nela-Nela tea with other things?
A: Traditionally, blueberry leaf tea was sometimes mixed with other wild herbs such as mint or thyme for additional flavour or curative properties. Feel free to experiment! We’ve found that the teas taste great in various combinations – check out our recipe pages for ideas such as a blueberry-peach iced tea, a mulberry chai latte, or a blackberry tea cocktail. Even something as simple as adding a crushed cardamom pod or a sprig of mint opens new dimensions of flavour experience.
Q: Where do you ship to?
A: Our webshop currently ships to the UK, USA, and Georgia. EU customers can order through our Etsy shop - head over there and place your orders! If you would like to get tea anywhere else, please get in touch - we’d be happy to help!
Q: When will my tea arrive?
A: Most orders are shipped from the UK. Royal Mail delivers within 2-3 working days within the UK, 4-5 days to Europe, and 6-7 working days to the USA. Expedited delivery is available as a standard option in the UK and by request anywhere else – please contact us if you live outside the UK and require rapid delivery. For customers in Georgia, we offer free delivery within Tbilisi and shipping by Georgian Post elsewhere in the country – please contact us on our email or social media pages to arrange this.
Q: What does shipping cost? Can I get free shipping?
A: Shipping costs:
Standard UK delivery – £4.00
Expedited UK delivery – £6
EU (through Etsy) – £8.80
USA – £17.00
UK orders over £15 are eligible for free shipping. For the rest of the world, free shipping starts from £100.
Q: Are there any other fees associated with international shipping?
A: Due to tax reasons, we handle shipping to Europe through our Etsy shop. Local VAT will be applied at the time of sale. No other fees will be applicable.
Customers in the United States will not be responsible for any additional fees. We will continue to update and provide information as we send our tea to customers around the world; if you have any issues or questions about your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at hello@nela-nela.com or on our social media pages, and we will do our best to help!
Q: Isn’t Georgia a state?
A: Georgia, or საქართველო in the Georgian language, is a country located on the south side of the Caucasus mountains, the border between Europe and Asia. It is a beautiful, fascinating country which each of us call home in a certain way. Learn more about Georgia and our adventures here.
Q: What is the environmental impact of your tea production?
A: Our teas are produced from wild and rewilded plants that thrive in abundance in the expansive nature of Georgia. Our teamakers forage young leaves from these plants once per season, leaving them to grow and occupy their place in the local ecosystem thereafter. We make every effort to ensure that Nela-Nela tea can reach your hands with as minimal an environmental impact as possible – for example, our packaging is plastic-free, partially recycled, and fully compostable. We intend to take further steps in the future to make Nela-Nela an even more environmentally friendly product, such as eliminating air transport from our shipping process.
Q: If your packaging is plastic-free, what is that bag doing inside the tea box?
A: The inner bag of our tea box is a product called NatureFlex (www.natureflex.com), created from plant cellulose. As a result, it is entirely plastic-free and fully compostable.
Q: Is Nela-Nela tea organic?
A: Our tea is created from wild and rewilded plants, far from civilization, pollution, and sources of chemical contaminants. For legal reasons, we are not allowed to specify an organic status on our teas at this moment, but we are confident that they are as responsibly produced as any organically-labeled product available in supermarkets.
Q: Can we visit you in Georgia?
A: Definitely! Tim lives permanently in Georgia and is always happy to meet up with tea fans to show them around. If you would be interested in visiting our teamakers and the regions they gather their tea from, we would be happy to arrange that – get in contact at hello@nela-nela.com or on our social media pages to see what we can do for you.