Custom Tea Packaging.

Tea loses its volatiles through a weak barrier and absorbs odours through a bad one, so the structure must block traffic in both directions. A PET, aluminium and PE foil laminate is what we specify for serious shelf life. Metallised film is marginal for tea, and clear film is not a barrier at all.

Green and white teas are the most light-sensitive, so any window is kept small and reserved for black leaf.

Each carries a different barrier tier, so the format follows how long the tea is expected to sit. A resealable foil pouch suits loose leaf opened over months. A folding boxboard caddy blocks light completely and holds an inner pouch for gift and shelf ranges. Individual envelopes give bagged tea the best protection per serving.

Pyramid bags need extra headroom in whatever format holds them, which changes the carton depth.

The zipper is specified to keep closing cleanly after months of daily opening, which is a harder brief than a snack bag faces. We use a press-to-close track set below a tear-off heat seal so the first opening is tamper-evident and every opening after that reseals.

The foil layer behind the track keeps aroma in between brews, which is the reason the closure matters at all.

Matte lamination is the most requested finish for speciality and single-estate tea, with hot foil for the gift tier. Kraft over foil gives an organic range a natural face without giving up barrier. Full CMYK runs on caddies and retail pouches where photography or illustration carries the brand.

The panel layout leaves room for origin, grade, brewing temperature and steep time, which buyers in this category expect to see.

The standard carton is 3 by 3 by 4 inches and the standard tin is 3.5 inches across by 4 inches tall. Pouches are sized to the leaf volume rather than the weight, because a whole-leaf oolong takes far more room than a CTC black at the same 100 grams.

Send us the leaf and the target fill and we return the pouch size and the caddy to suit it.

Five hundred units is the starting point for a custom run. Above 1,000 the unit price steps down through tiers, and we run up to 100,000 for larger blenders. Caddies, pouches and envelopes are each counted as their own line.

Small sample and taster formats can be added to a main run rather than ordered on their own.

Ten business days is the outside of the standard window, which runs 7 to 10 business days from proof approval. If a launch date is fixed, the rush lane completes in 5 to 7 business days. Samples come through in 5 to 7 business days, and we suggest filling one and holding it a few weeks to confirm the aroma stays put.

Whatever the sample costs is credited when the production order is placed.

The caddy carton is plain folding boxboard and recycles with paper. The inner pouch is where the choice gets harder. A foil laminate gives the barrier tea needs but does not go in a kerbside stream. Kraft over foil looks natural but is still a laminate.

Our advice is to keep the barrier on the inner pouch and put the recyclable claim on the carton, rather than shortening shelf life with a light film.