Our Sourcing Standards
Transparency over marketing. Here's exactly where our ingredients come from.
Why Sourcing Matters for Chai
Many people search for chai made with heavy metal tested spices, especially due to concerns about lead in cinnamon and other commonly used spices. These concerns are valid—some chai blends are made from bulk spice sources with limited transparency.
At Meria, our approach to clean chai starts with sourcing transparency. We believe you deserve to know exactly where your ingredients come from and how they're tested.
Our Approach
Single-Source Spice Supplier: Red Ape Cinnamon
Our cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg come from Red Ape Cinnamon. We chose them because they publish their batch heavy-metal test results publicly — every lot has its own page on their site.
Batch Testing Documentation
You can browse Red Ape's per-lot test results yourself at redapecinnamon.com/test-results. If you'd like the specific Certificate of Analysis for the batch in your bag, email hello@meriachai.com with your order number and we'll send it.
Separate Sourcing for Tea & Pepper
Black tea and black pepper are sourced separately to ensure quality and consistency. We source organic ingredients; the finished product is not certified organic.
Limits of Testing
We believe in being transparent about what we do and don't do:
- •Testing is conducted by our supplier, not in-house
- •Supplier testing ≠ zero risk (no food product can claim that)
- •We share what we know
What We Don't Do
No In-House Testing
We rely on our supplier's testing and are transparent about this
No Bulk Sourcing
We prioritize supplier relationships over lowest-cost sourcing
No "Natural Flavors"
We don't use additives to mask ingredient quality
Taste the Difference
Clean chai made with transparency. Seven organic ingredients, zero sugar, zero fillers.