If you buy herbal tea online, you will sometimes see sellers refer to a Certificate of Analysis, or COA. It is a genuinely useful document, and it is also widely misunderstood. This guide explains what a COA is, what it can and cannot tell you, and what we publish about Tapee Tea instead.
What a Certificate of Analysis actually is
A Certificate of Analysis is a document issued by a laboratory that has examined a specific sample of a specific batch. It records what was tested, the method used, the date, the batch or lot reference, and the result. The important detail is that a COA describes one sample of one batch at one point in time. It is not a permanent property of a brand or a recipe.
What a COA can and cannot prove
A well-scoped COA can confirm things like botanical identity, moisture content, microbial limits, or the presence or absence of a particular contaminant the lab looked for. What it cannot do is confirm anything the lab was never asked to test for. A certificate that tests for heavy metals says nothing about pharmaceutical adulterants, and a certificate covering last year’s batch says nothing about this year’s.
This matters when you are comparing sellers. A document waved in a product photo is not evidence unless you can read what was tested, when, and by whom.
What we publish about Tapee Tea
We do not publish a batch Certificate of Analysis, and we do not claim to hold one. What we publish instead is the thing a customer can actually check:
- The complete recipe. All 15 botanicals are named on every pack and listed on the product page — led by Jewel Vine (Derris scandens), joined by Thai Black Ginger, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and the rest. Nothing is hidden behind a “proprietary blend” label.
- A fixed formulation. The recipe does not change between orders.
- Where it is made. Blended and packed in Thailand by THAITEAS LTD, sold direct with no middlemen.
- What is not in it. No caffeine, no added sugar, and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. We add no pharmaceutical ingredients of any kind.
- Thai FDA product registration number 40 2 00658 2 0012.
Why the ingredient list is the check that matters
The reason this question comes up for Tapee Tea at all is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a medication-health-fraud notice after analysing product sold for pain relief by specific named websites, and found undeclared prescription drug ingredients in it. That notice concerns those sellers’ products.
The practical lesson for a buyer is to favour sellers who tell you plainly and completely what is in the bag, who they are, and where the product is made — and to be cautious with any herbal product marketed as a remedy for pain or illness. We explain the background in more detail on our Tapee Tea safety & ingredients page.
In short
A COA is a snapshot of one batch, useful only when you can see its scope and date. We publish the full recipe, the origin, the registration number and the seller behind it, so you can judge the product on information you can actually read.
Ready to try it? Shop Tapee Tea — our caffeine-free 15-herb Thai herbal tea, shipped worldwide.
Tapee Tea is sold as a packaged food and beverage product. It is not a supplement, medicine, remedy or treatment, and we make no claims about effects of any kind.