Car boot sellers serving hot drinks
Tea bags make it straightforward to prepare individual servings. Keep the original packs with your supplies so visitors can check ingredients.
Who are the drinks for?
Green-tea drinkers reducing caffeine
Decaf green tea keeps the choice within the green-tea category. Check the exact pack’s caffeine wording rather than treating “decaf” as a promise of no caffeine.
Visitors looking for a caffeine-free drink
Offer a clearly identified herbal or rooibos infusion that the pack describes as naturally caffeine-free, rather than labelling decaf green tea as caffeine-free.
What should you check before buying?
Decide whether the drink needs to be green tea or caffeine-free, then check pack size and the information you will have available when serving it.
Decaf green tea
Choose it when: Visitors want green tea while reducing caffeine.
Bear in mind: Decaf should not be labelled as a caffeine-free drink.
Naturally caffeine-free infusion
Choose it when: You need a separate option for visitors avoiding caffeine.
Bear in mind: Herbal and rooibos infusions are not green tea, so label them by their actual ingredients.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced caffeine | Look for “decaf green tea” on the exact pack. Read its caffeine statement; Twinings notes that green tea naturally contains caffeine. | I want to serve green tea to people who are reducing their caffeine intake. |
| Caffeine-free choice | Check that the herbal or rooibos product is described as naturally caffeine-free. Give it a label distinct from decaf green tea. | Some visitors may want to avoid caffeine rather than merely reduce it. |
| Pack size | Compare the stated bag count with your expected servings. Allow for the number of different drinks you plan to offer. | I want enough portions for the refreshment table without choosing a pack solely by its size. |
| Ingredients | Keep the original packaging accessible and check the ingredient information for each drink you serve. | Visitors should be able to identify what is in their chosen infusion. |
| Event service | Check which food-service requirements apply to your activity with the relevant local authority. Keep the drinks and their labels identifiable at the table. | If I supply or sell refreshments, I need to know what applies to my particular event activity. |
What could cause confusion on the day?
-
Calling decaf green tea “caffeine-free”
That label does not make the distinction clear to someone trying to avoid caffeine altogether.
Label decaf green tea separately from any herbal or rooibos infusion described as naturally caffeine-free.
-
Choosing a pack without counting servings
A small pack can run out before you finish serving drinks. The supplied product names include decaf-green packs of 40 and 50 bags, while the Teapigs honeybush and rooibos pack contains 15 tea temples.
Estimate servings for each drink you intend to offer, then compare the stated pack counts.
-
Discarding the original packaging
Without the pack, visitors cannot readily inspect its printed ingredient information.
Keep each original box with the serving supplies and make sure it remains clear which drink it belongs to.
-
Assuming the event name settles the rules
Calling an activity a car boot sale does not tell you which requirements apply to the way you supply refreshments.
Ask the relevant local authority about your activity, particularly if you plan to supply or sell drinks regularly.
Brand and retailer references
These references help distinguish decaf green tea from other infusions; they do not indicate which products are stocked at an event or on Joybuy.
Clipper
Clipper lists an Organic & Fairtrade Decaf Green Tea pack of 40 bags, with decaffeinated organically grown green tea as its ingredient.
- Clipper says its decaffeination process uses carbon dioxide.
- Check whether you and your visitors like the flavour rather than choosing on the decaffeination method alone.
Twinings
Twinings explains that green tea naturally contains caffeine, a useful distinction when naming drinks on a refreshment table.
- Its explanation helps distinguish green tea from infusions made without tea leaves.
- Check the exact product label before describing any individual Twinings drink as decaf or caffeine-free.
Pukka
Pukka describes a range of its herbal teas as naturally caffeine-free.
- A labelled herbal option offers a different route for visitors avoiding caffeine.
- A herbal infusion is not green tea; check its ingredients and label it accordingly.
Teapigs
Teapigs describes its Honeybush & Rooibos Tea as naturally caffeine-free and lists a 15-tea-temple pack.
- The product provides a named rooibos-and-honeybush alternative to decaf green tea.
- Compare its 15 servings with the number you expect to prepare.
Tesco
Tesco’s decaf-green category listing identifies Tetley Green Tea Decaffeinated 50 Tea Bags 100g.
- The listing provides a specific pack name and bag count to check when shopping.
- Check the current listing or store stock before relying on it for an event.
Joybuy tea options
These options include one decaf green tea and four herbal infusions to consider as separately labelled alternatives. Check each herbal pack’s caffeine wording if a caffeine-free drink is essential.
No image available
Tetley Green Tea Decaffeinated, 50 Tea Bags, 100g
A decaf green-tea option for visitors reducing caffeine. The 50-bag count helps you plan individual servings; do not label it caffeine-free.
No image available
Twinings Pure Peppermint 80 Pack
Consider this peppermint infusion as a separate choice from decaf green tea. Check the pack’s caffeine and ingredient wording before labelling it for visitors; the stated pack size is 80.
No image available
Twinings Lemon & Ginger Tea Bags, 20 Pack
A lemon-and-ginger infusion rather than green tea, supplied as a 20-pack of tea bags. Check its caffeine wording and keep the pack available for ingredient questions.
No image available
Tropical Sun Soursop Tea, 20 Tea Bags
A soursop infusion to consider alongside, not as, decaf green tea. Its title states 20 tea bags; check the packaging before describing its caffeine content to visitors.
No image available
Dalgety Soursop & Moringa Tea, 40g
A soursop-and-moringa option to label separately from green tea. The title states 40g; check the pack for its serving count, ingredients and caffeine wording when planning refreshments.
Questions about serving these teas
Does decaf green tea mean caffeine-free?
No: choose decaf green tea for a reduced-caffeine green-tea option, not as a caffeine-free promise. Twinings notes that green tea naturally contains caffeine; check the exact decaf pack’s wording before labelling your drinks.
What can I offer someone who wants to avoid caffeine?
Offer a separately labelled herbal or rooibos infusion whose pack explicitly describes it as naturally caffeine-free. Pukka describes its herbal range that way, and Teapigs uses the same description for its Honeybush & Rooibos Tea; neither is green tea.
What should I check before serving tea at a car boot sale?
Keep the original packs available for ingredient checks and ask the relevant local authority which food-service requirements apply to your activity. GOV.UK’s guidance for community and charity events says food supplied or sold at those events must comply with food law; the requirements for your car boot sale depend on what you do.