How to Write a Green Tea Spec Sheet for Vietnamese Suppliers

Most problems in green tea sourcing trace back to a gap between what the buyer meant and what the supplier understood. A buyer asks for “OP grade green tea, good quality” and approves a lovely sample. Six weeks later a container arrives with a darker, dustier leaf and a residue result that fails at the destination laboratory. Nobody lied. The request simply never said what “good quality” meant.

A specification sheet closes that gap. It turns your expectations into measurable limits that a Vietnamese factory, a cooperative or a trader can read, price and produce against, and that a third-party inspector can check before the container is sealed. This guide walks through each section of a practical green tea specification and explains what to write and why.

Why suppliers ask for a spec before they quote

Vietnamese suppliers sell the same grade names to very different buyers. BOP for a tea bag packer in Egypt, BOP for a US private-label brand and BOP for a German blender may come from different gardens, different seasons and different sorting lines, with different residue controls. Without a spec, the supplier guesses which version you want, and usually quotes the lowest-cost version to stay competitive.

A spec sheet also protects against the three failure modes that cause most losses in this trade:

• Sample-to-shipment mismatch. Traders blending across farms can send a sample from one lot and ship another. The spec, a sealed retention sample and a pre-shipment inspection give you a reference to hold the shipment against.
• Pesticide residue rejection. A lot that is fine for one market can fail in another. The spec names the destination panel so the supplier tests against it before shipping.
• Trader posing as factory. The spec asks for the producing facility’s name and license, which makes it harder to hide who is actually making the tea.

Structure of a usable spec sheet

The table below lists the sections of a green tea specification and what each one should contain. Not every buyer needs every line, but every line you leave out is a decision you are handing to the supplier.

Product identity

Start with the basics and make them precise.

Grade. Use the grade names suppliers actually use: OP, BOP, fannings and dust, or style names such as Sao Suot and sencha-style. If you are unsure which one fits your product, the green tea grades page summarizes each grade and its typical use.

Leaf style and process. State whether the tea is pan-fired or steamed, rolled or needle-shaped, and whether it is scented (for jasmine). Process drives flavor and color more than grade does. If you are choosing between the two main styles, see our comparison of steamed and pan-fired green tea.

Origin. Name the region if it matters to your product or label (Thai Nguyen, Lam Dong, the Northwest highlands). Vietnam merged several provinces in mid 2025, for example Bac Kan into Thai Nguyen and Yen Bai into Lao Cai, but the tea trade still uses the traditional region names, so write the name you want printed and ask the supplier to confirm how it will appear on the certificate of origin.

Crop season. Spring, summer or autumn crop, or “any season meeting the sensory standard”. Season changes both cost and cup.

Physical and chemical parameters

This is where a spec stops being a description and becomes a test plan.

Moisture

Moisture affects shelf life, mold risk and weight. Specify a maximum percentage and the test method. ISO 1573 is the recognized method for loss in mass at 103 °C for tea, and naming it means the supplier’s lab and your inspector measure the same thing. Set the limit from your own shelf-life needs and packaging; a lower figure costs more drying and more careful packing.

Ash and water extract

ISO 11287 defines green tea and sets basic chemical requirements, including a minimum water extract and minimums for total polyphenols and catechins, along with limits on total ash and acid-insoluble ash. Referencing “meets ISO 11287” is a clean way to screen out adulterated or poorly processed tea. High acid-insoluble ash usually points to sand or soil contamination; low water extract points to old, over-processed or diluted material. Quote the current edition in your sheet so there is no argument about which limits apply.

Physical sorting

State the acceptable share of broken leaf, dust, stems and fiber for whole-leaf grades, or the particle size range (by sieve or mesh) for BOP, fannings and dust. Add a zero-tolerance line for extraneous matter: stones, plastic, hair, insects and metal. For tea bag grades, mention metal detection or magnet screening if your packer requires it.

Sensory profile

Sensory lines are harder to measure but still worth writing. Describe dry leaf appearance, liquor color, aroma, taste and infused leaf in plain terms, and list defects you will reject: smoky, burnt, sour, musty, grassy from under-fixing or flat from old stock. Tie the sensory standard to the approved sample by its reference number, so “matches approved sample” has a physical meaning.

Residue and contaminant panel

For most importers this is the most important part of the sheet.

Name the destination market and its rules. In the EU, maximum residue levels are set by Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 and can be checked in the EU Pesticides Database. Japan has applied its positive list system since 2006, with a uniform limit of 0.01 ppm for substances without a specific MRL. In the US, EPA sets tolerances in 40 CFR Part 180 and FDA enforces them at the border. A substance with no tolerance for tea in the US is effectively not allowed.

Then specify:

• The laboratory standard you accept (for example, an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab) and whether you will retest at destination.
• That the report must reference the lot number on the sacks, not a general product sample.
• Other contaminants relevant to your market, such as heavy metals, anthraquinone and microbiological limits for ready-to-drink or tea bag use.

Our guide to green tea pesticide residue limits explains how to structure the panel and how to read the lab report.

Packing and labeling

Bulk green tea from Vietnam usually ships in 25 to 50 kg foil-lined paper sacks, with a 1 metric ton MOQ. A 20 ft container holds roughly 18 metric tons of bulk tea. Specify:

• Inner liner (foil laminate or food-grade PE) and whether it must be heat sealed.
• Outer sack or carton, net weight per unit and tolerance.
• Palletization, pallet type and fumigation or ISPM 15 marking if wooden pallets are used.
• Stacking and container loading method.

For labeling, list what each sack must show: product name and grade, lot number, net weight, production date, best-before date, “Product of Vietnam” and the exporter’s name. If you want neutral packing without the supplier’s brand, say so explicitly. Retail and private-label packing is a separate specification.

Sampling and approval

A clear sampling plan turns the spec into a contract you can enforce.

1. Offer samples. Ask for 100 to 250 g per sample, labeled with the supplier’s lot reference.
2. Approval. Once you approve a sample, give it a reference number and record it in the spec and on the proforma invoice.
3. Retention sample. Ask the supplier to seal a retention sample from the production lot at the factory.
4. Pre-shipment inspection. Your third-party inspector (SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek, typically 350 to 600 USD per container) draws samples from the loaded goods, compares them with the retention sample and checks packing and labels before the container is sealed.

Buyers arrange inspection themselves and pay the inspection company directly. Put the inspection right, the inspection body and who pays for a failed re-inspection in writing.

Commercial terms

Close the sheet with the terms that affect cost and timing:

• Incoterm and named port. FOB Ho Chi Minh City for tea from Lam Dong or FOB Hai Phong for northern tea. Use EXW if you manage inland transport yourself. Check the current Incoterms definition you are using.
• Lead time. Production usually takes 3 to 5 weeks after the proforma invoice. Transit from Ho Chi Minh City to US West Coast and EU main ports is roughly 25 to 35 days.
• Documents. Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, lab reports and any organic transaction certificate.
• Certification. If you need organic (USDA, EU or JAS), Rainforest Alliance or a food safety scheme such as HACCP, ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000, ask for the certificate number and verify it with the issuing body.

Common mistakes

• Writing “premium quality” or “good grade” instead of measurable limits.
• Naming no residue panel, or naming the wrong market.
• Approving a sample without giving it a reference and a retention plan.
• Asking for a price before sending the spec, then comparing quotes that assumed different specs.
• Forgetting to specify moisture test method, so supplier and inspector results disagree.

Related reference

Each line of the spec has a reference page: the certificate of analysis, the pesticide test panel and the certificates buyers ask for.

Send a green tea spec

Once your sheet is drafted, send your green tea spec through the RFQ form. We check it and introduce up to 3 suitable Vietnamese suppliers within 24 business hours, free for buyers. You then deal with each supplier directly on samples, price and contract. If your spec is confidential, ask for an NDA before you share the details, and use the RFQ form to note that requirement. Start with the end use and the cut before you fill in this template: see our guide to bulk green tea.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• European Commission: EU Pesticides Database
• Wikipedia: Green tea