According to the raw denim aficionados over at Heddles "Tea-core leather is a highly prized style of leather that emulates the nuanced break-in of vintage leather by in turn emulating older styles of tanning and finishing leathers. What makes a leather tea-core is that, as you wear away the outermost layer of dye or pigment, you begin to see a new layer of color, usually a light brown, hearkening back to a time when leathers were almost always veg tanned. In very high-quality modern leathers, this innermost layer of color will likewise be veg-tanned, which remains one of the lengthiest and costliest ways to tan a hide. Tea-core leather, which we see most often in cow and horsehide, is a return to a more thoughtful and conscientious style of tanning, which, because of its higher cost, often entails a more fair labor situation for workers, a lessened environmental impact, and an all around more interesting product".
