Tea Emperor

Agricultural products from Japan have started to get a new ring within international  food industry. This term is radioactive food. Fukushima disaster has lead into situation where people are increasingly observative on where their food for example tea has come from. 2011 and many years after that mark a catastrophic crop for tea farms close to Fukushima nuclear plant. I don’t know the exact size of the affected area, but anyhow even the once famously clean brand of Japanese food is now being tainted. There seems to be no way for a single agricultural producer inside the affected area to continue their business. Agricultural producers outside the affected area will not have it easy either.

Terrible accident at Fukushima nuclear power plant will have long-lasting effects on tea production of Japan. The thing is that tea plantations can still grow tea, but there will be the dubious stigmata of post-Fukushima flush.

TERRIBLE BUT TRUE

Year 2011 will start slow downward trend in Japanese tea industry and there is very little that Japanese can do about this thing. I expect to see marketing campaigns, which focus on remote pristine areas and traditionally high quality tea produce. But human mind is a funny little thing as when it starts to think something possible it immediately grows into something, which is quite probable. This will cause the slowdown in Japanese tea sales.

THE SILVER LINING

The silver lining in this case is not for Japanese tea industry, althought there probably is one, but I can’t see it right now. No, the thing that I’m thinking of is Taiwan. That beautiful island has very similar geographic and climate conditions as Japan as well as well-established tea culture. My projection is that Taiwan is going to rise its profile as a quality tea exporter and it won’t take long before Taiwan exports much more of the total tea production than the measly 3%, which it currently does. The world – beware – fine Oolong tea is coming!

Recently Ozzy Osbourne has made some headlines in relation to tea. First he was featured in the Brisk Tea animated commercials and now everybody wants to know what he thinks about tea. Coming from England Ozzy loves his cup of tea and always enjoys a cup before going on to the stage. It is refreshing to see that tea starts to win some ground outside being an afternoon tea for grannies and elite.

Ozzy misses tea while writing autographs.

Photo by Kevin Burkett

All dressed up for the tea party.

All these beautiful ladies took part into BAFTA’s Award Season Tea Party 2011. This tea party is the real thing not one of those politically inclined groups that ruin the good reputation of tea.

This tea party has a long tradition of recognizing the filmmaking talent on both sides of the big water. BAFTA being originally a British association – I think this is a wonderful way to throw a party.

Global warming troubles tea farmers. Traditional tea cultivation areas are facing climate changes that influence the rainfall and temperature. Changes in average rainfalls and temperatures mean that once ideal conditions for example Assam tea cannot be found in the same elevation as before.

Gloom and doom over a tea farm.

Photo by Jakob Montrasio

WHAT THE GLOBAL WARMING MEANS TO A TEA FARM?

A tea farm that has been founded maybe one hundred years ago is now facing deep trouble. Farms have been using lot of money into investments that boost the tea production and into land purchases. Now these traditional tea farms find that their location is not so ideal anymore.

THE QUANTITY OF THE TEA CROP

The quantitiy of the harvested tea has dropped slightly because the changed weather but this is not a catastrophical change because the drop in production is usually compensated by the increase in the prices. The world has learned to drink tea in huge mugs and that has meant increased consuption. This is the reason why the low production quantity is not so pressing issue for a tea grower.

THE QUALITY OF THE TEA CROP

Here comes the trouble. Tea enthusiasts around the world have come to value specific tastes and tea blends and to get those special aromaone needs standard quality teas. Standard quality tea can only be grown in steady conditions. which are now qreatly affected by changing weather patterns stirred by the global warming phenomenon.

Imagine that you grow Assam tea and you have a long supply contract with some big tea company. That tea company supplies tea to the breakfast table of millions of people. Think what effect it would have if consumer would find their favourite tea tasting like – well – something else. Tea drinker would find another brand that suits her taste buds better.

BRAND TEAS LACED WITH BULK CTC TEA RUINS TEA FOR CONSUMERS

Taiwan’s authorities, namely Control Yuan, claim that some local tea brands are laced with imported leaves and sold under the name of Taiwanese tea, which hurts the interests of consumers.

Tea farm on the beautiful island of Taiwan. Photo by Harry Huang.

ORIGIN MATTERS

Controlling body points out that sellers can blend local tea with imported tea, but tea sellers should clearly indicate the ration of imported tea and local tea. To me this sounds like the complains of the Indian Tea Board that encouraged their tea plantations to grow orthodox specialty tea. The underlying motivator seems to be protectionism.

IMPORTED GREEN GOLD

Taiwan imports around 25,000 tons of tea every year, 74 percent of which comes from Vietnam. The imported tea ends up blended with local tea and sold as a Taiwanese product, this is “unreasonable” and “hurts the interests of consumers.” Although Taiwan imports 19,000 tons of tea from Vietnam every year, one cannot find tea labeled as Vietnamese on the local market.