Natural Flavors Primer

Just in time for Expo East, I wrote a new article on natural flavors for tea. It covers what different names mean, how they're made and what to look for in a "naturally flavored" tea vendor. Excerpt:

Natural – A natural flavor from a single source, derived with an approved solvent, such as water or ethyl alcohol (a consumable alcohol). Boehmer said natural flavors often use propylene glycol (a substance that occurs naturally in foods in very small quantities, but which is derived from petroleum) as a carrier.

With Other Natural Flavors (WONF) – A natural flavor (such as lemon) that is blended with natural flavors from other sources (such as other citrus fruits). According to Vorsheim, the above example would be labeled as “natural lemon flavor with other natural flavors.”

Natural-Type Flavors – Natural flavors that mimic the taste of a particular natural ingredient without actually containing that ingredient. For example, a “natural apple-type flavor” may be a blend of natural flavors from fruits other than apples. According to Boehmer, if a tea blend contains a natural-type flavor and does not contain its namesake flavor (apple) or the flavor source (dried apple bits) as an ingredient, it must be labeled as “artificially apple-flavored with natural flavors.”

Natural Organic Program Compliant (NOP-Compliant) Flavors – Natural flavors that are made from organic-compliant materials. According to Boehmer, all ingredients must be from non-genetically-modified sources and must be organic compliant. Boehmer said the USDA only allows oil carriers such as organic soybean oil, as well as glycerin or alcohol extracted from organic, non-GMO plant materials for NOP-compliant flavors.

You can read the full article on World Tea News.

New Article: Tea Time in a Hot Town

As many tea business owners will tell you, summer tends to be a slower time for U.S. tea sales. However, tea business owners in Phoenix are finding way to counter this trend. I talked with them about their tactics that beat the heat. Here are a few they shared:

* A focus on health, including organics, natural flavors, general benefits and
overall lifestyle
* Cooling Ayurvedic or Chinese medicinal blends
* European-style teashops
* Frozen tea treats, like slushes, smoothies, ice creams and gelatos
* Locations in artsy areas, or former coffee shops
* Modern, gender-neutral aesthetics
* Pairing tea with desserts and meals
* Partnerships with herbalists, caterers and other tea-related professionals
* Tea body products, like soaps and lotions
* Tea for rubs, marinades, smoking and other outdoorsy recipes
* Tea cocktails, mocktails and sodas
* Tropical and desert flavors, like passion fruit and prickly pear

Sources indicated that these kinds of tactics may work elsewhere, and shared other tea-in-hot-weather advice for World Tea News in my new article, Tea Time in a Hot Town. In a summer slump? Check it out!

Organic vs. Non-Organic

I know you all purchase organic products when you can (right?), if not for yourself, then for the environment. However, sometimes organic can equate to expensive, and right now high price tags can be as hard to swallow as pesticide-laden foods. Dr. Weil recently posted these twelve foods to buy organic regardless of the price tag. He also posted twelve non-organic foods with minimal pesticide residue (a.k.a. "items you don't have to buy organic"). You may notice that tea isn't on either list. The truth of the matter is that conventional tea is still relatively low in pesticide residue... but that doesn't mean it's better for the planet, the plants or the producers. You may be glad to know that I recently heard a pound of tea has less pesticide residue than a single apple. Wow! Lemme know if you'd like to see a full story on pesticides in tea and I'll pitch it this month.

Election Day

Happy Election Day! I hope you're all getting out there to vote (if you are eligible to do so, that is). I'm off to line up in a few minutes.

By the way, did you know that Obama loves tea? He used to drink organic green, but now he prefers tisanes. Cool!

Giving Back

There was a recent article on World Tea News that I thought you all might enjoy. (No, it's not mine! Sorry I've been posting my own writing so much... It's been on the brain lately.) It's about giving back through fair trade and philanthropy and it includes an interview with one of my favorite tea professionals, Anupa Mueller. in semi-related news, here's an article about a government initiative for organic tea estates in India. Cool.

Slow Tea

The Slow Food Movement (kind of the opposite of fast food, with a focus on local, sustainable produce and the enjoyment of food as an essential element of culture and communion) has recently embraced tea, even when it is not grown locally. As you may already know, sustainability is an issue close to my heart, so this is a big deal to me. In my opinion, if a quality product can only be grown far away and it is a beneficial component of your diet and lifestyle, it can be OK if offset by other things (especially if it is fair trade and organic). I'm thrilled to see that tea will be included in the upcoming Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco this August-September. If you're in the area or planning on attending, they're looking for tea volunteers. From their latest post, "Tea People Needs: We need to work out a schedule with 5 tea enthusiasts plus 5 facilitators at each of the 5 sessions of the Taste Hall." If you are (or know) someone who can help, check it out!

Red & Green, Organic Tea

At the Expo, I was very glad to see that Red & Green Co launched a new line of organic teas (scroll down about 3/4 of the way). I have spoken with the owner, Chongbin Zheng, at his San Francisco location at length about his committment to quality tea and I am very glad to see the addition of this new line. I also quite like the packaging. (In addition to running Red & Green, Chongbin is also an internationally exhibited painter. He designs his packaging and much of his teaware himself.)

On Monday, I responded to a Wired Magazine article advocating that environmentalists "forget organics." It suggested that local produce is the better way to go. The two are not usually mutually exclusive, but in the case of regular produce that can be sourced locally, I opt for local over organic. However, there are many proucts that are simply not available locally or can not be well-produced locally. In the US, there are some areas that produce tea. I'm even trying to grow some in my living room, though we'll see whether or not that works out. However, the simple fact of the matter is that the growing conditions in the US are not condusive to producing quality teas. Tea's ideal environment is high elevation, hot, and humid. Unless you count my third-floor, no-AC apartment as "high elevation," I don't think it qualifies. Likewise, other tea growers in the US simply do not have the environment necessary for good tea. So how can you reduce your environmental impact if you can't buy quality tea locally? Buy organic tea. Simple. I'm glad to see another line out there to make it that much easier for us!

Have a good weekend, and enjoy your tea!

World Tea Expo, Day 2

Random notes for the day:

Trends:
Many more young people in attendance than last year
Lots of tea factories, fair trade farmers' alliances, and plantations in booths (increased ability to source directly)
More organics

Class:
Tea and Meditation by the authors of Tea Here Now, very interesting presentation on the connections between the two

Highlights:
Meeting James Norwood Pratt
Getting to see all the booths up close
Snagging samples of some fantastic shaped/flowering teas
Talking tea with other tea people
Buying some recent translations on Chinese and Taiwanese teas (particularly oolong and pu-erh)

It was an incredibly full day. I'm taking a moment to relax in my hotel room (if you can call blogging relaxing!) and then I'm off to dinner with Rajah Banerjee of Makaibari and a night on the town with a bunch of tea kids. Fun! More tomorrow...

Tea Brings in the Bling

Sweet Leaf and NUMI received $18 million* and $1.8 million, respectively, in capitol from investors during April.

Sweet Leaf Gets a Sweet Deal. Excerpt:

"Catterton Partners, which is based in Greenwich, Conn., invested in numerous companies, including Build-a-Bear, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Odwalla and Kettle Foods.

'The ready-to-drink tea category is a $2.8 billion industry with the premium segment growing at an annual rate of 25 percent,' says Michael Farello, partner, Catterton Partners, who will join Sweet Leaf Tea's board of directors. 'Our assessment shows that Sweet Leaf Tea has the greatest potential for growth of any company in the category. This investment will give Sweet Leaf Tea the resources it needs to achieve an entirely new level of national awareness and sales.'"

NUMI Gets Shown the MONEY. Excerpt:

"'NUMI Organic Tea is a highly regarded industry leader in the premium organic tea category and has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to innovation, supply chain transparency, organic and fair trade advocacy, sustainable packaging, and assistance to tea producing villages in China, India and Africa' said Mark Finser, General Partner of TBL Capital.

NUMI Organic Tea pioneered the introduction of exotic herbs such as Rooibos, Lemon Myrtle, Honeybush and Dry Desert Lime that were popular in Europe but completely unknown in the United States. NUMI Organic Tea is also known for their innovative line of Flowering Tea; hand sewn tea leaves that blossom open when steeped in hot water. NUMI Organic Tea is responsible for commercializing this beautiful artisan trend from China....

TBL (Triple Bottom Line) Capital invests in... companies that are socially responsible and profitable."

It would seem that Catterton and TBL know what they're doing. Tea is increasing being recognized for its rapidly growing market and enormous sales increases. Having interviewed a rep from Austin-based Sweet Leaf a while back and having tried a number of NUMI's organic products, I'm glad to see both of these companies, ahem, infused with capitol they can use to further expand their markets, and tea's popularity in the US. Congrats!

*This figure is a correction from the original post.

Happy Earth Day!

So, it's Earth Day. Do you know your carbon footprint? After you've taken the quiz, check out a few sites with ways to go green for today and from now on:

World Watch

Tree Hugger's Guides to Going Green (My favorite: How to Green Your Coffee and Tea)

AND

CNN's 22 Little Ways to Go Green (These ones are really easy)

If you're interested in making a change in your diet that is healthy for you AND the environment, read about reducing your carbon footprint by eliminating beef from your diet.

Take some time for yourself and the planet to drink some fair trade, organic tea and do a little something (or big something!) to lessen your environmental impact. Happy Earth Day!

Tea Sale, New Organic Tea, and a New "Tea" from Crystal Light

A few quick notes on tea news for today:

Ito En is having a sale on their Dr. Andrew Weil for Tea line. If you haven't tried them, now is an especially good time to do so. The World Tea Expo previously awarded their ready to drink Darjeeling and Jasmine White teas. I also quite like their Turmeric Infusion, which is a natural anti-inflamitant traditionally drunk in Okinawa.

There's a new line of organic teas on the market. Cool. (FYI, this link will open as a pdf file.)

Crystal Light is releasing a new line flavors for water, several of which are tea-based. According to their press release, "Metabolism+ Peach Mango Green Tea contains a blend of natural green tea antioxidants and caffeine for a short-term boost in metabolism.... Red Tea Mandarin... has 55mg of Natural Rooibos Polyphenols (and) is the first herbal tea mix from Crystal Light." I'm sure it will be disgusting, but it is interesting to me that they are trying to make a comeback by touting tea.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Sustainable Tea

This Saturday, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is having a very cool local food event. They'll have workshops on the best foods to grow locally, how to grow in limited NYC space, sustainable watering practices, and more.

The only workshop addressing "tea" is "Brewing Compost Tea" (which, for those of you unitiated to the ways of composting, is nothing you'd want to drink!), but I think that this relates to the bigger picture of tea in that it has to do with the choices we make about what we consume. More and more people are turning to not only local, but organic, biodynamic, fair trade, and sustainably packaged foods and drinks. This is especially true of tea and other "luxury" or "specialty" foods. (I still find it funny that you can get an exceptional loose-leaf tea for about 25 cents a cup, yet it still gets pigeonholed as a "luxury item." Sure, it's luxurious, but it costs much less than your average soda!) This trend is growing in both the US and in the UK. Organic teas are becoming easier and easier to find (some companies, like Zhi Tea, sell only organic teas), and fair trade teas are following close behind in many areas. Sustainable packaging will be addressed at the next World Tea Expo and (I think) will become increasingly popular in the tea market. Now it's even possible to buy local tea in the US (if you live in South Carolina, Washington state, or Hawaii, or if you know the right people). Tea is one of the few (only?) foods that is closely linked to both foodie and health culture.

I am very interested to see where it will go as trends from both sides influence its production, processing, packaging, and marketing in the US and elsewhere. What do you see in the future of tea? Anyone care to read the leaves and speak up on the issue?

PS--The event I mentioned before rambling, Making Brooklyn Bloom, is free if you print out a flyer from their site.

Sustainability & Food Purchases

Lately, sustainability has become a much larger factor in food purchasing decisions. Organic, fair trade, biodynamic, low-waste/eco-friendly packaging, and local products are all receiving more and more attention from customers in their shopping habits. According to a recent survey "approximately 50 percent of U.S. consumers consider at least one sustainability factor in selecting consumer packaged goods (CPG) items and choosing where to shop for those products." That's quite a jump from ten years ago, when most people were just learning what organic produce even means. Possible implications for the tea world: more sustainable (reusable, recyclable, minimal, eco-friendly) packaging, more organic/biodynamic estates/gardens, more fair trade companies, and more local estates (which, sadly, goes along with global warming). Read more about the survey here. Have a good weekend!

Pesticide Tea, Anyone?

As food safety concerns rise, more and more people are talking about how to clean your foods. If you are finding yourself concerned about any undesirable additives in your tea, I suggest the following:

Buy from a reputable company. Take a minute to look into the company itself. (This is easy enough to do online.) Does it seem ethical, or does it seem like it would sell you turpentine tea to turn a buck? If it seems ethical, is it a mega-corporation with employees paid to make it LOOK ethical, or is it actually kind of ethical?

Consider paying a little more to ensure your tea's quality. 'Nuff said.

To (ideally) eliminate pesticide and artificial fertilizer content, buy certified organic.

Consider buying Fair Trade. (Happy workers are more likely to treat the tea better. I've seen this in action.)

Take a cue from gong fu (high-skill) tea ceremonies: rinse your tealeaves.*

Keep in mind that at least some of the pesticides used in tea production are evaporated during the drying stage of production. It's not totally reassuring, but it's good to know.

AND

Relax. Despite all the media's hullabaloo about food contamination, your tea will probably be just fine. Stress, on the other hand, is a real killer.


Hope this helps. Enjoy your tea!


*How to rinse your tealeaves: Place the leaves into the brewing vessel. Pour water (at the brewing temperature) over the leaves, and then pour the water out. Your leaves are now rinsed and ready for brewing. According to the gong-fu tradition, the leaves are also "awakened" and ready to make the best tea they can.

Related study: Organic food is on the rise, as is local food. 80% say they eat a healthy diet. (Ha! Right...) 59% identified China as a problem area for food safety. The odd thing to me is that people who purchased organic food tended to earn more than those who didn't. Organic food doesn't have to be expensive! In fact, when it's done properly, it should cost LESS than conventional food. (Read "The One Straw Revolution" for more on the costs of organic food production.)