Souvia Tea Blog

While most think of Souvia Tea as an antidote to Starbucks, The Kerr Cultural Center mentions them in an article about their events

 http://asunews.asu.edu/20081030_kerrculturalcenter

 If you have time these are nice events with some great music…

Unrest in Northern India is delaying the harvest, distribution and shipment of Darjeelings.  It is not clear how this will ultimately affect the quality and timing of this years crop.  “Most of the production has not been dispatched. There’s a stockpile inside the factory and it’s almost crammed up. And if this continues for some more time, there will be huge cancellation of our advanced orders…” says Owner, Makaibari Tea Estate, Rajah Banerjee.

 You can read more about the issues online

We are discussing the issue with our suppliers and looking for suitable replacements for our Darjeelings should the saupply remain in turmoil.

 Bottom line:  Don’t expect the First Flush teas anytime soon

starts Friday….  This is the main tea event every year in the US and it is where we find out what’s up in the World of Tea.

 We’ll post relevant info here as it unfolds.

As I predicted in our February Tea Newsletter, tea prices are on the rise.

“Anyone who has traveled outside of the US lately knows that the dollar is weaker against many major currencies.  Since almost all of the tea in the US is imported this can affect prices.  The only saving grace is that ea is currently priced in dollars world wide but this may change or growers will have to raise prices to stay in business…Interestingly, the rising standard of living in China may put the biggest crimp on tea.  As incomes rise in China, the Chinese are drinking more of the higher quality teas. Compounding the problem is a boom in PuErh consumption both in China and abroad (even Posh Spice is in on it).  since Pu-Erh teas are traditionally made with tea from the Yunnan region, the increased Pu-Erh consumption is decreasing the Yunnan black tea supply.”

This two things are putting pressure on tea prices.  This will have two effects.  One, the better teas from China, such as Yunnan Royal Gold, will see large price changes due to demand.  The second result is that tea prices in general will rise due to the weak dollar.  We will be adjusting pricing in June to reflect.  However, we will not be raising prices for the 100 gram and 250 gram bags except in a very few cases.  This means we are absorbing the increases in all but the 50gram “trial size” of the teas.

We also will be changing our pot of tea pricing.  From June 1, all pots of tea will be $3.99, hot or iced, in store or take away.  We will also be introducing a new line of specialty blends and custom blends.  Those will be sold at $4.99 for a pot.

An interesting article in the New York Times on the small village of Pu’er in China.  This article talks about how Pu’er grows wild there like blueberries in Maine and how people just pick it and process it.  Also, some confimration of the pu’er craze going on in China.

 The article only briefly mentions aged pu’er and highlights the potential to get ripped off on aged cakes.  If you like to buy that kind of thing just make sure you work woth a reputable supplier and if it is 10 years old, it should be VERY expensive, think >$200/pound or more retail.

 The trees in Pu’er are very old and produce large leaves, there are also cultivated varieties.

We get asked a lot about Fair Trade Certified® products.  While we carry many products that carry that certification, it is a system that is imperfect.  We have heard growers from India, Sri Lanka, and Africa complain that the extra cost for Fair Trade products does not reach them.  Others contend that it is better than nothing and does help the many people involved in the tea harvesting.  In fact, the is a recent article in a New Zealand newspaper that highlights the complexity of this issue.

 We will continue to carry these products but we also work with suppliers and actually speak to growers as to its usefulness.

We just watched an interesting movie called Elephant Walk.   It takes place on a tea plantation in the Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) shortly after World War II.  It shows not only the excesses of the British run plantation but also much of the processing and vast expanse of a tea gardens.

It has some great footage, costumes and a decent plot.  Definitley worth a rental for the scenery alone!

Is High Tea the same as Afternoon Tea?

No!  The Afternoon Tea Tradition started in the 1800’s when Lady Bedford had an Afternoon snack
prepared to tide her over until dinner.  High Tea was so-called due to the high tables it was often served on.  It was a full meal and not like anything served at a typical Tearoom.  Many people use these terms interchangeably but they are very different things.

Have a tea question?  Send it to info@souvia.com

Gail, Bret and Kerstin successfully completed the Black Tea portion of the Specialty Tea Institute’s Certification Program.  This intensive series of courses seek to allow Tea Purveyors to expand their tea knowledge and demonstrate that knowledge via an examination at the end.

To our customers it means that you can rely on Souvia to always have up-to-date information on tea sources, processing, health benefits, and to put it to use to help you choose the right tea!