Fifty years ago, three industrious Turkish brothers in Havza, near Türkiye’s tea-growing region along the Black Sea, fabricated a modern chromium steel version of the traditional samovar. These storied vessels, fired by wood or coal, brew tea while keeping large volumes of hot water on tap.
The Sözen brothers were skilled copper, bronze, aluminum, and steel metalworkers. Their compact, easily disassembled design for Sözenler Semavers (the Turkish word for tea-urn) is now the nation’s most popular brand.
Years ago, my wife, Susan, presented me with a four-liter Sözenler samovar, ideally suited for enjoying the setting sun. We set it up under the flagpole at our family cottage on Lake of the Woods, a deep and clear 300-mile-long lake in Western Ontario.
In September, as the summer days shorten and the sun begins to fade, our grandchildren stuffed kindling and split pine branches to stuff into the samovar’s gated furnace. We toasted marshmallows before I placed the reservoir over the fire. Next, I extend the chimney. The young boys stoke the furnace with hardwood hickory chips until it burns red hot. Then, I scoop a fine Ceylon tea into a metal teapot that sits neatly in flue amid a steady stream of steam from the boiling reservoir.
Once the tea is brewed into a potent concentrate, we pour it into tin cups and add hot water, sugar, jam, honey, and cream. Unlike an English teapot, everyone can dilute the tea to their taste. Strong or light, creamy or clear, the tea tastes lovely as we sit back in our Adirondack and bid farewell to the sun.
Steam in flue heats teapotRed copper teapotCopper teapot
Ornate Russian samovars, whose name is derived from “camo” samo, meaning “self,” and “varit,” meaning “to boil’,” are better known, but samovars were invented in Central Asia. The utilitarian, easily disassembled version originated in Bukhara, Türkiye. Caravans carried samovars to the Caucasus, where different styles evolved in Russia, Iran, East and Far East Asia, and Anatolia. Turkish samovars are seen at weddings, family picnics, public ceremonies, and outdoor social gatherings in sizes up to 50 liters, with flues supporting four large teapots.
Co-founder Azmi Sözen writing on the company website, describes Sözenlar samovars as “especially for picnics, evening chats, hosting guests specific to Turks, village houses, weddings, associations, and coffee houses. Samovar tea is very famous, and it is drunk in palaces, mansions, hunting parties, and special ceremonies.”
The first documented Russian samovars appeared in the mid-18th century. By 1778, the craftsmen in Tula, located about 200 kilometers south of Moscow, were famous for producing heavy urns of ornate sterling silver, bronze, and distinctive copper teapots. Symbols of Russian hospitality and domesticity, Samovars were family heirlooms.
Co-founder Azmi Sözen
In paintings, copper and bronze samovars with a capacity of 5 to 15 liters appear at the foot of the table, spread with cakes, sugar tongs, and jam, with young and old in conversation over tea.
Persian samovars can be seen in chaikhanas (chaykanas – tea houses) in Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan. “Samovar is an indispensable pleasure of Islamic society during Ramadan and long winter nights,” writes Azmi.
Azem, Adem, and Azmi Sözen began making samovars in a small workshop in 1974 and have since expanded to a 6,000-square-meter factory with a public showroom and warehouse. “Our company, which accepts quality as a way of life, has established its power, discipline, self-sacrificing, and reliable trained masters and employees,” according to Sözenler.
“Market expansion did not occur spontaneously,” writes Azmi, but growth continues worldwide. Our mission is to popularize the samovar culture inherited from our ancestors and to pass it on to future generations,” writes Sözenler
“Tea is not just a drink of pleasure but also a culture. Poems, folk songs, and odes were sung in samovar tea ceremonies, which gave people peace and preserved their place in memories.”
Our company, which set out with this understanding, is primarily aware that it is a part of this culture and has increased its production every day to carry the cultural and historical heritage to future generations over time.
Sözenler Semaver showroom and factory, Havza, Türkiye
Tea festivals are enjoying a resurgence, basking in the renewed enthusiasm of health-conscious consumers and the joy of imbibing quality tea. The 14th Annual Northwest Tea Festival draws tea enthusiasts to Seattle for two educational and fun days at the Seattle Center on September 28th and 29th. The Northwest Tea Festival has a rich history in tea, evolving from a small local event to become the foremost social gathering for tea lovers in a region known for its beverages.
Founders Doug Livingston and Julee Rosanoff chat with Tea Biz Podcast Host Dan Bolton
How it Came About
Julie Rosanoff is a pioneer in specialty tea dating to 1990 when she co-founded the Perennial Tea Room near the Seattle waterfront. In 2004, Julee hosted tea-themed dinners there, with author Norwood Pratt narrating the story of teas as courses were served. Tastings and special events led to the founding of the Puget Sound Tea Education Association and the region’s first tea party featuring Barnes & Watson, Teahouse Kuan Yin, Tea Geek (Michael Coffey), Sa Tea, Village Yarn & Tea, and Choice Organic Tea. Inspired by the mass tastings hosted by Bay Area tea firms for the 50,000 foodies attending the first Slow Food Nation in September 2008, the Northwest Tea Festival, a not-for-profit venture, launched to wide acclaim later that month.
Dan: The Northwest Tea Festival is a genuine specialty tea experience, a social gathering of respected speakers and vendors with a delightfully appreciative audience. Julee, tell us what inspired you to get involved in hosting the event.
Julee: Author and tea expert Norwood Pratt inspired me to start the festival. He attended a meeting of several key vendors in Seattle then, and he said that no one was celebrating the 400th anniversary of the House of Orange importing tea to Amsterdam, which is the origin of orange pekoe. So we said, We’ll do it, and we spent a year sorting it out, and the following year, we had our first tea festival, and we’ve had them every year since then, except for COVID, where we were down for three years. Now we’re back. I didn’t know what would happen the first year we did it. The most exciting thing for me was having 500 people standing in line waiting to get in that first day, all having a wonderful time. I think we only had about seven booths, and it was a wonderful thing. Everybody had a good time. And they all said, We want to come back, please do it again.
On the morning of the first day, there is a line out the door, down the street, and around the block, and it is just fabulous to see all these people waiting to have tea.
That’s how it started.
Founders Julee Rosanoff and Doug Livingston with Author Norwood Pratt
Continued…
Joining us today are founders Julee Rosanoff and Doug Livingston.
Dan: Doug, has organizing the festival changed your view of tea?
Doug: My view expanded quite a bit when I considered how to present tea to somebody else and not just focus on myself. I also considered bringing in speakers to talk about the culture behind tea and all the various social aspects of tea nationwide. While working on the show, I became more engrossed in tea.
Doug Livingston
I did my homework and learned a lot more, and I was able to contact some amazing people, not only locally but nationally and internationally, either in person or via some media. So, yeah, it changed me and grew my understanding, appreciation, and love of tea. It’s hard to measure, but it had a huge impact.
Dan: That’s a wonderful story about the show’s origin. I’ve attended several events and found new activities as they matured. Will you give listeners a glimpse of what will happen this year? What makes this year’s show special?
Julee: We’re still coming out of COVID, reorganizing and getting ourselves, and Doug and I, after 17 years, are stepping back a bit. What makes this year special is that new people are in charge. They’re working very hard, and they’re doing an incredible job. Some things will be different, and some things will be the same. It will be very exciting watching them succeed with all this new experience and responsibility they haven’t had before. It’s going to be great to see.
Dan: Will you tell us, Doug, a little about the venue and the show’s layout? Doug: Over the years, we’ve moved around many venues. It’s always been centered in the downtown Seattle Center complex. The current venue is an exhibition hall. Our attendance right now is somewhere around 3500 people. Up to 5,060 have attended in past years, including vendors. It’s a large exhibition hall with space for a lot of presentations. An exhibition floor area and areas are partitioned around the perimeter for other events, presentations, or workshops.
Others on our planning committee brought in the tea lounge concept. They’ve developed it and turned it into a very exciting way of allowing people to experience tea rather than just walking around between vendors sipping tea, which is essential. This offers a little bit more interaction, which is kind of between the formal presentations and workshops. It’s very accessible to people, and it’s been very well received.
Dan: I want to focus momentarily on an emerging trend — retailing tea by offering memorable experiences. Everyone in America knows what tea is, but millions have simply not experienced or enjoyed the exquisite taste of high-quality specialty premium tea.
Julee, will you describe how the festival makes it easy for someone who is a commodity tea drinker to be awakened to the culture, style, and taste of tea?
Julee: First, people come in to see maybe 40 or 50 vendors, all of whom have their version of exquisite tea. Everybody who attends is given a teacup, which will hold about two ounces of tea, and as they walk around, they can sample all the teas that vendors are brewing all day long for two days. When they ask questions, the vendors will have plenty of information. They’re going to find a lot of samples if there’s something someone likes, they can take some home. If they don’t like it, they can throw it out and start again — that happens because our ability to taste must grow and develop, and you might not welcome specialty if you’ve been drinking Lipton tea bags. There is a wide range of what people can try and taste, just with the vendors.
And then, if they go to the Tea Bar, they can sit and try different teas and have them three or four different times; you know that they’ll re-steep because re-steeping is only possible with exquisite teas. People who are not used to it will find it a whole new experience. And so, people can have a wide range of varieties and experiences that will awaken their taste buds and their sensitivity to tea and its wonderful range of experiences and flavors.
Dan: Doug, what’s going through their mind when someone’s face lights up after tasting these teas?
Doug: Well, a lot of different things. As you know, giving somebody an experience that is new and different to them is one of the core things of the tea festival. Our tea festival isn’t a commercial event. It’s not a trade show where vendors sell to other businesses; our focus is on the person drinking the tea and when they light up and realize there’s an aspect to it that they didn’t realize before. That’s growth for them. That’s personal growth, that’s enjoyment, that’s delight, that’s education, and all of those are core goals of the event.
And when we see that happen, we know we’re doing what we’re trying to do.
There’s nothing wrong with drinking commodity teas. There’s nothing sacred about having to find the most exquisite oolongs and so forth. The idea is the experience and its social aspects. And that was also one of the biggest challenges with COVID: the social aspects. Being able to see that response from people and experience that exchange that back and forth was so truncated because socially, we couldn’t be social as much. And you know, with all the media that came in and became available, that helped a lot and certainly expanded the capacity to do that from a great distance. So yes, we can do a Zoom, Facebook, or FaceTime thing and share that experience with someone you know, who will smile and make noises of enjoyment. We can vicariously experience reaching out to somebody. Tea is a social beverage. That is why it’s so ingrained in so many societies at a very basic level. That is the core value of tea. Ours is not a tea culture where you don’t have meetings without tea. In some societies, it’s like being properly dressed; it becomes an important part of the experience.
So, yes, that is a long answer to describe the experience that tea is all about.
“For me, this is a way for 3000 people to reunite with friends. People always talk about who they’ve met. I can’t wait to see this person or that person. Boy, I came from St Louis or Montreal to hang out with these five people in a comfortable place, which is always accommodating. I share experiences with people I’ve known, in some cases, for almost two decades.” — Andrew Goodman
Doug: The festival celebrates this amazing beverage that has captivated the world. We, as organizers, try to maintain a setting and structure so everybody involved can have an enjoyable time, whether it’s an exhibitor, an attendee, somebody doing a workshop, a volunteer, or a staff member working at the festival. We really work to make this an enjoyable and learning event, and that’s why education is so important. We’re looking at the experience of everybody around this whole subject of tea and how people can share that experience, whether they’re a presenter or whether they’re a consumer, whether they’re somebody who’s trying to start a business.
Dan: Julee, picture yourself as a carnival barker inviting passersby to purchase a ticket to the show.
Julee: Come to the tea festival and learnabout a drink you probably already like. You’ll also meet people who share your enthusiasm and will show you new ways to drink and enjoy tea.
There will be more people to meet, new friends, and an opportunity to expand your cultural experience throughout the world. You will meet people from all over the world. It’s going to be very exciting. Don’t miss it!
Josh Brock of the Empty Tea Cup (standing), Barbara and Ward Everson, Charles Dawson, Anais Dawson (standing), and Diarmuid Fahy (baseball cap). The Eversons and the Dawsons are semi-officially representing Whatcom Tea, a Western Washington Tea Education Club we have run for almost 20 years. Anais Dawson is pictured assisting the main Tea Bar but typically runs the Tea Tutorial Table. Photo courtesy Charles Dawson
Tea Bar & Lounge
The Tea Lounge is on the east side of the Exhibition Hall. It is open throughout the afternoon and serves various kinds of tea at tables with fun themes.
Tea Tutorial Table
The Tea Tutorial Table is a space for a slower-paced educational exploration of teas lasting fifteen to twenty minutes. Participants will be guided in depth through a tea or series of teas.
Tea Bar
The Tea Bar is a space for short, three—to five-minute intensive tastings. These will typically compare two similar teas, contrast related but dissimilar teas, or focus on one very special tea. The Tea Bar was created by Charles and Laurie Dawson, founders of Whatcom Tea. All the teas they share are from their personal collection. The sharing is, without expectations, part of their mission to make tea accessible, affordable, and fun. The tea bar is kid-friendly, and children participating in the tea bar may walk away with something extra!
Tea Barista Table
The Barista Table is a place to taste a quick cup of one of the many teas found at the festival. We will brew finds from the festival and, if you like, point you in the right direction so you can acquire some of your own. Standing room only!
Tea Guest Table
The Tea Guest Table is a space for knowledgeable members of the tea community to share their love of and experience with aspects of tea. This may include in-depth tastings, demonstrations of teaware and techniques, fun contests, or blind tasting events. Depending on the presentation, session length may vary considerably.
The Empty Tea Cup
The Empty Tea Cup is a place to rest. After participating in several aspects of the tea industry, Josh Brock concluded that the best way to support tea is to share it in its basic forms. To expose others to the fundamental element of tea that unites all cultures, generations, ceremonies, and sincere hospitality.
PS: Those coming to the festival don’t have to go to the market anymore to grab lunch. We have selectively added a few very nice people with delicious cakes, pies, and savories. So it can be an all-day event if you wish to do it that way. Some people pack lunch. In addition to the beautiful teaware, we have people who make honey, and all kinds of specialty products focused on tea. The festival is truly an immersive experience with Camellia sinensis. – Andrew Goodman
CLICK TO CONTINUE reading the interview and see a preview the new Tea Bar & Lounge
Northwest Tea Festival | Seattle Center: Exhibition Hall 301 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109 Saturday, September 28 – 10 am – 4 pm Sunday, September 29 – 10 am – 4 pm
Lindsay Lohan TV Ad Advocates Office Tea Breaks | Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify | China Launches Global Tea Marketing Initiative | Kenya Suspends Auction Price Minimums on Old Tea | AI Models Predict Local Weather on a Planetary Scale. | Dan Bolton | Episode 182 | 23 August 2024
India’s Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Jorhat announced the winners of the 2024 Tech Brew Hackathon competition, held on International Tea Day. The winning students received 50,000 rupees for tackling their choice of five industry challenges. Teams from 20 universities participated, submitting projects addressing tea waste, marketing and promotion, and climate change. A panel of nine tea industry experts judged the projects.
The top three teams are Team Orthodox, representing the Assam Science & Technology University with a novel non-chemical pest control solution; the second prize goes to Team Neuro Linga at the PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research in Coimbatore for designing an integrated weather and crop health monitoring system. Team Doodle, also from PSG, proposed a network of sensors that monitor plant conditions for growers, signaling areas of concern. A resource website with a chatbot informed by a machine-learning AI model will assess their concerns and suggest remedies.
Pranjit Barman demonstrates the Spectro Smoke Drone
Hackathon Focuses Youthful Attention on Pressing Problems.
By Dan Bolton
Tea Research Institute Secretary Joydeep Phukan said the “hackathon marks a significant milestone in bringing technological innovation to one of India’s most vital industries. I’m proud to announce the successful conclusion of the first-ever tea Tech Brew National Hackathon, a groundbreaking event aimed at addressing the challenges faced by the Indian Tea Industry.”
Phukan said the event was organized “under the esteemed leadership of Chairperson Nayantara Palchoudhuri, Tocklai staff, and industry professionals who judged the competition.”
Team Orthodox
The winning students, Team Leader Pragyan Sen Deka, 23, and Pranjit Barman, 22, designed a drone-mounted hyperspectral imaging eye that roams tea gardens, searching for indications of pest infestations. Suspended below the drone is a smoke chamber that delivers natural fumigants that pests avoid.
Pragyan Sen Deka
Fumigating crops with low-hanging smoke is an ancient, effective, and non-chemical method of driving pests away. Winning team leader Pragyan Sen Deka describes how a modern “Spectro Smoke” generator heats ferns and grass with electrically controlled nichrome wire, producing a downward-driven column of smoke that rises to the underside of leaves and drives away pests like the tea mosquito, one of several insects that reduces tea yields in India by an estimated 147 million kilos a year.
“This innovation promises to transform how we approach pest control, ensuring healthier crops and a more sustainable future for tea plantations,” writes Phukan.
The Spectro Smoke Drone has 1000kv 10-inch propellers producing around 3500g peak thrust. Its max payload capacity is around 2kg. The drone is powered by a 4000mah lipo battery, which gives it a flight duration of 15-18 minutes with no payload. The transmitter is the 2.4GHz FS i6, with a range of 1.5 km.
Team Neuro Linga (second place)
The second prize goes to Team Neuro Linga at the PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research in Coimbatore for designing an integrated weather and crop health monitoring system.
“Their innovative solution impressively combines AI and IoT to tackle pest control and crop health. Using sensors, cameras, and smart technologies, they’ve developed a comprehensive system that not only repels pests but also monitors and predicts pest outbreaks, ensuring healthier crops and a more sustainable future for the tea industry,” writes Phukan.
Team Doodle (third place)
Their innovative solution features a specialized RAG (retrieval augmented generation) model for tea pest detection, designed to minimize computational resources while delivering precise, domain-specific results. Utilizing a Phi2 model with 2 million parameters and an image classification model (ResNet), Team Doodle leverages research papers, and articles scraped via Jina AI to ensure accuracy and relevance. Additionally, minimal hardware is used to collect environmental data such as temperature and moisture, helping to prevent pest outbreaks with accurate and timely detection.
“Team Doodle’s approach represents a significant advancement in sustainable pest management for the tea industry. It combines cutting-edge AI with practical environmental monitoring,” writes Phukan.
Problems to Solve
Here is a list of problems students were asked to address:
Problem Statement 1: The tea industry faces significant challenges due to climate change, including water scarcity, temperature fluctuations, and soil degradation. Develop a technology-driven solution to help tea farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions, optimize water usage, and maintain soil health to ensure sustainable tea cultivation.
Problem Statement 2: Tea crops are vulnerable to various pests and diseases, which can devastate tea crops within a short period. Develop a predictive model using data analytics and machine learning to forecast outbreaks of pests and diseases, enabling pre-emptive action to protect crops and reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides.
Problem Statement 3: With climate change and changing weather patterns, the incidence of pest management has increased, with certain pests such as the Tea Mosquito Bug, Looper Caterpillar, and Green Thrips causing havoc in tea plantations. Develop technologies based on airwaves, sound waves, or biocontrol to control the outbreak of the Tea Mosquito Bug, Looper Caterpillar, and Green Thrips to showcase how it works in tea plantations.
Problem Statement 4: The tea plant Camellia sinensis is a wonder plant. Tea leaves are harvested to make various types of tea. The tea plant also produces tea seeds and flowers. Tea is high in various properties, such as antioxidants and flavonoids. Propose methods and technologies to convert tea into diversified products using tea leaves and waste using innovative technology.
Problem Statement 5: Tea is the second most consumed beverage after water globally. However, there is intense competition for tea as a beverage over other products. Some of the products sold as tea are not from the plant Camellia Sinensis. Develop technology-based solutions to promote tea amongst people from age 10 to 35 years, highlighting its many health benefits, which should be innovative and scalable to make tea the most sought-after drink. One may add non-technology-based suggestions to justify their technologies.
Hackathon Judges
Ms N Palchoudhuri, Chairperson TRA
Mr Dan Bolton, Tea Journalist, Canada
Mr S K Saria, Chairman, NBC TRA
Mr Kailyanjeet Borah, Vice Chairman Agriculture Committee TRA
Mr Abhijeet Hazarika, Tsigma Consultancy
Mr Jai Kejriwal, Council Member TRA
Dr Anoop Barooah, former Director TRA
Dr A Babu, Director TRA
Joydeep Phukan, Secretary TRA
Tea Research Association – Tocklai Institute
To delve into the science and processes behind a good cuppa, visit the Tocklai Institute, the world’s largest and oldest tea research center (founded in 1911). The labs there research microorganisms that inhibit plant disease and promote growth. There is also a tea museum and model tea factory exhibiting the machines that turn leaves into teapot-ready tea.
History
The establishment of the Scientific Department of the Indian Tea Association (ITA) in 1900 marked the beginning of a new era of tea research in India. This was consolidated with the creation of the Tocklai Experimental Station in 1911.
The formation of the Tea Research Association (TRA) in 1964, with Tocklai at the center of all activities, further expanded the horizon of tea research to cover the entire Northeast India. Research on all aspects of tea cultivation and processing is carried out at the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, the world’s oldest and largest research station. Transfer of technology to its member estates is carried out through its advisory network covering 1,076 tea estates occupying 341,049 hectares (1,317 sq mi) of land spread over The South Bank, North Bank, Upper Assam, Cachar, Tripura, Dooars, Darjeeling and Terai. Tocklai has its regional R & D Centre at Nagrakata, West Bengal.
The organization undertakes basic and applied research on tea cultivation and processing in northeast India. A large chunk of the research work is done at Tocklai, while area-specific research for Dooars is carried out at NBRRDC, Nagrakata. Research on the pharmacological properties of black tea is carried out in collaboration with Kolkata and other institutes across India. The technologies developed through R&D activities are disseminated to the member gardens through a wide network of advisory personnel who conduct regular hands-on demonstrations and workshops.
Photos courtesy Team Orthodox | Tocklai Tea Research Center
Share this post India’s Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Jorhat announced the winners of the 2024 Tech Brew Hackathon competition, held on International Tea Day. The winning students received 50,000 rupees for tackling their choice of five industry challenges. Teams from 20 universities participated. | Episode 171 | 7 June 2024
Tea trade associations, research institutes, tea boards, tea brands, and the United Nations Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG/Tea) are organizing to collectively promote #TeaPower for International Tea Day, May 21. The online and event-based marketing program heralds the benefits of including tea in every high-energy fitness regimen, from organized sports and cycling to nature walks and solo ascents. Messaging targets youth, but the findings on dietary benefits and hydration are science-backed and essential to healthy living.
Shabnam Weber is president of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada and co-chair of the United Nations IGG Working Group on Tea & Health, which developed the program. She discusses why #TeaPower is “the perfect pitch for younger generations looking to increase their performance and energy levels while staying healthy.”
Shabnam Weber, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada
A Youth-Focused Health and Fitness Campaign to Boost Consumption
By Dan Bolton
Shabnam Weber worked for 18 years in tea retail as president and CEO of Toronto-based Tea Emporium. She is also an accomplished tea educator, establishing the Academy of Tea in 2016 and developing the THAC Tea Sommelier program curriculum. Shabnam graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honors degree in Political Science and a post-graduate diploma in Psychology. She was named president of Canada’s Tea and Herbal Association in 2018.
In January, Shabnam traveled to Guwahati, Assam, as one of 44 country delegates at the recently concluded 25th Session of the United Nations FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG Tea). During the past two years, as co-chair of the Working Group on Tea and Health, she tirelessly promoted the merits of a unified global campaign to make the benefits of drinking tea relevant to younger generations. She says that #TeaPower will generate a global buzz around tea and its role in improved fitness. “There is extensive evidence supporting tea benefits in sports and fitness performance and optimal hydration,” she explains. “These scientific findings provide the framework for a youth-focused campaign to encourage increased tea consumption.”
We need to remember that our competition is not ourselves. That’s a message for everybody in this industry: we are not the competition; the competition is other beverages. The only way for us to break through that noise is to work together.
Dan Bolton: I greatly admire your work as an ambassador and architect in tea marketing and an articulate tea health and wellness spokesperson. Thank you for taking the time to brief our readers on this initiative.
Shabnam Weber: It’s always a pleasure chatting with you. And you know, I also have to say a big thank you for your work within the industry, which is important.
Dan: Will you tell listeners how #TeaPower came about?
Shabnam: Tea Power came out of this continued conversation that we were having at FAO IGG on Tea about our desire to have a global generic promotion.
It’s a lofty endeavor and nice to say, but what do you focus on? How do you do it?
We decided that the focus should be tea and health. So, a couple of years ago, a new working group was formed, the working group on tea and health. As a group, we got together and had several meetings discussing what kind of promotion we wanted to do and deciding who our target should be.
Throwing a message out targeted at everybody is just too much and lacks focus – especially when you consider that the marketing and promotion world that we live in now is no longer print, television, and radio. It’s digital, and digital adopts and adapts. It’s a very, very noisy environment, which means that you have to be very targeted. So, the group decided that the focus should be on youth.
“Digital adopts and adapts. It’s a very, very noisy environment, which means that you have to be very targeted. So, the group decided that the focus should be on youth.”
– Shabnam Weber
Once that was decided, it was very clear to us that we had to reposition the tea and health messaging the industry has focused on, such as cardiovascular health, bone health, and diabetes.
These are all important and critical aspects of tea and its promotion. But they’re not what the youth are interested in because, thank goodness, they’re not concerned about cardiovascular health, diabetes, osteoporosis, etcetera, etcetera.
So, we made a list of what interests them, and sport and fitness were high on that list, as was beauty, hydration, and mental health.
We then needed to look at what scientific data met the requirements we had set for ourselves as a group, identifying the highest scientific standards that needed to be met.
The scientific papers we found that met all the requirements we had set, were sport and fitness, hydration, and mental health.
That’s a fast-forward version of what took us two years to put together.
Dan: So, what’s the next step?
Shabnam: What the working group is doing now is putting together the campaign, and that means putting together all the scientific evidence. Our regulators require scientific evidence if we’re going to make promotional claims. Then, we’re designing images, visual collateral, ideas, suggestions, hashtags, for everyone to share. This package will be available to all. I can’t stress enough the importance of hashtags and a unified message. We are in this very, very noisy world of social media and that is what will unite this campaign. The way that I’m going to promote tea power is going to be different than, let’s say, Sri Lanka might, or India might, or China might, or Kenya might because it needs to be focused on individual markets and what works in each of our respective markets.
What connects the whole conversation are hashtags. If we all share the same hashtag, we’re all sending out the same message. I reminded the group when we met in India just a few weeks ago that we, as an industry, managed to trend number one on Twitter in 2021. And we managed to do that because we all agreed to use the hashtag tea on International Tea Day.
That was at a time when Trump was president and dominating Twitter. The Syrian war was going on at the same time; yet we managed to break through that noise. And for a short time, we were trending number one on Twitter. It’s a really, really big deal for a food product without controversy to trend through the noise of social media.
I’m often asked why that occurred only in 2021. Unfortunately, the following year’s International Tea Day fell on a weekend, so nobody was celebrating simultaneously. 2024 is the perfect opportunity to get that going again.
Dan: So, we should all synchronize our social posts for T-Day, Tuesday, May 21.
Shabnam: Yes
Young people enjoying tea enjoy life-long, scientifically proven health benefits.
Dan: Young people benefit most from tea health and fitness education. Daily tea consumption delivers on the promise of health and longevity. They know that eating plant-based food is a lifetime habit. It should be the same for tea. Society teaches people to put aside a little money for retirement in their 20s and buy life insurance when premiums are low. The working group has devised a great start to explain the benefits of healthy hydration, but this work is ongoing – in fact, it’s never-ending. Who will update the research and maintain momentum?
Shabnam: You’re absolutely right. To answer your question, one of the things that we did as a group was to agree on two key pillars within the IGG: sustainability and advocacy. Canada and Sri Lanka co-chair the advocacy group and the UK and Kenya co-chair sustainability.
The advocacy group is going to carry this forward.
Shabnam, will you rephrase the following graph?
Sport and fitness is the first campaign we’re rolling out. The purpose of the Advocacy Pillar is to continue campaigns like this and find other messages that we can unite in within the industry.
This is an opportunity to demonstrate the power of speaking with one voice. Our messaging might be slightly different, depending on markets, but to pick up on what you said earlier about youth and the power of lifelong habits, I think everyone needs to understand how important and critical this is to the industry.
Trying to change people’s habits later in life is hard. Children form most of their habits by the age of nine. That’s crazy. We did a study, a questionnaire a couple of years ago, asking young people in Canada between the ages of 18 and 24 when they started their tea-drinking habits. And it was in their homes before the age of nine. A psychological study at Stanford University found that if you haven’t tried sushi by age 39, there is a 95% chance you never will. As we age, we are less open to “novelty.”
Dan: The point is that until you have experienced sushi, it’s just a plate of raw fish, right?
Shabnam: Exactly.
If you haven’t experienced something, you’re less likely to try new things the older you get.
We really need to start learning and thinking about how we translate this for the consumer, “Joe Public.” They want to know, what does it mean for me? Translating it into something like sport and fitness and hydration and mental health, which are such big topics right now, is really important because we need to start living in the real world.
If we want to grow this industry, we must start thinking about the real world and how it talks, behaves, and is influenced. Making that connection is what we’re planning to do – no, not planning to do. We’re going to do it, and we’re going to kick it off for this International Tea Day.
That’s Tuesday, May 21
Dan: German grocery stores sell decaffeinated baby tea. It’s given to two-year-olds and three-year-olds, and they love it. Tea tastes good, right? If you introduce children to something good for them, they will develop a taste for it.
In the same way, it’s absolutely on point to explain the importance of hydration to young people. That’s a trending topic right now. Cure Hydration recently introduced Cure Kids, an electrolyte drink blending coconut water, pink Himalayan salt, and fruit juice powders.
Manufacturers mixing synthetically produced vitamins and minerals into bottled water blended with powdered juice concentrate to “cure” kids is the craziness that distracts the world from the benefits of natural plant-based beverages. We could undoubtedly make tea more convenient and appealing. Will you share your thoughts on promoting tea as the healthiest of health beverages?
Kids Electrolyte Drink Mix
Shabnam: Talking about vitamin water, at the last North American tea conference, there was a presentation on the fastest-growing beverage trend, which is water that’s been fortified. And I have to bang my head against the wall when I hear things like that because we are the original fortified water, we are the original vitamin water.
You know, I say this all the time: we have a product that comes out of the ground. It contains essential vitamins, it is full of minerals, it is full of stories, it is full of legends, and it is full of marketing opportunities; it’s got everything; we have to tell the story.
So, how do we tell that story? How do we take that product and as I said earlier, make it relevant in the real world? Well, the real world, as you just said, wants convenience. So, you know, if we want sport and fitness and hydration, and you know you’re going out for your marathon or half, whatever it is that you’re doing for sport and fitness, you’ll want something that has no sugar. You want something natural, no artificial anything. So why aren’t we taking pure tea? Why can’t we take tea that has been infused with water and bottle it? That’s the end of the story. But then, rather than bottle it as an ordinary iced tea, let’s market it as an energy drink, without any of the negatives of an energy drink, because the energy is natural. We’re not talking about moderate caffeination, zero sugar, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, et cetera, et cetera. We sometimes get pigeonholed by what we know and how we always do things, right? How do you get somebody to buy a bottle of iced tea for sport and fitness? Well, how about you change the label on it and don’t call it iced tea? Call it a sport and fitness enhancer, for example.
Dan: That’s a creative solution. To me, it’s an opening for green. In the 1990s, green tea accounted for about 3% of tea imports in the US. Researchers published compelling evidence during that decade that green tea was good for you. Sales shot up, and green tea imports reached almost 20% of overall tea. They’ve fallen to around 14%. The single biggest complaint is that it fails to deliver on the promise of good health; what holds back green tea is the hassle of making it and the limited foods that can be paired. When you change the format to powder, matcha green tea has excellent culinary appeal, from salads to desserts, and is an energy boost in smoothies. Can we use sports celebrity endorsements to refresh the image of green tea?
Shabnam: Wouldn’t it be amazing to have an NFL team that pours tea over the coach? Instead of the bucket of Gatorade. Honestly, the onus is on us to figure out how to not just re-market it, not by changing the name of tea but by restating its benefits. When I have this conversation with a handful of brands, I guarantee you that the answer will be, well, we’ve already done it; we’ve got iced tea, so you know, “let’s just push that out.”
That’s not enough. I don’t think it’s enough. I think there needs to be marketing around it to make that connection that this is an iced tea, but it’s your sports and fitness drink.
Dan: Consider a campaign around the marketing concept of “healthy hydration.” Hydration speaks to active athletes who ride bicycles, pump iron, and play football. Healthy hydration also rings a bell for neighborhood walkers, joggers, weekend baseball players, and yoga enthusiasts. You don’t have to put TEA in big letters on the label. Healthy Hydration can stand alone on the shelf, separate from Gatorade and Vitamin Water. In that category, green will stand out as seasonal and origin-specific with the taste and sweetness of the first flush.
#TeaPower campaign report by UN FAO IGG/Tea
Dan: How does the launch look at this point?
Shabnam: Well, the beauty of this campaign is that it is whatever you want to make of it.
I mean, at the end of the day, having everybody chip in for one global campaign wasn’t realistic, right?
One of the important elements when we considered how we wanted to roll this out was that we also needed to live in the real world and say, okay, how is this realistically going to happen? That means putting together this package that we’ll be delivering to all the members of the IGG. Then, every member will roll it out however they want to.
So, if, for example, somebody finds an athlete, as you’ve suggested, or a celebrity to endorse the campaign, then great.
If you want to do something as a live event, then that would be great. If it’s going to be purely social media, that’s fine as long as we’re maintaining some of the elements in terms of the messaging, sport, fitness, hydration, and then the added hashtags. That’s what’s going to make the connection for us. So, I think, as I said, the beauty of it will be to see how everybody translates this and how it’s going to roll out on the one hand differently, but then, at the same time, unified for this year’s International Tea Day.
Shabnam: We need to remember that our competition is not ourselves. That’s an essential message for everybody in this industry: we are not the competition; the competition is other beverages.
The only way for us to break through that noise is to work together. When we have these conversations at the IGG, it’s really good for all of us to work together. And the power we have working together is greater than we sometimes understand.
Share this post Episode 158 | TeaPower is “the perfect pitch for younger generations looking to increase their performance and energy levels while staying healthy,” says Shabnam Weber, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada and co-chair of the United Nations IGG Working Group on Tea & Health that developed the program. | 9 March 2024
A hundred and fifty years ago, tea exporters in China faced a dramatic shift in demand due to conflict on the high seas and fierce commercial competition. The emergence of India as Europe’s black tea supplier disrupted almost three centuries of Chinese dominance in the world’s most lucrative black tea market. China needed something new, a cream and sugar-friendly alternative to smoky old-fashioned Lapsang Souchong. That tea was Keemun (pronounced Chee-mun), a modern marvel rivaling Darjeeling at breakfast and the fragrant black Uva teas used in Ceylon breakfast blends.
Invented in 1875, the aromatic “qi hong cha” or Keemun black tea, grown in Qimen County, quickly rose to prominence, explains senior tea master Lilian Xia, President of the Canada Tea Institute. She joins Tea Biz to recount the legacy of a Chinese market-savvy entrepreneur, Yu Ganchen, the pioneer of Qimen tea, who developed the processing method for Qimen black tea and expanded its sales overseas.
Lilian Xia on the revival of Keemun black teaLilian Xia, president of the Canada Tea Institute
Keemun, the Most Famous of China’s Black Teas Returns to Prominence
By Dan Bolton
Lilian Xia grew up in Shanghai, China, a region that has been the commercial hub of tea export for centuries. In China, tea artists are certified by local government officials who test their competency. Lilian is the first batch of senior tea masters and became the instructor at Shanghai Tea Institute and, simultaneously, the chief evaluator at the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Labor. She helped compile the textbook “Senior Tea Artist” and lectures widely. She and her staff in Canada offer seven-level courses for adults and teens. The organization, she says, “is committed to popularizing tea knowledge, using tea as a link to strengthen cultural exchange among all ethnic groups, all classes, and all ages.” The society hosts educational tea parties, tea-themed activities, and tastings, including a public introduction to Runsi Qihong (Keemun) sponsored by the Anhui Guorun Tea Co. Lilian and I met at the Toronto Tea Festival in January.
Dan Bolton: Hongcha is experiencing a revival in China as millions line up daily for their milk tea. Keemun has a special place in the story of black tea as it is the first modern market-driven tea. Tea fragrance has always appealed to tea drinkers. Jasmine is one of the world’s oldest and most famous scented teas. European royalty and the upper classes preferred tea with milk and sugar, crumpets, and dainties, limiting sales of green tea and creating an opening that Keemun quickly filled. Will you share the history of this fascinating tea?
Lilian Xia: Let’s first talk a little bit about the history of black tea. In the early Qing Dynasty, around 1650, the Dutch and English first brought Chinese tea to the West. Most of the tea was from the Wuyi Mountains, near the eastern coast of Fujian Province. Exports were mainly green tea or oolong tea.
The tea, called bohea (an English pronunciation of Wuyi), is dried in wooden sheds, taking on a smoky flavor. Less well understood is that after pan-firing and rolling, the larger coarse leaves from the plant are pressed into wooden barrels and covered with cloth or bruised in cloth sacks to ferment before being fired a second time. During this step, the tea develops a unique “Keemun” aroma. The dark black leaves are then finished in bamboo trays suspended above smoking fire pits filled with hot coals from locally grown Pinus massoniana and slash pine. Adjusting the height of the tray influences the intensity of the aroma.
The tea known as zhèng sh?n xi?o zh?ng became rapidly famous within China as well, driven by the immense profits from its export. The English pronounced it Lapsang Souchong after the Fuzhou dialect for lap (pine) sang (wood) souchong (meaning small sort).
The tea had been traded for two hundred years by 1875 when Yu Ganchen was promoted to junior Mandarin (tax collector) in Fujian. He frequently dealt with tea exporters there and knew of the large quantities of black tea exported to the West.
Unfortunately, he was dismissed as unfit by the emperor. On returning to his hometown of Chizhou in Qimen County, in Anhui Province, he saw a nice environment spanning thousands of hectares where he could get good quality Zhuye tea leaves, so he asked himself, ‘Why not make black tea?’ Yu Ganchen returned to Fujian to study tea-making.
Fog-shrouded Qimen County in Anhui Province
Using the hometown trees, Yu Ganchen invented a process for withering and pan-firing similar to that used in making Wuyi tea. He extended the withering and slowed oxidation to yield a more nuanced aroma, producing a better tea to sell to the West. Variations include Keemun Mao Feng, made from small leaves from the early harvest, and Keemun Hao Ya and Keemun Congou (broken leaf), which are more intense. Keemun Gongfu is preferred for use in tea ceremonies. Today, the best Keemun tea is made in Qimen County in Huangshan City, Anhui province, from leaves grown in Guichi, Shitai, Dongzhi, and Yixian.
Ganchen understood the needs of the Western people who begin their day with tea. The key modalities were color; Keemun is a deep red amber and distinctive fragrance with layers of flavor. Nowadays, many black teas are made in China, but Keemun remains the most popular.
Dan: The strong trade between China and the UK, dating to 1664, entered a rocky diplomatic period beginning in 1839 through 1842 as the first tea gardens were planted in Assam and Darjeeling and again in 1856 through 1960 when victory in the Second Opium War gave Western powers unfettered access to Chinese goods. Keemun marketers understood that winning competitions in the West and celebrity endorsements by royalty would appeal to Europeans and colonial tea drinkers in North America.
Lilian: He was quite familiar with the tea growers, exporters, and Importers from Western Fujian Province in Fuzhou City, so he contacted them and sold them to Western buyers. He opened a store in Yaodu to sell tea in Fuzhou and began marketing Keemun black overseas, where Indian black teas and Sri Lanka black teas were prominent.
A breakthrough occurred in 1915 in San Francisco at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (an early World’s Fair). Keemun, competing with the finest Indian black and Ceylon teas from Sri Lanka, won the gold medal and became the number one choice of many Westerners, including the British and Americans.
The Queen and the royal family popularized Keemun in manuals describing the proper etiquette and preparation of afternoon tea. In London, it was known as the “queen of black tea” and is listed as one of the three most fragrant teas in the world. Keemun became quite famous in blends re-exported from London worldwide. The tea also won many national medals in China over the years. Download: Original Exposition Visitor’s Guide
Aerial view of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Fairgrounds in San Francisco, California
Dan: The tea was so popular that Keemun became the main component in English breakfast blends. In 1879, more than 70% of the tea sold in London was from China. Darjeeling was an expensive luxury until the 1930s. People acquired a taste for Keemun during the years when Darjeeling was scarce. By 1900, China’s market share at the London tea auction had declined to 10%, but even then, the most popular Ceylon and Indian blends of Assam weren’t considered complete without at least 10-12% Keemun. Early mass-market blends, including Lipton and Twinings, featured African teas to give them color. Blenders added Assam tea for astringency. Why was Keemun so popular?
Lilian: Keemun Tea was popular because of its characteristics, like its unique aroma — it’s very special. Even now, in China, we distinguish black tea as either Keemun or not. So, what is Keemun’s aroma? It combines a floral note, a fruity note, and a honey-sweet taste.
Keemun tea master inspects a woven bamboo tray of black tea
Dan: The process that yields that aroma is very interesting.
Lilian: Yes, it starts with withering, then rolling, then fermentation and drying, all the uniform processes of black tea. So, how do we get this unique Keemun aroma?
There are two reasons. The first is definitely because of the tea tree breeds and where they are planted. The proper place is Qimen, a tea-growing region between the cool, fog-enshrouded Huangshan (Yellow) Mountains and the Yangtze River. The cultivar is called Zhu-ye-zhong. It is the same plant used to make Huangshan Maofeng, a grassy and vegetal full-leaf green tea plucked from old-growth trees.
Other critical steps involve slow fermentation and attention to drying. There’s a high-temperature step to reduce the moisture; then, it goes through lower-temperature drying, always 80 to 90 degrees. That low-temperature drying process develops those aromas.
We know that all those tea breeds produce aromatic compounds. Lower-temperature drying facilities develop those aroma compounds to bring out fruity and floral aromas.
Sugar substances and amino acids undergo the Maillard reaction, generating substances with a honey aroma. Many substances with fruity and floral aromas, such as lactones, terpenes, and alcohols, are generated, contributing to the distinctive Keemun black tea aroma characterized by hints of flowers, fruits, and honey. This unique scent is called Keemun aroma.
Making Keemun tea
Dan: One of the reasons Keemun is so important to the traditional Assam and Sri Lanka blended breakfast teas is because they are fired at a very high temperature in a furnace, which drives off aromatic compounds. Keemun adds a distinctive and pleasant aroma as you pour the hot water. Keemun tea drinkers describe the scent of honey, apple, and orchid.
Lilian: Yes, yes. Keemun is unique. Among all those Chinese varieties, more than one hundred black teas, Keemun remains the number one because of its unique aroma.
“Keemun is unique. Among all those Chinese varieties, more than one hundred black teas, Keemun remains the number one because of its unique aroma”
– Lilian Xia, President Canada Tea Institute
Dan: Will you tell listeners about the Runsi Qihong (Keemun Tea) brand? I was very impressed tasting the tea at the Toronto Tea Festival, and so were many others at your crowded booth.
Lilian: The tea is from what used to be a state-owned company and the biggest producer. It is called Anhui Guorun Tea Company Ltd. Mr. Yu Ganchen, who invented Keemun, owned the tea house that was the predecessor of the Guorun Tea Company. Runsi Qihong is their brand.
Before 1949, tea was mainly handmade and primarily sold to tea houses. But afterward, around 1950, China’s modern tea factories increased production, increasing exports. From the 1990s to the early 2000s, Chinese tea factories experienced another important reform, moving from state-owned to limited liability companies. In 2003, with the restructuring of its joint stock, Guorun became the most prominent company specializing in Keemun black tea. It is also the only factory producing diplomatic gift teas for official guests such as the Prime Minister from Britain or Queen Elizabeth.
Runsi Qihong has 12 EU-certified tea gardens and enjoys the title of national standard in China. So, as Keemun black tea is frequently chosen as a diplomatic gift, the highest grade is not premium; there is another grade called gift on top of the premium. Diplomats consistently choose Keemun black as the national gift.
Dan: That’s a prestigious role. According to the China Tea Marketing Association, 7,300 metric tons of Keemun tea are produced annually on 12,600 hectares of land. The tea is primarily for export, generating 5.52 billion yuan (about $808.6 million in US dollars in 2022). Will you explain the role growers play in the process?
Lilian: Guorun Co., Ltd. boasts significant productivity, employing highly mechanized tea garden management, plucking, and processing methods. However, producing the highest-grade teas involves meticulous handpicking and processing to ensure their unique, superior quality. For this, the company hires tea farmers skilled in the delicate task of tea picking, compensating them with labor fees. This blend of automation and traditional craftsmanship ensures the excellence of their tea.
Dan: Thanks for explaining that. So, let’s talk briefly about the Canada Tea Institute and its mission.
Lilian: We created the Canada Tea Institute in 2017 as a not-for-profit organization. We want to improve the tea culture and tea education. These days, we’re also trying to improve the economic development of tea. Most of our members are tea professionals and tea enthusiasts. We have our guiding principles. They are traditional spirits of tea masters, such as harmony, humility, genuineness, and equality. Those are the four guiding principles of our institute. So, we organize tea-related events and activities, such as tea master training programs and sometimes study trips. We have organized tea trips to some tea-producing areas in China, and hopefully, we can organize trips to other tea-growing countries, such as Japan.
During the past six years, CTI has organized over 100 tea-themed events involving more than 4,000 participants. By taking these steps, we’re working to diversify the Canadian tea market, making it more vibrant and dynamic.
Dan: I was happy to see all the young people at your booth. Will you briefly discuss your impression of young people and your role in educating those interested in your teas?
Lilian: I found many people of different ages interested in tea, and I was surprised that there are so many young people. I’ve noticed their enthusiasm for tea in the tea courses I’m giving young folks. They might not know all the ins and outs yet, but their interest is sky-high. They’re not just into the taste; they’re curious about blending their own, which is pretty much like creating something new, and they’re super keen on diving into the tea culture. It’s not just about, “Hey, this tea tastes good,” but more about, “What’s the story behind it? Why do we drink it this way?” They’re eager to explore different types of tea, how to brew them to get that perfect taste, and even which teawares best complement each tea. Honestly, it makes me really happy to see their passion for all aspects of tea, not just the flavor but the whole culture and creativity behind it.
Usually, in China, we use a gaiwan, a covered cup for brewing green teas, flower teas, etc. I also demonstrated Gaiwan brewing in class. Young students use those clear, translucent glasses because it lets them see the tea right inside; it piques their curiosity about the brewing process and its cultural significance.
I think it’s very, very amazing that since ten years ago, or even seven years ago, tea lovers have been aging. I mean, they love tea because they can feel the beauty of calm and simplicity. They are like 40 years old or 50 years old.
At that time, young people liked sweet drinks such as coffee and Coca-Cola, But now I see maybe it is because of the popularity of milk tea and bubble teas that many young people started to drink tea. Tea has become integrated into the daily lives of young people. From the bubble tea, they will pay attention to “This is green tea. This is black tea. This is oolong tea.” Then, they will seek more information about blended teas or different straight teas, I think it’s very good.
Lilian Xia, center, teaches young tea artists a Song Dynasty tea ceremony at the institute’s Peach Blossom Tea Party near Niagara Falls. Students from left to right are Bella, Christine, Jasmine, and Yufeng.
Photos courtesy Canada Tea Institute | Runsi Qihong Tea
Share this post Invented in 1875, the aromatic “qi hong cha” or Keemun black tea, grown in Qimen County in China’s Anhui Province, quickly rose to prominence, explains senior tea master Lilian Xia, President of the Canada Tea Institute. She joins Tea Biz to recount the legacy of a Chinese market-savvy entrepreneur, Yu Ganchen, the pioneer of Qimen tea, who developed the processing method for Qimen black tea and expanded its sales overseas. | Episode 156 | 23 Feb 2024
