• Lindsay Lohan TV Ad Promotes Office Tea Breaks | Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify | Botanists Identify the Gene that Causes Tea Leaf Droopiness

    Lindsay Lohan TV Ad Advocates Office Tea Breaks | Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify | Botanists Identify the Gene that Causes Tea Leaf Droopiness | PLUS Revitalizing Kumaon | A century ago, Kumaon’s high-mountain estates were abandoned. The formerly productive tea fields lay fallow until an enterprising young entrepreneur marshaled the resources of US-based Frontier Co-op and USAID’s Cooperative Development Program to benefit hundreds of tea smallholders.

    Tea News for the week ending July 5, 2024

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    India Tea News
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman

    Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea in Marquette, Mich., inspired the villagers in the Kumar region to create a new era of economic resiliency and autonomy. The solar-powered factory with state-of-the-art equipment will process regeneratively grown certified organic tea in four styles available in retail locations by November. Vable writes, “We hope our model serves as a blueprint that can be replicated and improved upon so we can all collectively raise the bar on transparent sourcing, regenerative agriculture, and smallholder farmer equity.”

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    Lindsay Lohan for Pure Leaf Tea
    Lindsay Lohan for Pure Leaf Tea

    Pure Leaf TV Ad Advocates Office Tea Breaks

    By Dan Bolton

    Actress and producer Lindsay Lohan appears in a new television commercial and social media campaign urging tea drinkers to take a break at work. The commercial, financed by the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, features Pure Leaf, the top-selling ready-to-drink tea brand in the US.
    The minute-plus spot is the first national multimillion-dollar tea advertising campaign since the pandemic.

    The Pure Leaf brand also launched a US-only coupon giveaway of a free bottle to enjoy on your next tea break. Text 737-377-3774 between June 27 and July 25 to receive a bottle or visit. PureLeaf.com/TeaBreak

    Try: Tea break recipes

    In the commercial, Lohan, who has starred in several Netflix original films in the past few years and is currently filming Freaky Friday 2 with Jamie Lee Curtis, asks, QUOTE “When was the last time you took a break? I mean a real break. It’s like we forgot breaks even exist. Standing on an office coffee table, she shouts “it’s time for a tea break.” We all deserve a moment to recharge and revitalize ourselves. Soon the office staff is headed out the door chanting “tea break, tea break” and chugging Pure Leaf.

    Edelman made the humorous 90-second spot, supported by research that reveals “three in five workers struggle to take breaks during the workday, and more than half of workers feel too busy or interrupted by work to take a refreshing break. Nearly two-thirds of the 1010 full-time workers surveyed feel mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. However, sixty-three percent (63%) of workers surveyed noted that when they take quality breaks, they return recharged for what’s next*.

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  • Why is First Flush Tea so Tasty? Metabolites | Oversupply Threatens Kenya’s Harvest Windfall | World Tea Expo: An Infusion of Fresh Ideas Opens this Weekend

    Why is First Flush Tea so Tasty? Metabolites | Oversupply Threatens Kenya’s Harvest Windfall | World Tea Expo: An Infusion of Fresh Ideas Opens this Weekend | PLUS Tea Revolution founder Annabel Kalmar describes the DNA of a purpose-driven venture.

    Tea News for the week ending March 15, 2024

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    India Tea News
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman

    Annabel Kalmar, founder of Tea Rebellion, a small direct-trade single-farm tea retailer, describes the DNA of a purpose-driven tea venture and the challenge of changing how tea is traded, marketed, and consumed. She says the goal is to be a sustainable, transparent, award-winning tea brand. Tea Rebellion, founded in 2017, does not sell blended or flavored tea. Farms are co-branded, and marketing draws attention to the farm and identity of growers. “To affect change, we need to credit the maker of the product,” she says. “To drive impact, I choose to work with tea farmers with a clear goal of sustainability and impact in their communities. Several of these farmers are female-run or committed to the empowerment and well-being of women,” she says.

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    First Flush
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    The 2024 First Flush is Underway

    By Dan Bolton

    The allure of first-flush teas has inspired poets for centuries, but what of the science?

    Scientists are rhapsodic, too.

    In spring, the buds of high-mountain teas burst with amino acids. Tea leaves contain significantly more carbohydrates, flavonols, and polyphenols in summer and autumn.

    According to a 2020 study published in Food Research International, flavonoids and flavonols (the good-tasting, good-for-you compounds), catechins, and amino acids abundant in spring leaves showed sharp seasonal differences. The researchers concluded that harvesting time was one of the most critical factors affecting metabolites most closely related to the quality of green tea.

    A team analyzing young translucent Anji Baicha leaves plucked on March 6 found their leaf chemistry significantly differed from leaves from the same plants plucked on May 10. The analysis, which combined liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS), was found to “assess tea quality objectively and reliably.”

    Since then, the research has been used to ascertain optimal harvest dates to take advantage of tea’s multiple health-promoting effects, primarily attributed to its secondary metabolites, including polyphenols, amino acids, caffeine, and other compounds.

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  • Diets that Include Tea Brewed in Teabags Linked to High PFAS Levels | Flavor-enhancing Microbes Are at the Root of Quality Tea | Retail Tea Prices Remain High

    Researchers Link Diets that Include Tea in Teabags to High PFAS Levels | Flavor Enhancing Microbes Are at the Root of Quality Tea | Retail Tea Prices Remain High as Inflation Eases

    Tea News for the week ending February 23, 2024
    Hear the Headlines | Seven-minute Tea News Recap
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman

    Invented in 1875, the aromatic “qihong 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.

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    Lilian Xia on the revival of Keemun black tea

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    Diet with tea linked to PFAS
    A diet with tea brewed in teabags was linked to higher PFAS levels in human trials.

    Researchers Link Diets that Include Tea Brewed in Teabags to High Levels of “Forever Chemicals”

    Researchers studying dietary patterns report a link between consuming tea in teabags and high levels of forever chemicals likely leeched from tea bags and packaging. The study was financed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was led by chemists at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC)

    According to researchers, dietary changes could lower pre- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) levels in the body based on testing that showed increased levels in human trials among those consuming certain foods and beverages. The research is based on a nationally representative sample of 725 young adults.

    The PFAS levels were highest in those who ate out frequently and those who drank tea in teabags and consumed processed foods. Eating food at home demonstrated the opposite. Every 200-gram increase in home-prepared food showed lower levels of PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid), one of several forever chemicals.

    A single additional serving of tea was linked to 24.8% higher levels of perfluoro- hexanesulphonic acid (PFHxS), 16.17% higher perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS), and 12.6% higher levels of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA).

    Totals also rose among those who consumed pork, hot dogs, and processed meats.

    Researchers expressed concern that even metabolically healthy foods such as tea can be contaminated with PFAS, which is known to harm human health.

    Hailey Hampson, a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California, told Technology Networks, “Our primary hypothesis is based on a study published last year, which found that some tea bags contain PFAS. This study, conducted in India, tested 108 tea bag samples collected from the Indian market and found that 90% contained detectable PFAS concentrations.”

    The research team is now testing popular tea brands in a follow-up study. 

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  • Maritime Security Concerns Worsen | Rising Operating Costs Close Nine Uganda Tea Factories | Hydration Concerns Motivate Consumer Purchases

    Maritime Security Concerns Worsen in Suez and The Red Sea as Two Missiles Disable British Ship | Rising Operating Costs Close a Third of Uganda’s Tea Factories | Hydration Concerns Motivate Consumer Purchases

    Tea News for the week ending February 16, 2024
    Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Weekly Tea News Recap
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman

    “New tools and approaches are changing the game from always looking backward through the rear-view mirror to giving everyday tea professionals a new crystal ball that allows us to look around the corner and predict what’s coming,” observes Liam Brody, the new Committee on Sustainability Assessment CEO. Brody explains COSA’s role in intelligence-gathering and developing strategic tools that advance sustainable practices with “sound business” underpinnings. He also shares his vision of how artificial intelligence will revolutionize and influence consumer behavior and perception of sustainable practices.

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    Liam Brody, CEO Committee on Sustainability Assessments (COSA)

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    UK Grocers concerned about tea supply
    UK Grocers concerned about tea supply

    UK Retailers Concerned About Tea Supply


    By Dan Bolton
    Shipping company executives see no sign of improvement for vessels transiting the Red Sea, leading UK retailers and tea companies to take steps to minimize shortages.

    As shipping costs surge, suppliers in Kenya and India face a more daunting challenge. Rates from Asia to Europe are up nearly five-fold, rising to $5,000 per 20-foot container. During the height of the pandemic, the expense of shipping containers of tea long distances exceeded the value of bulk tea within.

    Three months into the crisis triggered by the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists, Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue their drone and missile attacks in both the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. On February 18, twin anti-ship missiles disabled a British-owned bulk cargo ship, forcing the crew to abandon the ship, which was taking on water and in danger of sinking.

    Bloomberg reports that last week, ship arrivals in the Gulf of Aden were down about two-thirds compared to early December, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker.

    Executives of the largest shipping companies told Bloomberg TV that threat levels continue to escalate. The disruptions could last an entire year. 

    Maersk Chief Executive Officer Vincent Clerc told Bloomberg, “The amount and range of weapons being used for these attacks are expanding, and there is no clear line of sight to when and how the international community will be able to mobilize itself and guarantee safe passage.”

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  • The Confederation of Tea Smallholders Will Relocate to India | Iran Tea Imports Plunge by 62% | Economists Describe Stable Soft Commodity Prices in 2024

    The UN FAO IGG Confederation of Tea Smallholders Will Relocate its Headquarters from China to India for the Next Four Years | Iran Tea Imports Plunge by 62% | Economists Forecast Higher but Stable Prices for Beverage Soft Commodities in 2024

    Tea News for the week ending February 9, 2024
    Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Tea News Recap
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman

    Delegates from 44 countries (and 14 official observers) who attended The 25th Session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG Tea) on Jan. 31 expanded the organization’s mandate beyond trade aspects, ratifying initiatives addressing all three dimensions of sustainability – economic, social, and environmental. Peter Goggi, IGG TEA delegate representing the US as President of the Tea Association of the USA, discusses #TeaPower, a new health and wellness campaign, FAO’s ongoing support of smallholders, and the economics of oversupply.

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    Peter Goggi, IGG TEA delegate representing the US as President of the Tea Association of the USA

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    UN FAO IGG Confederation of Tea Smallholders
    UN FAO IGG TEA Confederation of Tea Smallholders

    UN FAO IGG Confederation of Tea Smallholders Relocates to India


    By Dan Bolton

    The headquarters and staff of the Confederation of International Tea Smallholders (CITS) will relocate from China to India for the next four years. Delegates to the 25th Session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG Tea) ratified the decision during their recently concluded three-day session in Guwahati.
    According to IGG Tea, smallholders hold a position of growing importance in the tea sector, where they cultivate 70% of the global acreage under tea. Smallholders pluck 60% of raw tea leaves and produce a sizeable amount of finished tea.

    The announcement notes: “Their vitality and integral role within the tea supply chain cannot be overstated. Solving this sector’s issues is essential for the long-term viability and health of the tea industry, not to mention the farmers and their communities themselves.”

    IGG delegates, one each from 44 producing countries and non-voting officials from 14 countries, praised the Government of India and the Assam government for their significant investment in the development of the small tea growers’ sector, citing the dedicated research and development work at the Tocklai Tea Research Center in Jorhat.

    The federation (CITS) was established in May 2016 by delegates to the 22nd Session of FAO IGG on Tea meeting in Naivasha, Kenya. The federation was envisioned as “a forum for developing policies and solutions to strengthen the global tea smallholder sector by acting as a convener, catalyst, and resource to improve the consistency of tea policymaking on a global level.”

    BIZ INSIGHT – Joydeep Phukan, Secretary of the Tea Research Association at Tocklai and Coordinator of the FAO IGG on Tea for India, told Tea Biz’s Roopak Goswami that “Moving CITS to India will synergize the efforts of federal and state governments as well as the Tea Board of India in bringing the global best practices to small tea growers of India.”

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