• Easing COVID Restrictions Leads to Uncertainty in China’s Tea Industry

    Tea pluckers in China practice COVID distancing during the 2020 harvest

    Tea News for the week ending January 6

    Podcast Episode 98

    Millions of urban Chinese will return to their ancestral homes in rural China to celebrate the Lunar New Year, raising concerns about outbreaks and possible labor shortages in tea-growing regions as the spring harvest begins.

    The end of China’s dynamic zero-COVID policy is returning vitality to the travel, outbound tourism, restaurant and catering, and entertainment sectors, all of which benefit tea sales. But easing track-and-trace rules also enabled consumers to circulate, leading to a steep incline in viral infections.

    | The World’s Top Black Tea Producers Report Export Declines in 2022

    Export volume in Kenya and Sri Lanka, two of the world’s top three black tea-exporting countries, declined in 2022. Data is preliminary, and the reasons vary as weather, geopolitics, and pandemic-induced economic setbacks resulted in another lackluster year for trading tea.

    | What do We Value about tea, and How Do We Value It? Speakers at the 8th Annual day-long, in-person Global Tea Initiative Colloquium on Jan. 19 at the University of California, Davis, will discuss Tea and Value. Register free at globaltea.ucdavis.edu

    | PLUS Grace Farms is introducing a line of ethically and sustainably sourced teas that co-founder and CEO Adam Thatcher says will give back 100% of profits to help end forced labor worldwide – forever. According to Thatcher, “even though slavery was abolished globally nearly a century ago, more than 28 million people are trapped in forced labor worldwide. Poverty and lack of access to education create opportunities for those who stand to benefit from the exploitation of vulnerable men, women, and children. In modern times forced labor takes the form of work with little to no pay, fear and coercion, and restricted freedom of movement.

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  • UNESCO Honors and Safeguards Tea Cultures in China, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan

    Tea pluckers harvesting raw leaf in Türkiye carry traditional baskets

    Tea News for the week ending December 2

    Podcast Episode 95

    UNESCO Inscribes Tea Traditions China, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) annually recognizes cultural practices and traditional crafts worthy of safeguarding. On Dec. 1, UNESCO named two tea traditions to the list, citing traditional Chinese tea processing techniques that “entail knowledge, skills, and practices around tea plantation management, tea-leaf picking, and manual processing. These are passed on through families and apprenticeships, including by tea producers, farmers, and artists, as well as those who make the pastries that are typically served with tea.”

    UNESCO also inscribed the Culture of Çay (tea), “a symbol of identity, hospitality, and social interaction.” In a joint application submitted in March 2021, Azerbaijan and Türkiye described their tea culture as “an essential part of social and cultural life and an important social practice aiming to show hospitality, celebrate important moments in the lives of communities and help them to build and maintain social relationships and enjoy moments by drinking tea for social exchange and interaction.

    | Black Friday Lives Up to its Name as US shoppers set in-store and online sales records

    | Australian Study Shows Elderly Women Benefit from Tea Flavonoids

    | PLUS Tea Biz travels to Tucson, Arizona, for the grand opening of a 2200 sq. ft. combination tea shop, tearoom, warehouse, and online fulfillment center. Andrew McNeill, Business Development Director at Seven Cups Fine Chinese Tea, says that stay-at-home tea drinkers experimenting with specialty teas are eager to share the experience of tea discovery face-to-face.

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