Hear the Headlines | Seven Minute Tea News RecapNewly discovered Hainan Island tea varietal.
Researchers Find Unique Genetics in Tea Plants Grown on the Island
By Roopak Goswami
In the world of tea, Hainan Island, located near the South China Coast, has remained an enigma—until now.
In a groundbreaking study, scientists have confirmed the discovery of a new, independently evolved variety of Hainan tea through genome resequencing. This discovery sheds light on the unique genetic background of tea plants grown in the island’s tropical environment. The study, conducted by researchers from the Yunnan Agricultural University and Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, marks a significant milestone in tea research, especially given Hainan’s historically understudied tea resources.
Hainan Island, known for its rich biodiversity and unique geographical conditions, has long been a significant tea-growing region. However, the tea species on the island were previously misclassified due to their similarities with the well-known Camellia sinensis var. assamica. The team collected 500 tea samples from various regions on the island, using advanced whole-genome resequencing techniques to analyze the genetic differences between Hainan tea and other cultivated varieties. The study revealed that Hainan tea forms a distinct taxonomic group, separate from the widely cultivated C. sinensis and C. sinensis var. assamica.
Sample collection locations
Hainan tea forms a distinct taxonomic group.
“Although Hainan Island is rich in wild tea tree resources and possesses vast plantation areas of rainforest tea trees, tea tree resources have not yet been comprehensively investigated and fully developed.”
The discovery expands our understanding of tea plant diversity and opens new possibilities for conservation and breeding programs. The high genetic diversity of Hainan tea, bolstered by its unique evolutionary history, positions it as a valuable resource for future molecular breeding and conservation efforts. Additionally, the findings could serve as a framework for studying other plant species unique to Hainan, providing insights into the island’s ecosystem and its potential for agricultural innovation. This discovery positions Hainan tea as a vital genetic resource for the tea industry, with potential conservation and molecular breeding applications.
Pluckers at work. Photos courtesy Marco Bertona, Executive Director of the Italy Tea & Infusions Association (Assoc Te Infusi)
Dan is a content creator who fosters genuine connections globally through informative, educational, and captivating conversations centered on tea. Tea Biz Blog | Podcast
Proposed: A Global Alliance to Creatively Constrain Tea Production | Luxmi Tea Acquires Rwanda’s Sorwathe Tea Estate | TikTok Sensation Inspires Sprite+Tea | PLUS Brazil is a vast beverage market with a well-established tradition of tea and herbal infusions now valued at $14 billion. Growth is powered by evolving health and wellness trends that favor diverse and distant teas and blends. Editor Aravinda Anantharaman interviews veteran importer and retailer Elizeth van der Vorst. Her business, Amigos do Chá (Friends of Tea), is located near São Paulo, the hub of specialty tea, a market she has served for 30 years. Read more…
Proposed: A Global Alliance to Creatively Constrain Tea Production
By Dan Bolton
Africa’s tea stakeholders believe that actions, more than words, are needed to address the global challenges facing the tea industry.
East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) Managing Director George Omuga said those attending the 6th African Tea Convention understand the need to reduce production to improve quality and raise profitability, which is essential to financing climate resilience and achieving sustainable cultivation at origins worldwide.
He said a key takeaway from the gathering is the need to establish a global alliance of tea-producing countries to enforce creative constraints on production.
Continued…
Omuga cited India’s decision to close factories nationwide for three months beginning November 30 as an example that other producing countries should adopt. He said that growers in the main tea-producing countries of Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda should lower volumes by reducing their pruning cycle to three years from the current practice of four years.
He said attendees stressed the importance of government and tea board collaboration in establishing quality standards for producing quality teas. “Value addition is critical,” he said.
Omuga explained that Africa has a huge potential for increased domestic consumption. Producers should pursue market diversification strategies, including leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to promote intra-African tea trade.
He said he hopes to persuade tea producers to give the East Africa Tea Trade Association the marketing mandate to create new markets, expand emerging markets, and protect existing markets.
Attendees discussed the negative impact of synthetic fertilizers on soil ecosystems and the importance of reducing reliance on wood for fuel. To promote sustainability, Africa’s 18 tea-producing nations should increase the participation of women in decision-making positions, he said.
The Rwanda Tea Association (RTA), the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), and EATTA organized this year’s conference in Kigali. The group last convened in Rwanda in 2013.
BIZ INSIGHT—After returning to Mombasa from the conference, EATTA’s George Omuga spoke in depth with Tea Biz on achieving a balanced definition of sustainability based on renewable energy, low-carbon production, and organic inputs. The interview posts Friday, Oct. 25.
Sorwathe Tea Estate and nearby tea factories sold
Luxmi Tea Acquires Rwanda’s Sorwathe Tea Estate
US-based Tea Importers Inc. has sold its majority interest in the Sorwathé Tea Estate in Rwanda to an affiliate of Luxmi Estates of India.
Principal Andrew Wertheim, who announced the sale, writes that Sorwathé supports over 6,000 smallholder tea farmers and employs nearly 2,500 workers in the factory, fields, and forests.
He said this strategic move will positively impact the community, adding that the sale will bring synergies for Luxmi customers buying Sorwathe teas produced at Gisovu, Pfunda, and Rugabano.
Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director, Luxmi Group, commented: “We hope to build on the work the Wertheim family has done to enhance Sorwathé’s quality and improve realizations for smallholder farmers.
“In Gisovu, Pfunda, and Rugabano, farmer incomes have increased due to better price realizations,” writes Chatterjee, who also chairs the Silverback Tea Company – a joint venture between The Wood Foundation Africa and Luxmi Estates.
In 1972, the Government of Rwanda invited Andrew’s father, Joseph Wertheim, to build a tea factory in Kinihira in Rwanda’s Northern Province. A joint venture agreement was signed in 1975, with US investors owning 51% and the Government of Rwanda 49%. The first stage of the factory was completed in the fall of 1978, and the first tea was sold at a London auction in February 1979.
Sorwathe now produces organic, orthodox, and green teas in addition to CTC teas and is the largest single-producing tea factory in Rwanda. The estate and factories are internationally recognized leaders in Corporate Social Responsibility, having received numerous awards.
“We believe Luxmi Tea Company will carry on our commitment to improving lives through tea while making the needed investments to expand Sorwathe’s production capacity to the next level as the crop increases,” writes Wertheim.
In a letter announcing the sale to customers, Wertheim writes, “It has been almost 50 years since we started in Rwanda, and the decision to leave was not easy. Sorwathe has been a big part of our family. It was our father’s passion as well as ours. We hope you all will continue to support Sorwathe under the leadership of Luxmi Tea Company.”
The sale price was not disclosed. Luxmi, which owns 25 estates, generates more than Rs 1500 crore (an estimated $20 million annually) in sales, approximately half of which comes from domestic sales and half from exports.
TikTok Sensation Inspires Sprite+Tea
Coca-Cola will launch TikTok-inspired Sprite + Tea next spring.
The drink originated as a lemon-lime fusion of Lipton Tea steeped in a bottle of soda that generated 19 million views and thousands of favorable comments. The simple recipe involves jamming two black tea bags into the mouth of a bottle of Sprite. Then, close the lid and refrigerate for three hours while the tea cold brews a palatable variation of the well-known blend of half lemonade and half tea.
New Sprite+Tea and Sprite+Tea Zero Sugar
The short how-to video that Malaysian beverage innovator Hisham Raus posted in July 2023 went viral, accumulating over 125 million impressions in the past year.
Brand owners Coca-Cola took the hint and initiated multiple rounds of consumer research, confirming the combination of citrus offers a “satisfying, Sprite-forward experience with distinct tea flavors.”
Coca-Cola Co. introduced Sprite+Tea at the 2024 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show and announced a zero-calorie, sweetened version.
Delish.com associate editor Gabby Romero writes that many other people who have already DIY-ed this combination reacted positively to the news.
“We’re in the golden age of soda-based concoctions. With chains like Swig gaining notoriety on reality TV shows and dirty/fluffy recipes going viral online, it’s clear that sweet soft drinks are infinitely customizable,” she wrote.
BIZ INSIGHT—Case volume continues to slide at Coca-Cola. According to the company’s latest financial report, price increases totaling 11% assured quarterly revenue grew by 9% to $11.9 billion. However, sales of soft drinks were flat except for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, with declines in water (down 6%), sports drinks (down 3%), and coffee (down 6%).
FEATURE
Elizeth van der Vorst tasting teas
Q|A Amigos do Chá Founder Elizeth van der Vorst
By Aravinda Anantharaman
Elizeth van der Vorst has been a Brazilian tea importer since 1994. Her company, Amigos do Chá, embodies her love of tea and its power to bring people together. Elizeth has been our friend at Tea Journey for several years. Among other things, she feels a deep love for India, particularly Darjeeling. In 2022, Elizeth and her husband Gerard made their maiden trip to India, which was years in the planning. She has returned yearly and plans to lead a tour group from Brazil, South America, and Europe to India in 2025. Here, Elizeth speaks about her love for India and why she can’t wait to bring tea lovers here.Read more
Proposed: A Global Alliance to Creatively Constrain Tea Production | Luxmi Tea Acquires Rwanda’s Sorwathe Tea Estate | TikTok Sensation Inspires Sprite+Tea | PLUS Brazil is a vast beverage market with a well-established tradition of tea and herbal infusions now valued at $14 billion. Growth is powered by evolving health and wellness trends that favor diverse and distant teas and blends. Editor Aravinda Anantharaman interviews veteran importer and retailer Elizeth van der Vorst. Her business, Amigos do Chá (Friends of Tea), is located near São Paulo, the hub of specialty tea, a market she has served for 30 years. | Episode 190 | 18 October 2024
On October 9th, the bungalow of the assistant manager of Singtom tea estate burned down. A few days later, on October 13th, the manager’s bungalow caught fire. The workers alerted the police and the fire department, but the bungalows were destroyed. Police say arson has not been ruled out.
Singtom tea estate has been closed since September 25th following the recent bonus discussions. Unions in Darjeeling have demanded 20%, and as protests intensified, the manager and assistant manager of the Singtom Tea Estate chose to leave without notice about three weeks ago. This was likely done out of fear of the protests escalating. Meanwhile, the dispatch of tea from the gardens has been stopped, and unsold tea is piling up in the hill town. Singtom employs around 680 workers, who have said they have not received any bonus payments. Both sides – the management and workers – are now stuck in limbo, and losses extend to both. As it happened, the bungalows that burned down were part of Singtom’s hospitality offering, which brought additional revenue to the company.
Kangra Tea Board Seeks To Promote Tea In Airports and Stations
At the 250th board meeting of the Tea Board India held in Palampur, discussions included promoting Kangra tea. Consequently, there are plans to improve the tea’s visibility in the market. The Tea Board plans to leverage resources from the recently announced Tea Development and Promotion Scheme for campaigns and sustained brand promotion. Plans include airports and railway stations. Incidentally, the East India Company’s tea promotion campaign included the extensive railway network they had built to introduce and promote tea to the Indian market.
Ratan N. Tata Passes Away
Indian industrialist and Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and the Tata Group, Ratan Naval Tata, passed away on 9th October. He was 86. Under his leadership, the Tata Group became a formidable and profitable business conglomerate with a strong global footprint. The tea industry, in particular, found an ally in Mr Tata. Under his leadership, Tata Tea went from being a tea plantation business to a consumer tea brand, making packaged and branded tea accessible to consumers. In 2005, he decided to exit the plantation business in Munnar, but rather than sell the company, he offered it to employees who continue to be shareholders of the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation Ltd. In the east, Tata Tea was divested from the plantation business in 2007. During Ratan Tata’s leadership, Tata Tea acquired Tetley, a well-established brand valued at nearly four times Tata’s net worth. It was described as “the audacious acquisition of a global shark by an Indian minnow.” At the time, it was the most significant cross-border acquisition of an international brand by an Indian company. His business achievements run long, but beyond that, Tata will be remembered for his humility, love for dogs, and legacy of philanthropy that impacted everything from cancer research to sanitation—a person who made a difference.
Last week, Darjeeling’s tea garden employees went on a 12-hour strike demanding a 20% bonus and refusing to accept the 13% offered. The Statesman reported that after the fifth round of tripartite talks on the bonus issue ended without consensus, the state government had to intervene. They have issued an advisory to the management asking them to pay 16% as a bonus adding that the tea gardens facing financial difficulties can negotiate the bonus percentage through discussions with unions. The advisory covers Darjeeling, Kurseong, and Kalimpong Hills tea garden workers. Bonuses were to be disbursed by 4 October, given that the country celebrates the Dusshera festival this week, an important festival in Bengal. However, trade unions have not been happy with the 16%, and the state labor department has informed them that another round of talks would be held in Kolkata on November 6.
Tea Board Announces Tea Development & Promotion Scheme
The Tea Board, under the aegis of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, announced the Tea Development & Promotion Scheme that comes with a budget of Rs 664.09 crore or USD 79 million. The scheme will extend from 2023 to 2025 and broadly covers Plantation Development & Quality Upgradation, Tea Promotion and Market Support, Technological Intervention, Research and Development, and Welfare & Capacity Building measures. It addresses several immediate concerns, such as replanting, proper pruning, adherence to quality plucking, soil health, product development and diversification, and value addition. There seems to be a heavy emphasis on branding and promotion. These schemes are open to registered stakeholders from within the industry on the 15th of this month.
Elephant Attack Claims Another Life In The Nilgiris
A 34-year-old man in Kengarai in the Nilgiris was walking through a tea estate when a wild elephant attacked him. He was found seriously injured and rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries. This is the third casualty in Kengarai in two months. The villagers staged a protest, calling for the government to do something to prevent more deaths. While man-elephant conflict is prevalent around the country, all the tea regions struggle with this problem.
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
