Arbor Teas is happy to announce the birth of our son, Arthur S. Lopatin, on July 27, 2008. Arthur will fill the newly-created position of Director of Time Management. In between naps and feedings, Arthur’s primary responsibilities will involve improving the efficiency of all aspects of the Arbor Teas operation, and reducing the labor necessary to run the company to allow more time for his upbringing. In all seriousness, it has been our pleasure to share our first “baby” (aka, Arbor Teas) with all of you, and we’re thrilled to share the birth of our son, as well.
Arbor Teas. Growing a better tea company… literally!
August 25 2008 | Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »
Summertime is the time of year where those of us in the tea industry can sit back, take a breath, and take a fresh look at how we’re doing business. Although our beloved customers haven’t been giving us too much time to take a breather (which is just fine with us!), we have been able to hunt down some exciting new teas, and reformulate some of our blends. Perhaps most notably, all of our decaffeinated teas and blends will use teas decaffeinated using a CO2 process instead of a water process (as is currently the case). CO2 decaffeination results in a cup with better flavor and body than water process decaffeinated teas. And as always, our decaffeinated teas will remain organic and Fair Trade Certified!
August 25 2008 | Products | No Comments »
In case there are those of you out there who wonder why an online tea company like Arbor Teas is so zealous about our environmental performance (and our impact on global warming), a recent article in Fresh Cup Magazine (one of the primary journals of the tea and coffee industry) just connected all of the dots for you. While we at Arbor Teas believe that running our business in a sustainable fashion is just the “right thing to do,” the Fresh Cup article points to a more potentially self-serving motivation. Early evidence (such as that identified by the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes, or the IPCC) suggests that the effects of global warming are likely to have very serious impacts on the world’s ability to keep growing great tea (not to mention a long list of other agricultural products). While it’s not as though tea production will come to a screeching halt tomorrow, this certainly isn’t good news.
Global Warming’s Impact on Tea-Growing Regions
There is a substantial and growing body of evidence supporting the fact that atmospheric temperatures are on the rise worldwide. Unfortunately, a majority of the available data is skewed toward developed nations. Since much of the world’s tea production takes place in the developing world, there is less scientific data to evaluate when considering global warming’s potential impacts. However, anecdotal evidence from growers suggests that the tea-growing world is experiencing the same climate trends as have been identified by scientists elsewhere.
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August 25 2008 | Sustainability | No Comments »
We hope you’ll excuse this little bit of on-line bragging, but sometimes the praise we get from the blogosphere is just too good not to share… Last month, Arbor Teas was highlighted on the Michigan Innovators website, which is dedicated to highlighting those people and businesses that are taking innovative steps to move Michigan’s economy forward. “Even if you do not consider yourself “passionate” about tea, the Arbor Teas website is more than just a product catalog, it is a tea experience.” Click here to read more about Michigan Innovators impressions of Arbor Teas. Hopefully you’ll agree!
August 19 2008 | Media | 1 Comment »
Alright, so it seems that folks have enjoyed our initial posts on kombucha (including the kombucha recipe we provided). Because the level of interest on this topic seems high, we’ve provided some additional insights to guide you in making your own kombucha below:
- The ideal temperature range for brewing kombucha is 74 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit. While the yeast can thrive below 70 degrees, the acetobacter cannot, and undesirable microbes might take hold. Temperatures warmer than 84 degrees will kill the SCOBY. In general, low-temperature fermentation takes longer and produces a lighter brew, while high temperature fermentation goes faster and produces a darker brew with a more powerful flavor.
- Your SCOBY might float to the top of the solution, stay the middle, sink to the bottom, or slowly move from one level to another; all are normal, resulting in good, healthful kombucha.
- Allow the fresh kombucha to “rest” in the refrigerator for a day or two — a process wine brewers call “cold stabilization.” This reduces the acidic bite and allows insolubles to settle out. The result is a clearer brew with a more subtle, complex flavor.
- Store your SCOBY covered in kombucha (at least ½ cup). It can be stored either in the warm, dark place where you ferment your kombucha, or in the refrigerator — just be sure and check it frequently, to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Although a SCOBY can be frozen (again, making sure it is completely covered in kombucha), doing so runs the risk of killing the SCOBY.
- Over a few dozen batches, your SCOBY will get old and exhausted. A ragged, dark brown SCOBY is ready to be retired (throw it away, compost it, or feed it to your dog), and replaced with one of your backup “daughters.”
August 19 2008 | Kombucha | No Comments »
Arbor Teas has taken a variety of measures to reduce the overall environmental “footprint” of getting our teas to our customers. Among these is our annual contribution to CarbonFund.org to offset those carbon emissions generated by our business that we haven’t figured out a way to avoid (yet). We are very proud to offset the carbon emissions of our entire operation, including the shipment of our products from origin, to us, then out to our customers. CarbonFund.org has estimated that our “carbon footprint” for the coming year will be just over two tons of carbon dioxide. That sounds like a lot, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a drop in the bucket. So, to help shrink the size of that “bucket” even more, we just offset nearly 15 times our expected carbon emissions for the year - 35 tons in all!
June 30 2008 | Green Business | No Comments »
Buying your tea from Arbor Teas is only the first step to enjoying tea in an eco-friendly fashion! Here are a few suggestions to make your tea habit a positive experience for you and the planet:
- Compost your tea leaves. Even after they’ve been steeped several times, tea leaves continue to be rich in nutrients which, when composted, can be valuable additions to gardens and potted plants. Just save your used tea leaves in a small container on the kitchen counter, and periodically toss them into your backyard compost bin!
- Recycle you tea packaging. Our paperboard canisters are specially-designed to be completely recyclable - just punch out the top and bottom and flatten (if your community requires it) and toss it into the paper recycling bin!
- Heat only the amount of water you need. Water takes a tremendous amount of energy to bring to a boil, so be conservative when filling the kettle! By heating only the amount of water you plan to use, you can keep your energy consumption to a minimum.
- Try cold-brewing your iced tea. Most households in America have a refrigerator plugged in at all times, so why not take advantage of it? Next time you’re making some iced tea, consider leaving the stove off and cold-brewing it in the fridge! It’s going to be on anyway, right? Admittedly, cold-brewed tea has a slightly different flavor profile than normal, hot-brewed tea, but if you’re making lots and lots of iced tea each week, this could be a modest energy-saver. Just put an infuser of your favorite tea leaves in a pitcher of water in the fridge for 10 to 12 hours (basically overnight). Remove the leaves when you’ve reached the desired strength, and you’re ready to go!
Got another idea? Leave a comment on this post or e-mail it to us at Green-Up@ArborTeas.com!
June 29 2008 | Sustainability | No Comments »
The term “First Flush” is a reference to teas made from the first plucking of the newest, youngest growth on the tea bushes at the start of each year’s harvesting season. While this term can be (and periodically is) applied to the first plucking of any tea, the first flush distinction is most often made in the case of teas hailing from the famed Darjeeling district of northeastern India. This is largely done because the flavor and character of early-season teas from Darjeeling differs rather dramatically from those made later.
Tea harvesting in Darjeeling begins in mid- to late-March. But by the time those young little tea leaves are plucked, processed, packed and shipped (typically via boat) it can take a little while before they see their way to the United States. Well, we are happy to say that our first flush Darjeeling from the Makaibari Estate is finally here! This classic afternoon tea (often referred to as the ‘champagne of afternoon teas’) is typically characterized by a light, floral cup with a bright, lemony infusion and punchy astringency. This holds true for the 2008 vintage, however this year’s harvest is a little more mellow, with just a bit less astringency. This may be owed to the slightly larger, less broken-down leaf fragments, but may also be due to other variables such as the weather experienced in Darjeeling this season. Regardless, this very distinctive tea is sure to satisfy longtime first flush Darjeeling fans and newcomers alike!
June 29 2008 | Products | 1 Comment »
After our last post on Kombucha, we got a lot more response from our customers than we expected. Seems as though many of you are already devoted converts! Although there are more and more brands of bottled kombucha available on the shelves of your local natural foods store every day, some of you expressed interest in making kombucha at home. Being the helpful sort of folks that we are, we thought you might get some use out of a recipe.
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June 29 2008 | Kombucha and Tea Fun | 2 Comments »
As regular readers of SustainabiliTEA know, we recently returned from the World Tea Expo, where we were invited to address the subject of social and environmental responsibility in the tea industry. Before heading off to Las Vegas, our idea of a “successful” trip was this: sit in front of a room full of tea business owners/employees, describe our efforts to improve the social and environmental impact of our company, and maybe get some other people in the industry thinking along the same lines (or maybe even give them some tangible ways to take action). Well, the discussion during and after the session suggests that maybe this initial concept of “success” was achieved. There were many questions about green packaging, carbon offsets, organic certification and fair trade licensing, which, at least to us, hinted at a greater interest in (and awareness of) these issues. But the real “feel good moment” occurred a few hours later on the trade show floor.
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June 29 2008 | Sustainability and Green Business | 2 Comments »
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