SustainabiliTEA

3 New Green Teas, from 3 Exciting Origins!

We are delighted to introduce three new green teas to our tea selection.  Each from a different origin, these organic and Fair Trade Certified green teas expand our green tea selection into two new countries and offer a wider variety of flavor profiles for our green teas lovers!

Organic Five Peaks Green Dew Green Tea
With dark green, needle-like leaves that are finely rolled, this Chinese organic and Fair Trade Certified tea has a light-bodied brew with low astringency, a slight sweetness, a kelp-like vegetal quality and a lingering, pleasant aftertaste. For those of you who remember our Jing Mai Green Tea, this Organic Five Peaks Green Dew Green Tea is the closest equivalent we have found!  It is also a nice alternative for those looking to replace a Japanese Green Tea with one from a new origin.

Organic Idulgashinna Estate Ceylon Green Tea
A balanced cup for all green tea drinkers, our organic and Fair Trade Certified green tea from the Indulgashinna Estate in Sri Lanka is not too vegetal and not too fruity. Manufactured in the Uva region in eastern Sri Lanka, our Organic Idulgashinna Estate Ceylon Green Tea is from one of the well-known Staasen group of plantations, about 3300-6500 feet in elevation.  It withstands multiple infusions quite well and has a pleasant sweet note with a clean finish.

Organic Makaibari Estate Green Tea
This Fair Trade Certified organic green tea is another example of the wonderful offerings coming out of the Makaibari Estate in India. Biodynamically farmed in India’s Darjeeling district, the Organic Makaibari Estate Green Tea exhibits many of the same qualities as the black teas of this region, but with an unoxidized leaf. The varying leaf colors (ranging from green to brown to white) produce an easy-to-drink cup that exhibit slight lemony, vegetal and earthy qualities akin to other Darjeeling teas.

November 01 2011 | Organics and Products | No Comments »

Majority of Darjeeling Tea Estates to Go Organic

As published in India’s national newspaper, The Hindu, the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) has mounted efforts to increase the production of organic tea so that the majority of the “champagne of teas” is organically produced by 2010.  Currently, about 37% of the total crop grown in this famous region is organic.  “Efforts are on now to cover at least two more gardens that contribute 13% of the total yield under the organic cultivation norms,” a source at the DTA told The Hindu.

It takes about three years to convert a garden from conventional plantation to an organic one. This involves not only a total ban on chemical fertilizers and pesticides but there are also restrictions on the use of some natural items. “For instance, use of tobacco extracts for pest control, is not allowed,” sources said. Pointing out that the movement toward organic production of teas started about 15 years ago, Darjeeling sources said that it commanded a huge premium in the international market.

Happily, we carry a variety of teas from one of Darjeeling’s finest organic estates, Makaibari, including organic first and second flush darjeeling black teas, an organic oolong, and organic silver tips white tea.  If you haven’t already, you need to find out what’s so special about these teas right away!

April 20 2008 | Organics | No Comments »