In Kenya, they have the world’s biggest tea auction. Kenya is also the world’s largest black tea exporter according to our source today at Bloomberg.com. But it looks like Kenya is having a little problem regarding their tea right now and it’s the world economy that is affecting it.
The warehouses in Mombasa are filling up with tea because the buyers, mostly from the Middle East, Pakistan, and Sudan can’t get financing papers. Bloomberg tells us that of all the goods traded around the globe, 90% rely on letters of credit and other financing or guarantees. This is coming from the director of the World Trade Organization. who says this type of financing is drying up and its associated cost is rising.
What this means is that tea is not being bought because the buyers in many countries simply cannot get financing for the purchases and it’s is costing them more for the financing they can find. Meanwhile, the tea is piling up in the warehouses where it can only be stored for two years, all the while becoming less valuable.
Source: Kenya Tea Stockpiles Expand as Buyers Struggle to Finance Trade
Filed under Tea by on Dec 1st, 2008. 
A while back I posted news about disposable tea sticks from Petit Tea. In a post from the Gadgeteer, I learned about reusable tea sticks that can be used with loose leaf tea. This particular post was about the new teastick Gems from Gamila.
They are made of a material called Eastman Tritan which is a trademarked term. This material has been FDA approved, is taste free and has no Bisphenol-A. On The Gadgeteer post, there are some excellent photos showing the new Gems and how to work with them.
Also available at the Gamila site is the “Original Teastick”. It is made of stainless steel with very fine holes. It is made to hold enough tea to infuse into a 10-14 ounce cup of hot water. Gamila also has a Teastick gift set featuring the original teastick and Assam Khongea from Premium Steap.
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/teastick_gems_loose_tea_infuser_review
Teastick site: http://www.gamilacompany.com/catalog/beverage/TST003.html
Filed under Tea Wares by on Dec 3rd, 2008.
For this time of year, you might be interested in mixing your favorite beverage, tea, with a little something to give it more zing during the festive season. Sterling over at Tea This posted the ingredients of an Oolong Mojito that he got from the Dos Hermanos blog. In his own post, Sterling gives additional links to other cocktail recipes with tea. Give one a try.
Source: http://teathis.com/2008/oolong-mojitos-and-other-tea-cocktails/
Filed under Tea by on Dec 8th, 2008.