Tea Sippers

Great news for Darjeeling tea lovers who also prefer organic tea. Well, maybe.

Right now, 37% of the tea grown on the eastern Himalayas is certified organic by European and Japanese agencies. From what I know, these certifications are probably more stringent than U.S. requirements are. In addition, the Darjeeling Tea Association is undergoing an effort to increase the amount of organic tea in the area. Their efforts are centered on turning at least 2 more tea gardens to organic production, a process that takes three years. The organic tea crops is a process that began 15 years ago when being organic offered a real premium.

This will increase the organic Darjeeling tea yield by 13%. Most of the production of organic tea from this area goes to Japan and Germany. Germany, which buys about 50% of the organic and conventional crop, then turns around and sells it to other European countries. The U.S. and the U.K. also buy this organic tea.

However, there may be a little cause for concern for real Darjeeling tea lovers. The article stated that there are 87 tea plantations growing the tea now but they have little room for increasing the crop “substantially” even though global demand is huge. Hmmm, wonder if the tea will become harder to find and more expensive when you do?

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/03/stories/2008040356541900.htm