A Life of Tea Growing ...

Ai Lin, since the age of 5 has been living and breathing the Green Teas which her family has cultivated in the hills of Zheijian Province. Since her infant days she knows that life begins at sunset, and ends at sundown; no school or going anywhere but being close to the tea trees every single day of her life for the past six decades. There is no week end, or a break, except the ones offered by mother nature, like a rain storm or the chill of the winter. 

She feels blessed and extremely proud to be part of this natural process that has its roots deep in Chinese culture. She and her family have this ancient connection with each and every tea leaf which is hand picked from the green hills of her home town. It's hard to believe but yes, it is still hand picked one leaf at a time; one by one. She knows for a fact that her father and mother, her grand parents worked the same land, the same way, with the same harvest, the Long Jin Green Tea.

She believes that her teas are not just a drink but a true legacy to her land that can make us feel closer to nature and with each other; therefore happier people. In her own words: We can all share with others something which is pure and really good. She and her family understands that every year they have this commitment and duty to provide China and now the world with this awaited harvest,that she feels so much part of it and enjoyed by millions for centuries.

We are extremely grateful to Ai Lin, to her family and ancestors that have kept the integrity and purity of this magnificent tea and tradition. Despite all the modern reality and technology, life at Shi Hu has not changed much for thousand of years. Ai Lin is a living testament of how what is pure and real may last an eternity. We are indeed so privileged to share this legacy that we hope, will remain as it is for many generations to come.

Thank you, Ai Lin.

Iran back in the market for Indian Tea ...

After a dearth of nearly a year, the payment crisis with Iran has been sorted out and handrolled Indian tea is set to be exported to Iran once again. The crisis caused handrolled Indian tea prices to crash as the main outlet was closed off. This spring, handrolled tea production is set to rise by 10 million kg to around 80 million kg in total, of which something like a third will be exported to Iran. Tea producers are rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of the prices increasing by around 10%.

Indian Tea Problems Boost Chinese Tea Industry

Last month saw the news that the tea industry in India's Barak Valley was under serious threat. The reasons cited were poor infrastructure and power cuts. The roads leading into and out of the valley have deteriorated to such an extent that transporting the tea out has become extremely difficult. There are financial difficulties too. Frequent increases in power tariffs increase production costs and a lack of subsidised fertiliser adds to the problems. Such are the penalties of industrial scale production of tea. In China, a lot of tea production is still in the hands of small family producers high in remote mountain regions. The tea is grown naturally without added fertilisers as are required in the over-exploited plantations (tea gardens) of India. Processing of the leaves is minimal and carried out using traditional methods so power requirements are minimal. Since the quantities produced are small, transport is also considerably less problematical.

Even the Assam tea region is finding things difficult. The plantations are being badly affected by drought conditions at crucial times of the year. Chinese production is often in the high mountains where the air is pure and fresh and the rainfall reliable. Larger corporate tea plantations are fine as they can afford their own irrigation systems, however, medium and small growers are hit and are asking the government to help.

But this is not something that customers of In Nature Teas would notice. The teas are from China and grown traditionally and organically in the mountains. Mother nature provides the irrigation and fertilisers. A less intensive and traditional way of growing negates the need for the use of electricity during the picking and processing. Picking is by hand. Processing is done via centuries-old methods producing the finest quality pure Chinese teas. These are bought in bulk by In Nature, packaged for your convenience and shipped around the world. When you buy these teas, you pay for tradition and quality but not for fertilisers, electricity and goverment subsidised industrial production.