tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516171423954184083.post5498661711056828368..comments2024-01-29T14:41:37.418-05:00Comments on Life in Teacup: Discussions on organic cultivation of tea (1)Gingkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717840609096741544noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516171423954184083.post-39380583300456349802010-04-17T23:10:30.999-04:002010-04-17T23:10:30.999-04:00Hi Alex, by the way, in your organic tea page, the...Hi Alex, by the way, in your organic tea page, the reference 3, I've read that article. It's a newspaper article that I don't think the author knew what he was talking about. DDT was banned world wide long time ago. The article is very wrong saying that it's used in China and Agriculture Minister "talk people into" not using it. <br /><br />On the other hand, I do agree with you that organic cultivation in a large part is for a better environment and ecosystem health.Gingkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00717840609096741544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516171423954184083.post-38742122465968810972010-04-17T18:57:19.890-04:002010-04-17T18:57:19.890-04:00Hi Wabi, The provider of our Tie Guan Yin (and som...Hi Wabi, The provider of our Tie Guan Yin (and some other southern Fujian oolongs) is a small factory incorporated by a local farmer family. They have obtained inspection certification and passed all safety standards (including pesticide and heavy metal residues) annually. Their plantations are not in organic practice, because pesticides are needed in summer season. But they use pesticide to the minimum degree and only during the non-harvest period of summer.Gingkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00717840609096741544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516171423954184083.post-37639370253698504862010-04-17T18:14:56.894-04:002010-04-17T18:14:56.894-04:00I was sort of quietly wondering about the amount o...I was sort of quietly wondering about the amount of pesticides I will be drinking in my Tie Guan Yin. I enjoy drinking tea for the health benefits and it would be nice to know the exact practices of the farm where the tea comes from.Wabi wan kenobihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06449991833248957967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516171423954184083.post-78543360604735318832010-04-17T18:00:44.500-04:002010-04-17T18:00:44.500-04:00Hi Alex, the low grade tea mentioned above is prob...Hi Alex, the low grade tea mentioned above is probably beyond our normal imagination of low grade. Last year, China's tea export is about 300k ton, and total sale is US$700 million. That averages at a little more than $2 for each kilogram, or $1 for each pound. The lowest grade among them would be $1 for more than several pounds. I don't know where these low grade teas end up, many probably won't show up in America and European market, but that's not for sure. Some of the lowest grade teas may be used for ingredient extraction within China and exported to foreign companies for the same purpose. I am guessing so because when companies buy tea leaves just for extraction, there is no incentive for them to buy more expensive leaves.<br /><br />The fertilizer run-off is one of the worst problems in modern agriculture. But I believe tea cultivation contributes to only a tiny portion of this problem. However, it is important that fertilization is strictly regulated too. In fact, many tea manufacturers in China believe over fertilization make tea taste bad. <br /><br />In near future, I will probably deal with an organic tea manufacturer. They are one of the few manufacturers in China that obtained international organic certifications. But I choose their tea primarily based on their quality and reasonable price. Overall I think organic cultivation should be promoted in tea. But where organic certification stands in this issue may be a problem.Gingkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00717840609096741544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516171423954184083.post-4277955036216667602010-04-17T16:33:31.945-04:002010-04-17T16:33:31.945-04:00From my research, I found a number of articles in ...From my research, I found a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals that paint a different picture of pesticide use. As you point out though, it's hard to find good info.<br /><br />Concerns of safety and contamination of the finished tea product are an important issue to consider when discussing organic tea, but I think the bigger issue is ecosystem impact, mainly from fertilizer use.<br /><br />Even in developed countries like Japan, tea cultivation can cause serious environmental problems due to runoff from synthetic fertilizer use. Organic fertilizing (through replacing ammonia-based fertilizers with more complex organic matter, or through other means such as planting of nitrogen-fixing trees), while not an instant solution, tends to greatly alleviate these problems. Biodynamic agriculture goes even farther, requiring (among other things) a certain portion of land to be set aside as natural ecosystem--this can not only absorb some or all of the nutrient pollution, but can reduce the need for pesticides (organic or not) by hindering the movement of pests from one area of crop to the next, and also by providing a reservoir for predators (birds and other insects) that can exert natural control on pest populations.<br /><br />I'm continually working on the RateTea.net page on <a href="http://ratetea.net/topic/organic-tea/3/" rel="nofollow">organic tea</a>. I'd be grateful for any additions, corrections, suggestions, or any sort of critical feedback. I'm particularly interested if you know of anything that is in a reputable source.<br /><br />Some of the comments and speculation on this page are very interesting (I'd be especially curious to know if there are really greater risks from lower-grade teas, especially those in teabags), but I would want to find reliable sourcing before adding it to our page.<br /><br />Thanks for this post!Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.com