Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Heart Tick, Ethical Partnership, Conservation, UTZ, PETA, Organic Certified, Halal, Kosher, Australian Made, etc. etc. These are some of the emblems that adorn packages of food and beverages that are sold in supermarkets in Australia. At the rate they are increasing the sizes... Continue reading
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Category: Production
A recent article by the gentleman who invented the coffee capsule stated the he regretted having done so. The reason? The environmental impact of millions of used capsules, some aluminium, some plastic. While producers claim that they are recycled, with the best of intentions, most... Continue reading
Most of the tea produced in the world is from countries which border the Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka, Kenya, and India to name a few). High seasonal rainfall caused by monsoonal weather patterns have been vital for agricultural pursuits in this region – going back... Continue reading
A tea taster or blender tastes many hundreds of tea samples each week. This process determines the quality of the tea and the price that it will attract. Descriptive terms used by the tea trade exist for dry leaf, infused leaf and the beverage (called... Continue reading
Some companies in Australia claim to supply ‘Australian produced tea’. The tea plantations in Australia which are run by these companies in Queensland are relatively small in acreage compared to the plantations run in the traditional tea producing countries. The yield (the amount of leaf) from... Continue reading
The only common factor between tea and coffee is the use of boiling water to infuse or brew them. Even that is not quite the same as the correct water temperature for infusing teas varies with type of tea being infused. Tea leaf versus coffee... Continue reading
Contrary to popular opinion, teabags do not necessarily make a bad cup of tea. Teabags are here to stay, convenience being their main advantage. The quality of the tea made by a teabag depends on the QUALITY OF THE TEA IN THE TEA BAG. The majority... Continue reading
Organic Teas have been sold since the 1980s when the Organic craze began. In spite of this the take up has not been as big as was expected. Many suppliers use the Organic claim in the hope that it will generate more sales of their... Continue reading
Learning to evaluate tea (or examine and taste it as the experts do), is not difficult. However it will require the use of all your senses, except hearing! The 7 step process: Visual appearance of the dry tea leaf. It must generally be uniform in... Continue reading
Although all tea is derived from species of the Camellia plant (mainly Camellia Sinensis), as distinct from fruit and herbal infusions, the method of processing the leaves gives rise to six types, colours or classes of tea. Black Tea: produced by the orthodox (drying, rolling,... Continue reading
There is a myth being circulated by some marketers of tea that large leaf teas are always better than small leaf tea. This is not so. The truth is that there are some teas, particularly those which are strong and aromatic, that are enjoyed better... Continue reading