Climate change: What it does to the tea industry

The climate changes are a big concern for the world food supply, so says the world food organisation. There is lots of scientific proof that organic farming ensures less CO2-emissies and is more resistant to a changing climate.
Not only biological food, but also biological drinks, like tea, are way healthier for the human body than the non-biological option.  Biological tea is being grown without pesticides. The organic tea plants are treated with cow dung, tree leaves and trimmings instead of toxic pesticides to make sure it grows naturally.
The climate changes are being seen as a threat for the tea plantations. The tea plants are very sensitive to their environment. The specific place and time where tea is being grown is determinant for the quality. Due to the shift of the raining season the flowering period of tea plant became shorter.
The taste of tea is being determined by a few factors: the sort of tea (variety), climate, the terroir (refers to the soil in relation to crops that are grown on it), how the pruning is being done, how there is being plucked and how it is being processed.

Tea plantations

Tea plants grow best in a tropical or subtropical climate. With a temperature in between 10 and 30 degrees and a rain fall of 200 to 225 mm a month. Most of the tea plantations are at a height of 350 to 3500 metres above sea level. In addition to all this the amount of sun hours is also important. Five hours a day is enough. The best location for a tea plantation is in the sun as well as in the shadow.
Tea plantations are mostly being held on a mountainside. The taste of the tea is dependent on the surroundings of the tea plant. The fog that arises at the height, would protect the tea plants against the bright sun. The leaves grow the slowest at a great height and this benefits the taste.

Organic tea

The growing of biological tea is a lot more time consuming and costs the farmers more work. At first sight it seems like non-biological tea is way more logic. But unfortunately, there are more disadvantages. Because pesticides are being used, tea plants die a lot quicker, the soil they grow on is way less nutritious and you, as tea drinker, ends up drinking tea with pesticides in it.
Also growing biological tea yields much less tea on yearly basis. The consequence of this is that organic tea has a higher price. But growing non-biological tea is bad for the one drinking it, the tea farmer as well as the flora and fauna of the area itself.
The soil is enriched exclusively with natural compost and insects. Diseases are fought in a natural way. This way the quality of the soil and the tea plant are better, and the tea does not contain any chemical pesticides.
The teas that are grown biologically, have a higher rate of ingredients which make tea healthy: polyphenols and catechins. These antioxidants give tea their healthy properties.

China, India and Sri Lanka are countries who engaging in the new development. In principle, organic tea can be grown all over the world in the different tea countries.
You can recognize biological tea by the green EU-logo for organic production. This logo may only be used for products that are at least 95 percent organic.

Environmentally friendly tea bags?

Did you know the most tea bags are not completely biodegradable? Most of them break down only 70 to 80 percent. The other percentage actually consists of plastic. Tea bags who have the pyramid form are even completely made of plastic.
In fact, polypropylene is added to the paper fiber in most tea bags. The little plastic is added because it makes it possible to seal the bags to keep every tea leave in place.
You can recognize the bags who are not made with plastic, because they are being stitched instead of pressed close. Besides, you can test it by setting your teabag at fire. Does it burn? It is biodegradable. Does it not burn? It is bad for the environment. The completely plastic free option is of course loose-leaf tea.
You also take in so-called microplastics and nanoplastics. You cannot see them and you cannot taste them, but in the meantime you get a lot of microplastics with every sip. In short, plastic is not only bad for the environment, but in the end for you as well.

Soilon

At Tea Cultures all the tea bags and tea pouches are made off soilon. Soilon is a bioplastic that is completely biodegradable. The material is made of lactic acid protein. Because all our tea bags are biodegradable, it can go on the compost heap. Not only the tea bags are environmentally friendly, the string from the tea bag and the card are also made of biodegradable material.
It is specially designed to provide a durable alternative to nylon tea bags, so that the micro-organisms in the soil can break it down and no microplastics end up in nature.