STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 25 Singapore's swanky tea shops Kenya vulnerable. Last year India supplied Iran with 29 million kilograms (m.kg) of tea worth about $30 million. Sri Lanka exported 27 m.kg and Kenya supplied 20 m.kg. An unknown amount, estimated at several million kg, was smuggled into the country. Tea exports are not banned, the US simply intends to prevent financial circumventions from occurring. It is unlikely to go so far as a blockade. PAKISTAN Nestlé Seeks Zero Waste Nestlé has launched a zero waste, tea-based fertilizer initiative in Pakistan to transform tea leaf trash into an asset. Tea making generates plenty of waste, from the farm to the factory to the thrown away used tea bag. Waste supply in Pakistan is substan- tial, with 100 billion cups of tea leaving 200,000 metric tons of used leaves. Tea waste is packed with the compounds that make for a superior fertilizer: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. The focus initially is on procurement of tea waste, through collaboration with startups, innovators, waste management companies, and other parties. Tea waste will be composted but Nestlé's plan goes beyond getting rid of waste by turning it into an economic, social, and environ- mental asset. The third stage will "productize and commercialize" the new good, selling it to local farmers as a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly choice. Nestlé expects that it will improve crop yields. SINGAPORE Tea in Singapore The old, drab, regimented, and fun-resis- tant Singapore has been transformed over the past decade. It now has a casino, is a movie production center, offers superb dining, is home to a flashy light show garden display, a superb night safari zoo, and its famous multicultural and expat mix. It hosts major sporting events. It's also becoming one of the most glamorous and varied tea markets. Here are some standouts that make for a wide range of choices in this city-state that is a hub in just about every area of trade – and now a gateway to the world of teas: TWG: Singapore-founded (2008), noted for its inventory of 800 single- Despite its financial struggles, Tocklai continues its long record of innovation. In the past eighteen months, its scientists developed three unique tea wines: Orthodox, green, and CTC and announced the 26-year completion of the development of a new clonal "Gift to Darjeeling." This is the TS560 seed, whose parents are the wonderful AV2 clonal and P312 Darjeeling clonals. Tocklai has also been tasked by the government to focus on helping Assam's small tea growers build knowledge and expertise. It carries out many field training programs and is focusing research on strengthening Assam's specialty teas. It signed a one-year contract in mid-2018 with USDA to improve tea quality. One priority here is developing nano-genotyping methods of authenticating Assam teas and identify- ing superior germplasm to counter adulteration and improve yields in the face of increasing climate change. USDA continues to mobilize, including working on the extension of its highly regarded wine management education programs to tea. Its planned targets of research, international collaboration, best practice education and consumer awareness building are ensuring sustainability, the ways of tea, and advanced well-being. Tea is a vibrant and dynamic global trade market. The UCD and Tocklai alliance can be a powerful force in global- izing the science and education market. IRAN US Sanctions Harm Tea Trade Renewed sanctions imposed on Iran are causing a sharp downturn in the tea trade. Sanctions have caused Iran's currency to nosedive, unemployment to increase, and inflated prices for tea and sugar. Iran produces only a fraction of the 120 million kilos of tea it consumes annually, making it dependent on imports that are traded in US dollars. Iran was the world's fifth largest tea importer in 2017, behind fourth ranked U.K. Impeding financial transactions crippled Iran's tea trade in 2012. The new round of sanctions imposed in August includes a US threat that may lead to financial restrictions on other countries that continue to trade with Tehran. This makes Iran's largest tea trading partners in India, Sri Lanka, and estate teas. This is one of the fastest- rising recent entrants in the high-end and luxury markets. It offers superb teas, accessories, patisseries, and cuisine. All these are as upscale as any in the market. It has expanded into close to 20 countries. Pin Tea, Gryphon, 1872 Clipper Tea, Tealy, Collaboration Tea: Singapore blenders and sellers of teas localized for the Singapore markets and offering unique flavors and variants of teas from China, India and other major producers. One example is nasi lemak, an aromatic mix of houjicha and genmaicha from Japan, coconut flakes and dried local pandan and chili. Taste of Singapore combines Ceylon black tea and ginger, mango, pineapple, soursop, and passionfruit. Cabernet tea is puer plus cinnamon, vanilla beans, raisins, cloves, and safflower petals. Teapasar: A unique service to reduce tea fraud and adulteration. It offers a fast comparison of a stocks of tea in vendor inventory with profiles of hundreds of authenticated teas. These profiles use DNA fingerprinting and AI machine learning and record the unique taste factors of a tea: sweetness, aftertaste, richness, bitterness, etc. Singapore has mainly been a coffee consuming culture. Now it is not just a fine tea market but – to add a word not associated with this pragmatic, work-domi- nated and well-ordered society – a center for exotic teas. Singapore exotic? Yes, and for the tea lover special and exciting. SRI LANKA Re-energizing Tea A keynote speech at the Annual General Meeting of Sri Lanka's Tea Exporter Association (Aug. 31) summarizes the status of the tea industry and the urgent need to rebuild, restructure, and reposition it.

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