Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/491374
STiR tea & coffee industry international 37 Uptrading loose leaf drinkers to teabags and beyond Filter Coffee The global popularity of pour-over filter coffee presents new de- mands for filter paper makers. Watching baristas pour water over grinds piled high in a #4 crepe filter may look simple but the whole point is to bring out very subtle aromas and flavors. "A coffee filter is more than just something to keep grounds out of your drink, it is an important part of the brewing process," according to Nick Cho at Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters in Red- wood City, Calif. Paper filaments are typically 20 µm wide allowing particles of 10 to 15 µm to pass. Efficiency describes this retention. Capacity describes the ability to hold coffee grounds while allowing good flow. The ideal filter will permit the free passage of favorful solids and deliver an evenly extracted cup without absorbing essential oils and aromatics. "We are the supplier of choice because our excellent filtration properties are combined with absolute taste neutrality," said Kai Wulff, general sales manager food & beverage at Glatfelter's composite fibers business unit. The German-based firm is a leader in the manufacture of coffee filter paper developed for single-serve manfuacturers. Glatfelter has developed proprietary composite materials that withstand the high pressures of coffee and espresso makers. Glatfelter's papers are extremely versatile, said Wulff. Nu- merous research and development projects are underway. Well designed filters are crimped for minimum contact between the brewing space and the dripper sidewalls. The ideal filter essentially floats in the dripper and doesn't touch the bottom to promote optimum flow. CONVERSION UPGRADING UPTRADING Lose Leaf Tea Branded Packet Tea Conversion teabags for Developing & Emerging Countries Mid-market Teabags Double Chamber Pyramids Capsules Functional Teas In 2012 India's domestic tea drink- ers consumed 931,000 metric tons of tea leaving only 180,000 for export. Packag- ing 25% of its 2012 production in teabags would have made available 297,000 metric tons for export, earning 30% to 35% more foreign currency, explains Pirouz. "In order to meet growing demand, where growth in population and a decrease in production is forecast, is it wiser… (a) to invest in increasing production of tea or (b) invest in improving the infrastructure of our value chain?" asks Pirouz. What's new The first gauze teabags were environ- mentally superior to anything sold today. Materials were locally grown and pro- duced, easily degraded, and economical. The gauze did not impart any industrial age flavors. There were no metal staples. It was the preferred tea bag material through the 1920s until the invention of the crush, tear, curl (CTC) process which pulverized the tea leaves. Some manufac- turers prefer gauze to this day. Kusmi's Luv tea brand in France and Bocchia Caffe Tea in Italy sell gauze tea bags filled with broken leave tea and until recently, King Cole Tea in Canada. Two years ago a group of enterprising students in Iona, Nova Scotia launched TEAWorks, a line of 5- and 10-count gauze tea bags to replace King Cole. "The gauze bags make a better tasting cup of tea because it steeps properly," presi- dent Lauren MacDonald, 17, told local newspaper reporters after winning the Junior Achievement competition for broken leaf teas. The hand-sewn bags found a market. Today's tea bags are at most 70% to 80% biodegradable. Paper is preferred to cloth with the majority of filter paper made of vegetable and wood fibers sealed with