Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/556538
8 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 4, 2015 (August/September) Publisher/Founding Editor Glenn Anthony John gaj@octobermultimedia.com Managing Editor Dan Bolton editor@stir-tea-coffee.com Art Director Somjait Thitasomboon snt@octobermultimedia.com Global Tea Report Jane Pettigrew Global Coffee Report Jenny Neill Contributing Writers Anne-Marie Hardie Sherri Johns (North America) Alf Kramer (Europe) Stephen Leighton Sunalini Menon (India) Frank J. Miller Thomas Schmid Dan Shryock Kelly E. Stein (South America) Translations (Chinese) Helen Xu Fei Sales Director Emerson Leonard edl@octobermultimedia.com Sales Representative Jonathan W. Bell jwb@octobermultimedia.com For further information, contact: Director, October Inter Co., Ltd. Boonthin Tubsongkroh brt@octobermultimedia.com STiR Tea & Coffee Industry International c/o October Inter Co. Ltd. Vanit Building 2, Room 1403A 1126/2 New Petchburi Rd. Bangkok 10400 THAILAND Tel +66 2255 6625 Fax +66 2655 2211 www.stir-tea-coffee.com Published by: A Member of: H From the Editor © 2015 October Multimedia Co. Ltd., STiR Tea & Coffee Industry International is published bi-monthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December by October Multimedia Co. Ltd. Printing and distribution overseen by October Inter Co., Ltd., Interchange 21 Bldg. Fl 32, Rm 3225, 399 Sukhumvit Road, North Klong Toey, Wat- tana, Bangkok, 10110 THAILAND. Tel +66 2 660 3789. E-mail: info@octobermultimedia.com www.octobermultimedia.com. Visit: www.stir-tea-coffee.com for the latest news. Specialty Tea Standards ow do you differentiate specialty tea from mainstream? Can you score tea quality? Is there a checklist of criteria to assure customers that the tea they select will be worth the expense? Is there a common vocabulary for describing the taste of tea? Is it possible to draw a crisp line on the tasting table dividing the best of the good teas from the very best teas? Are uniform and widely accepted tea standards even possible? Yes. Thousands of objective evaluations occur daily in the tasting rooms of buyers, brokers, and sellers at tea auctions globally. The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is busy defining specialty types (SEE, ISO Defines White Tea Pg. 31) and sensory scientists describe tea's characteristics with precision. Objective judgments are rendered on the condition of the finished leaf, moisture content, adher- ence to the plucking standard, uniformity of color and shape, the color of spent tea, and clarity in the cup. Subjective judgments build on this foundation. While every sensory aspect is difficult to quantify impressions associated with quality are effectively communicated among professional tasters. Descrip- tions of aroma, mouthfeel, flavors, layers on the tongue, and lingering aftertaste share a language closely tied to our human experience of sweet and sour, bitter and broth (umami). The fact is, there are probably too many ways to assess tea overall and too few to precisely de- termine what makes a tea special. In May at the World Tea Expo, tea retailer Austin Hodge organized a panel to discuss the need for standards and announced the creation of a non-profit International Specialty Tea Association to advance the idea and serve as an educational resource. In July Tony Gebely agreed to become executive director. "Our industry lacks the support of an international uniting force," said Gebely. "The International Specialty Tea Association will be that force and I'm very excited to be a part of it." Two years ago Gebely published recommendations for cupping standards that include a prepara- tion method, a standard for measuring leaf quality (dry and steeped) and a nomenclature describing tea flavors. The association will expand on that work. To learn more visit www.specialtyteaassociation. org and sign up to join the discussion. There is no charge. "Standards for excellence would give tea makers a goal to shoot for while giving buyers and con- sumers the tools to determine whether or not makers had reached that goal," explains Hodge. The World Tea Expo panel concluded that while there are lots of tools used by professionals to assess tea quality (such as flavor wheels, color charts, and plucking standards) it will be helpful to organize this information and make it accessible to consumers. Hodge has devised a list of relevant questions such as "is the color right" and "does the tea have a distinguishing aroma." Competent buyers look at all of these elements and more. Together these characteristics can be weighted in importance and scored. "Any score exceeding 80 on the 100 point scale could be called specialty as is the case with specialty coffee dating to 1974," said Hodge. Tea with scores of 90 and above would be considered excellent. "There are no plans for a regulatory agency with enforcement powers. My goal is education." He envisions international competitions like those for coffee and wine "where tea makers will be judged by their skill in tea making." The industry has much to gain from adopting a consumer-friendly method for describing its excep- tional teas. There already is a well-established legacy of grading tea that defines quality and condition of conventional broken leaf tea by cut and appearance. Uniform and attractive whole leaf is growing in popularity and taking a bigger share of the market. Uniform standards describing tea quality will make specialty tea more profitable for all. STiR Tea & Coffee International views the creation of standards defining specialty tea a commend- able effort worthy of industry support.