STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 23 Aftermath of Darjeeling Strike The 105-day strike in the hills of Darjeeling dealt a body blow to the tea industry. Disenchanted workers, only about 40% of whom reported for work immediately following the end of the strike, will prolong recovery. The Tea Board of India is extending emergency funds of $15 million, equal to about one quarter of estimated losses, according to Chairman P K Bezbaruah. Agronomists predict the unprec- edented interruption has already lowered spring yields by 15–30%. Resting the plants will benefit quality but with global supplies nearly exhausted, quantity is an important consideration. The underlying concern is that tea drinkers have many more choices today than in the past. Those who prefer Darjeeling to all other teas will pay the higher prices but Darjeeling used in blends will be substi- tuted for more readily available teas. During the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led shutdown (the strike hoped to force the establishment of a separate state to be known as Gorkha- land), unwanted vegetation quickly encroached on the neatly groomed tea bushes. While workers at the gardens continue to clear the mess, some also tried to salvage the situation by plucking as much as they can to make up for the losses they suffered during the strike. Ultimately the autumnal harvest was abandoned as the more important task of restoring tea plants won out over a final harvest. KENYA Innovation in Kenya Kenya faces many challenges in its dominant market of low price commod- ity tea exports. It is moving on many fronts toward premiumization, especially through its clonal purple tea, localized specialty orthodox production, and government tea directorate activism. A long drought has reduced bush growth rates. A three-week strike of 16,000 tea workers that began in mid-October halted processing costing growers $4 million and escalated social unrest. The 2017 harvest may be the lowest on record. Tea and coffee exports are no longer the nation's largest source of foreign exchange. This is a situation of "Innovate or die." There are a variety of promising initiatives. The main one is purple tea, a genuine landmark in tea history. This is the clonal tea developed by the Kenya Tea Research Institute, over a 25-year period. It is drought-resistant and high yield with a heavy concentration of anthocyanin, an antioxidant with possible health benefits. It gives the leaf its purple color. Purple tea production in late 2016 was reported as 10 million kilos out of a total of around 430 million kilos. Takeup was hampered by factory quality control problems in shifting from bulk black tea to specialty tea. In addition, smallholder "cottage" farming was blocked by the license requirement of 250 hectares of land. That has been reduced to just 20. Purple tea is in high demand in Asia. Growers report prices of $30 a kilo versus $1-3.50 for traditional commodity tea. The government has set a target of 25 milliono kilos of specialty tea. So far there are only tiny steps towards that goal, but they are encouraging. Emrok's black teas have won international awards. Kenya Silverback white tea has an outstanding reputation. A major blockage to specialty produc- tion has been lack of distribution. In the summer of 2017, the tea directorate made an agreement with International Tea Importers, an LA-based firm, to buy Kenyan purple tea in bulk and store it for distribution in 25 warehouse locations. The Mombasa tea auction, the world's largest, is being extended to trade green, white and purple tea. Kenya purple tea SINGAPORE Wooing Asia's millennials Tea providers are learning how to engage the new generation of millennials in China, Japan, and other Asian nations, in an increasingly coffee-paced market. Tea traditions no longer are passed down as a heritage and established products and services have declining pull. The Starbucks-driven surge of coffee cultures is being met with attention to high variety premium products, boutique tea bars and shops, and a focus on cachet, style and coolness. Singapore's TWG aims at building tea appreciation, mixing standard and exotic teas, such as China Yellow Gold Tea Buds. In Tokyo, Sakurai offers a Japan Tea Experience in a rich décor of timber, copper, tea vessels and paraphernalia that complement a menu of highly original tea blends and recipes. These include tea-infused alcohol, a small but growing market segment in Asia: Sencha Gin, pink-hued Hoshiko plum wine. Oharaka similarly stresses ambience and experience, tradition and creation. Tea flavorings include baked apple, caramel and kelp. Tokyo Saryo claims to be the world's first hand-drip green tea shop. A barista-sommelier equivalent prepares a range of teas and blends from a single grower, explaining their nature and production and highlighting differences. Add to these examples the prolifera- tion of bubble tea and cheese tea across Asia and the future of tea looks very different from its past, in all but two regards. It will be marked by multiple dimensions of differentiation, a blurring between food, tea and alcohol, and an appeal to coolness, fashion and style. What seems unchanging is that (1) fine tea is marked by nuances and complexities of flavor and aroma and (2) it demands an ambience of tastefulness and style. PlayMade Expands Popular Taiwan franchise PlayMade has made its way over to Singapore in September. The brand sets itself apart by offering unusual pearl flavors like pink cactus, burnt caramel, and black sesame. Franchise co-owners, Amanda Poo and Crystal Wee, opened the business after they fell in love with the bubble tea whilst visiting Taiwan. The pearls are

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