I LOVE TEA. I don’t mean that I want to marry it, or that I focus on it non-stop throughout my days…but I enjoy a pot of tea more than anyone that I know. And that is saying a lot, believe you me.
My other love is my family, and for our benefit: SUSTAINABILITY. Really, my family is my first love and therefore wins out every time. SO, here is the problem, and my subject for today:
Tea is not, in general, sustainable, so how do I reconcile its inexplicable opposition to my family’s happiness?
- Bags of Fertilizer at a Tea Farm in Japan
First, I should explain why tea is not sustainable, or at least why I believe it is not so. Most tea that is produced is done so with some amount of pesticide. Of these, and other organic varieties, most require from a little to a LOT of fertilizers. Though some farmers will use natural fertilizers such as kelp or manure, artificial fertilizers are considerably less expensive and readily available. (Read this for information on the devastating effects of fertilizer overuse in China) The teas of Japan use copious amounts of both natural and artificial fertilizers without ever letting the soil rest. That delicious bowl of maccha that I love is practically a bowl full of fertilizer. Any arbor grown, regularly manicured tea plant must be fertilized to maintain their health in such close quarters and under such stressful conditions. The shade grown teas of Japan are under such enormous strain that they would simply wither away after the tea harvest if it were not for the saturation of fertilizers at their roots. These teas are not sustainable, yet they continue to grow in popularity and production.
Hand-picking Gyokuro in Japan
So, what should we do? Recently, I have been cutting back on my Taiwanese oolongs, my fancy gyokuros, my first flush Darjeelings and my Tie Guan Yin and focusing more on the wild puer teas of Yunnan, China.
True wild and ancient puer teas are harvested from trees that have either grown without assistance or have been abandoned by tea farms to grow without continued support and fertilization. These teas are not only fertilizer and pesticide free, they are an active part of the ecosystem that continues to add to the natural system as they are harvested. Not all leaves are harvested and the trees are left undamaged to replenish the soil naturally. Not only this, but they have just as many nutrients as the fertilized tea and likely many more naturally occurring healthful quirks than their abused and over-processed counterparts.
And…it is DELICIOUS. Tea that gets better with age; who could ask for anything more.
Family and Puer. That is the answer I have found and I propose it to everyone out there who truly loves tea.
Your opening sentences made me chortle out loud, and I enjoyed reading on and learning about tea growing conditions! thank you for the spot of tea education.
Sometime I’d like to hear about your tea adventures in Japan!
Hi Rebecca! Thanks
We love a good chortle over here~. You are welcome in our tea-space anytime.
Aaron, I agree with Rebecca, would love to hear more about your time in Japan! I’m sure it would make for a great read. You can just write little chapters, one at a time, to keep us hanging on – impatiently waiting for that next episode.