Organic tea or not?
Hi there people,
it’s fantastic to know there’s so many people out there sharing the same passion about tea (hey, you should see all the werid looks I get in Italy while asking for a herbal tea, rather than an espresso…).
Another great passion that drives me is organic gardening and while I do not have tea plants in my small garden – while today I’ve been experimenting with some basil tea out of my balcony, I try to look for organic products anywhere I go (having a long tradition of organic farming in the family as well..).
I was wondering, since I don’t see too many loose leaf teas classified as organic around, if I am one of the few interested in it or there’s a boasting presence of organic tea drinkers.
A farmer in malaysia told me that anyhow tea plants are quite resistant and if you’re not scoring your tea-stash from big corps, you may as well be enjoying organic tea that is not classified (and sold) as organic.
Is anyone out there as strict as I am?
I try to stick to organic teas, though fair trade would be another option for me too.
most of my bagged teas are fair trade and organic (Clipper teas from the UK)
and I have some organic teas from simon levelt, but must admit, I do have non-organic teas in my cupboard, budget-wise.
There are problems with the way that organic and fair trade certifications work. Often the producers cheat the system, small tea farms don’t have the resources to be certified even if they are indeed organic/fair trade.
Also, don’t think that just because a fertilizer/pesticide is organic, it won’t harm the environment. For example, an organic fertilizer that falls into a body of water such as a lake makes extra nutrients available and algae get out of control, starving the water of oxygen for fish and other plant life. Manure is organic, yet you wouldn’t want tons of it in your water supply, it has many microorganisms that are harmful when ingested!
Unless it’s banned by the authorities, there has to be scientific evidence that an agricultural chemical is actually bad for you. Many times organic and fair trade are used as a ploy for marketing and selling at a higher price, than really caring for people, their health, and the environment.
I agree with you to a certain extent, Ricardo, but how can you divine the intentions of a whole subset of tea companies? Certainly there are problems and transactions costs w/ organic labeling, but conventional agriculture has a lot of problems as well. Many of my friends talk about how organic is just a marketing tactic while scarfing down fast food… I think it’s a gray area; just get to know the brands enough and find out for yourself who is sincere about their social and enviro. policy.
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