Twist in the Tale : Modern incarnation of the ancient Brew

Twist in the Tale : Modern incarnation of the ancient Brew

It has been a long journey for our favorite beverage “Tea” since its accidental discovery by a Chinese King many centuries ago. Or, was it the great herbalist who left this world and took along with him the knowledge of nearly 21000 medicinal herbs, that was known only to him? On his grave, it is believed, grew a strange new plant – camellia sinensis. Our very own tea Plant.

In the early times, The plant was considered to be so sacred, that its commercial cultivation could not even be thought about. In Japan, Tea consumption is considered a ceremony. A ceremony of bonhomie and contentment.

However, the British and the Dutch saw tremendous potential in this “elixir of the east” which gave “glowing health and longevity” to the people and started its organized commercial cultivation in China. Later it expanded to India, Sri Lanka and Kenya, among several other smaller countries.

Since then, there has been no looking back. Our brew has made the journey through green to oolong to white to black. From Orthodox to Legg-Cut to CTC to Instant Tea to Premix... From “natural” to “commercial” and now back to “organic”.

Along the path have been innumerable changes, value additions and improvements in the fields of cultivation, manufacture, blending as well as packaging. The art of making tea is now largely standardized.

Vegetatively propagated clones, bi clonal and poly clonal seeds, and region specific planting material is now available to choose from. Agrochemicals used in the fields are approved by scientists. Equipments used are such so as to minimize wastage and conserve the environment. Wood and Coal is now being phased out by Natural Gas and Oil. Machinery and processes are computer controlled. Stalk and Fiber in tea is a thing of the past, with the advent of high tech machines. The traditional wooden Tea Chests have been replaced with multi walled paper sacks. State of art, Ergonomically designed, StainlessSteel Blenders are used to blend delicate teas without bruising them. Silk cloth wrappings have been replaced with staple free tea bags made out of filter paper of natural origin, bleached with liquid oxygen.

While we may think that our brew has completed its journey, the latest scientific research has opened a new door to exciting possibilities and opportunities.

The magic of tea comes from the tiny amount of caffeine, which is a mild stimulant and from the antioxidants in the form of polyphenols, mainly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin. Tea is the richest source of such antioxidants and works towards its extraction for fortification of other food products has been a field of research by the scientists since many years.

A breakthrough has been reported by the Israel Institute of Technology, who have presented a paper reporting “nano-encapsulation of EGCG intended for food application. It is apparently the first EGCG nanoencapsulation method based on natural ingredients only. Moreover, the extremely small nanoparticles developed (<50nm>, opens up unlimited possibility of addition of EGCG to mineral water, ready-to-drink tea beverages, soft drinks, fruit juices, and dairy beverages. In addition, sport drinks would be a great application for this technology, as many of them are also enriched with protein, particularly whey proteins.

All things come a full circle, but our beverage, it seems has quite a large circle to complete. Yet, Tea remains the drink of choice for the majority of humankind. The most unpretentious and safe beverage in the world. Its method of preparation purifies the water too!

Organic Tea

ORGANIC TEA
Historically, Tea is known to have grown in the most inaccessible places, in its Natural pattern, and hence was first discovered as “The Elixir of Life” by the Buddhist Monks in China.
Tea was supposed to be of so Divine a nature, that the Monks did not even think of its cultivation at that time, but instead deployed Monkeys to pluck and bring Tea Leaves from such Inaccessible places for which they would be given Opium!

“This was Natural Tea”
Its usage was restricted to the Spiritual Few

Then came the Aristocracy of China, and the King was the only one who could drink or offer Tea.

Tea became reserved for the Monks and Kings.

With the spread of the Dutch and British Empire, who saw enormous profits in this “Miraculous” herb of the “East”, which gave “Good Health and Long Life” to its drinkers, were the first to introduce the Beverage commercially to Europe.

Tea became a vastly traded item. Finally the “Elixir of Life” was available to all of Mankind, and became the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Its many medicinal values are universally accepted and established.

Journey to the Past
Some estates in the recent times began to experiment by shunning the use of all Chemical Fertilizers and Chemicals on their Tea Plants. They began to provide Forest Covers and Grass Tracts between Sections of Tea.

These estates lost tremendous amount of Money by way of Reduced Yields due to Withdrawal of Fertilizers and Increased occurrence of Pests and Blights.
The Planters Persisted in their quest of achieving what was now appearing as a streak of light at the end of the tunnel.

And the end result is the Spectacular “Organic Tea”, with its outstanding Taste, Briskness and close affinity to an overall characteristic, not unduly aided by human interference.

And this status is conferred after suffering the rigorous abstention from anything In-Organic for three excruciating long years.

Organic Tea, Back to Basics

ORGANIC TEA

Historically, Tea is known to have grown in the most inaccessible places, in its Natural pattern, and hence was first discovered as “The Elixir of Life” by the Buddhist Monks in China.

Tea was supposed to be of so Divine a nature, that the Monks did not even think of its cultivation at that time, but instead deployed Monkeys to pluck and bring Tea Leaves from such Inaccessible places for which they would be given Opium!

“This was Natural Tea”

Its usage was restricted to the Spiritual Few

Then came the Aristocracy of China, and the King was the only one who could drink or offer Tea.

Tea became reserved for the Monks and Kings.

With the spread of the Dutch and British Empire, who saw enormous profits in this “Miraculous” herb of the “East”, which gave “Good Health and Long Life” to its drinkers, were the first to introduce the Beverage commercially to Europe.

Tea became a vastly traded item. Finally the “Elixir of Life” was available to all of Mankind, and became the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Its many medicinal values are universally accepted and established.

Journey to the Past

Some estates in the recent times began to experiment by shunning the use of all Chemical Fertilizers, pesticides, stimulants etc on their Tea Plants. They began to provide Forest Cover and Grass Tracts between Sections of Tea.

These estates lost tremendous amount of Money by way of Reduced Yields due to Withdrawal of Fertilizers and Increased occurrence of Pests and Blights.

The Planters Persisted in their quest of achieving what was now appearing as a streak of light at the end of the tunnel.

And the end result is the Spectacular “Organic Tea”, with its outstanding Taste and Briskness, sans the ill effects of (toxic) chemicals, grown in an environment friendly manner.

And this status is conferred after suffering the rigorous abstention from anything In-Organic for three excruciating long years.

ORGANIC TEA : THE INDIAN SCENARIO

The interest in Organic products in general and Organic Tea in particular is increasing day by day.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness about the Organic drive in India.
Planters wish to convert, but not all have access to information on how to. Consumers are confused : they do not know what is organic, and where to get the same. The traders similarly appear to be in awe of undergoing formalities of registration and audits.

I wish to provide an overview of Organic Tea in this post, in simple words.

STATISTICS
Figures as per year 2006-2007 records are as follows:-
Registered Organic farmers in India : 141904
Land under Organic Cultivation : 339113 Ha.
Organic Production : 585970 MT.
Organic Exports from India : 19456 MT
Value of total exports from India : Rs. 30124 Lacs. http://www.apeda.com/organic/PresentStatus.htm

CONTROL AND REGULATION
The production and trade of Organic Agricultural produce in India is controlled by "APEDA", which stands for : Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority.
http://www.apeda.com/apedawebsite/index.asp
The specific program of APEDA which oversees the Organic operation is the "NPOP" which stands for : National Program for Organic Production. http://www.apeda.com/organic/

ACCREDITIONS PRESENTLY IN VOGUE

1. National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) - India. : This certification is recognised by the European Union, and hence equivalent to EEC Certification. The certificate, however is not valid for exports to the USA, even though the USDA has formally acknowledged APEDA's Conformity Assessment System & methods as
   acceptable. http://www.apeda.com/organic/India_Recognition_Letter_Day_FINAL_02_16_06.pdf
2. USDA National Organic Program (NOP)
3. European Organic Regulations (EU 2092/91)
4. Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS)
5. Quebec Organic Reference Standard (CAAQ)
6. Bio Suisse Standards IFOAM Basic Standards
   

CURRENT FLAVOURS IN INDIA
Presently NPOP and NOP standards are the most sought after. NPOP standard in any case is the first and primary or default requirement for an Organic operator in India.

TYPES OF DECLARATION
These are country / market / scope specific. Please check validity of terms in the particular country of interest, and use only the applicable terms in print matter to get full advantage.
A Plantation / Farm may be certified as 100 % Organic; Organic; OR Organic under conversion.
A Product may be certified as 100 % Organic; Organic; Made with Organic etc.

INITIATION AND CERTIFICATION BODIES
A plantation or trade wishing to start Organic Operations should give information to and
initiate registration procedure with the APEDA. This is done through an Accredited inspection and certification agency, a list of which is available at http://www.apeda.com/organic/NPOP_certification_bodies.doc
For ease of reference, the list is given hereunder, but I urge you to check accreditation status from APEDA before hiring one.

1. Bureau Veritas Certification India Pvt. Ltd., (Formerly known as BVQI (India) Pvt.
   Ltd.) scsinfo@in.bureauveritas.com
2. ECOCERT India Pvt. Ltd ecocert@sancharnet.in
3. IMO Control Pvt. Ltd imoind@vsnl.com, http://www.imo.ch/
4. Indian Organic Certification Agency (INDOCERT) Sebastian@indocert.org
5. Lacon Quality Certification Pvt. Ltd. laconindia@sancharnet.in
6. Natural Organic Certification Agency (NOCA) nocaindia29@rediffmail.com, nocaindia@gmail.com
7. OneCert Asia Agri Certification Pvt. Ltd. info@onecertasia.in
8. SGS India Pvt. Ltd. manish.pande@sgs.com
9. Control Union Certifications (Formerly known as Skal International (India))
   cuc@controlunion.in, cucindia@controlunion.com, controlunion@vsnl.com
10. Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency (USOCA) uss_opca@rediffmail.com
11. APOF Organic Certification Agency (AOCA) aocabangalore@yahoo.co.in
12. Rajasthan Organic Certification Agency (ROCA) dir_rssopca@rediffmail.com
    Note:- At the time of posting this article, Nos. 11 and 12 above are not competent to
    issue NOP certificates.

PLANTATION / FARM OPERATOR SCENARIO

Conversion / Certification of a farm into Organic is the most painstaking part of the Organic Program. It is the farm which has to endure the most. From the time a farm is registered with the APEDA for NPOP for certification, it is known as "Organic under Conversion". From this time on, the farm can use only approved inputs for the maintenance, protection and sustenance of their crop.

Useful information on permissible inputs can be found at http://www.organicinputs.org/, http://www.acornorganic.org/acorn/

The list of inputs keep on changing, and one must keep abreast of the latest list at all times. Various other checks and constraints are placed to ensure complete detoxification of the produce. This is the period of conversion which lasts from 2 to 3 years as per different standards. This is the period during which one may suffer from maximum yield loss without getting any price premium of Organic, as it is yet to be certified.

TRADER / EXPORTER / OPERATOR SCENARIO

The Trader needs to follow strict norms for handling Organic Products, but the operations here are much less complex.

FLOW OF QUANTIS

Every Operator needs to maintain a Flow of Quantis, which must record each receipt, movement, transformation, dispatch, destruction or any other form of disposition in a satisfactory manner and is subject to audits. Any gain of quantity here needs explanation.

TRANSACTION CERTIFICATE

It is the duty of the Seller of Organic produce to provide the buyer with a Transaction certificate for each transaction or sale. These certificates must be traceable and unique and are issued by the respective certification agency on payment of fee.

MOTIVATION

Achievement of Organic standards is no small deed. It is a matter of pride for any organisation, as it is indicative not only of the high standards of operation with in the organisation, but also indicative of its direct, or indirect contribution towards the conservation of nature.

High level of management motivation, innovation at all levels, cutting of waste and cost at all levels, worker & management coordination, training, dedication and overall transparency is
required to last out the conversion phase and achieve the target of Organic certification. Pursuance of ISO-9001, ISO-22000, HACCP, JAS etc. simultaneously can indeed be complimentary.

INFORMATIVE LINKS AND ARTICLES

1. Canadian Organic Growers http://www.cog.ca/
2. Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance http://www.nodpa.com/
3. Organic Info Hotline http://www.mosesorganic.org/helpwanted/farmerhotline.html
4. Organic Farming - NDSU Extension Service http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/organic/
5. Organic Farming Research Foundation http://www.ofrf.org/
6. The NEW FARM http://www.newfarm.org/
7. Some very useful and Organic Tea Specific information can be found at http://www.dtrdc.org/organic.htm

Pesticide Free Tea : The Paradox

One of the best things that has been said about Tea is that "Tea is Unpretentious".

To such a humble produce, questions are now being raised as to its safety...

And thats it then!

Some Planters do not spray anything at all, for the simple reason that they do not have money .. Strange as it may sound, it is sadly TRUE.

We end up buying Teas from reputed estates with big names who have production targets to meet and fluid budgets for pesticides. State ofthe art machinery to even turn coarse leaf into visibly good tea.On the other hand there are estates who do not even have money to pay wages. No money - No name - No demand - poor prices : the vicious cycle goes on and on. Endosulfan, Dicofol, Ethion, Paraquat Dichloride, Amine Salts, SodiumSalts, Synthetic pyrethroids, Fenazaquin, Glyphosate, Oxyflurofen,Chloropyrifos, Imidachlorpid ..... the list of chemicals goes on and on.Yet, the Tea Plantations are an example of the most intense and scientific form of cultivation. The plants survive in a very healthy state, and remain economically productive even beyond 100 years ofage. Usually pesticides are sprayed immediately after harvest, so that harvestable leaves do not receive the chemicals. Some chemicals aresystemic though, and in such cases, a harvesting holiday is given tothe Bushes, or alternatively, the following harvest is skiffed off /discarded. The Tea industry in India imposed a voulentary ban on theuse of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons way back in early 70's.

The bottom line is that, pesticide or no pesticide, TEA is by far theSAFEST drink to have.A word of caution though .... Avoid First Flush Teas. During themonths of dormancy, the bushes go through a lot of stress ... Frost,Drought, Aphids et al. So to sustain the plants, a lot of Pesticides +Muriate of Potash + Di Ammonium Phosphate + Sulphur is sprayed. Therebeing no harvest, the plant can not digest / metabolise thesechemicals. It all builds up .....

And another bottom line here is : Blended Teas are by far safer,compared to single estate teas, unless they are from a reliable source.

Tea Cheers!Jayesh S Pandya.