Aloke Prasad schrieb:

Where does the $ go? To the middlemen?

Mostly to European companies who buy ridiculously cheap and sell at
enormous high prices (and who press for cheaper and cheaper tea, and
therefore les and less quality as long as the name Darjeeling is a
guaranteed good sell - and as long as the stupid customers go along).

If you produce good orthodox teas with a traditional and solid quality
and struggle with preventing your heritage you're of the market quite
quickly. Only the absolute top tea estates with a small amount of real
high quality teas (which can be sold to incredible prices to tea
lovers) and of course all those estates who changes to cheap mass
pruduction teas, esp. for the so calles 'campaign teas', survive.


Dieter