A family is growing tea near Seattle Washington.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Tea.html


-Melinda

On Sep 10, 2:40 pm, "Melinda" wrote:
A family is growing tea near Seattle Washington.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Tea.html

-Melinda

Wow! Wonderful read! Hopefully we'll see more coverage of their
product.
Just curious - has anyone here had a Washington State grown tea?
They do produce some decent white wines...................
Shen

i read bout this too. they mention about black tea needing more $$$ to
produce compared to white and green tea

On Sep 11, 1:18 am, Shen wrote:
Wow! Wonderful read! Hopefully we'll see more coverage of their
product.
Just curious - has anyone here had a Washington State grown tea?

At Teacraft we keep an eye on all the fringe tea growing projects
around the world (and advise on many of them) and I must congratulate
the Sakuma brothers for getting their new tea to market. I haven't
tasted this one yet but I visited the bushes up on Puget Sound four
years ago when, just as the article mentions Richard Sakuma couldn't
decide what to do with them as they conflicted with his berry
harvest. I am never surprised now at where tea will grow, provided it
is given its basic requirements of a well drained acid soil and plenty
of light, high humidity and temperatures between 50 and 100 degrees F,
though WA is for sure as far North as any tea growing in the world.
There must be a thousand other places in the USA where tea would grow
commercially (Lipton investigated this in the 70's) - the savvy US tea
grower faced with labor input at 100 x the African wage must automate
his harvesting and manufacture, and identify a high value market
niche.

Nigel at Teacraft

On Sep 11, 10:35 am, Jazzy wrote:
i read bout this too. they mention about black tea needing more $$$ to
produce compared to white and green tea

Depends on how you do it, what type of tea, which equipment you
select, and what your labor costs. Japanese green is a higher
investment cost than Sri Lankan black. Malawi white tea is higher
investment cost than China white. Within a country the machinery
investment for black tea and green tea is just about the same. I
think the point in the article is derived from Richard Sakuma's own
"home spun" manufacture of tiny amounts. He ignores his labor cost
and then can make white tea in the sun free of cost, green tea in his
kitchen microwave oven effectively free of cost, but would need to
invest in equipment for making black tea.

Nigel at Teacraft

On Sep 11, 12:20 pm, Nigel wrote:
On Sep 11, 10:35 am, Jazzy wrote:

i read bout this too. they mention about black tea needing more $$$ to
produce compared to white and green tea

Depends on how you do it, what type of tea, which equipment you
select, and what your labor costs. Japanese green is a higher
investment cost than Sri Lankan black. Malawi white tea is higher
investment cost than China white. Within a country the machinery
investment for black tea and green tea is just about the same. I
think the point in the article is derived from Richard Sakuma's own
"home spun" manufacture of tiny amounts. He ignores his labor cost
and then can make white tea in the sun free of cost, green tea in his
kitchen microwave oven effectively free of cost, but would need to
invest in equipment for making black tea.

Nigel at Teacraft

I am finding all this incredibly interesting, although much more from
a hobby-growing perspective than out of commercial possibility. Nigel
(or anyone else) - do you know what kind of winter temperatures tea
can tolerate?

Alex

Alex writes:

On Sep 11, 12:20 pm, Nigel wrote:
On Sep 11, 10:35 am, Jazzy wrote:

i read bout this too. they mention about black tea needing more $$$ to
produce compared to white and green tea

Depends on how you do it, what type of tea, which equipment you
select, and what your labor costs. Japanese green is a higher
investment cost than Sri Lankan black. Malawi white tea is higher
investment cost than China white. Within a country the machinery
investment for black tea and green tea is just about the same. I
think the point in the article is derived from Richard Sakuma's own
"home spun" manufacture of tiny amounts. He ignores his labor cost
and then can make white tea in the sun free of cost, green tea in his
kitchen microwave oven effectively free of cost, but would need to
invest in equipment for making black tea.

Nigel at Teacraft

I am finding all this incredibly interesting, although much more from
a hobby-growing perspective than out of commercial possibility. Nigel
(or anyone else) - do you know what kind of winter temperatures tea
can tolerate?

I'd be surprised if anyone's done it in Vermont, but you're not just
anyone...

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On Sep 11, 10:37 pm, Alex wrote:

I am finding all this incredibly interesting, although much more from
a hobby-growing perspective than out of commercial possibility. Nigel
(or anyone else) - do you know what kind of winter temperatures tea
can tolerate?

Alex

All I know is that up in Darjeeling it can get pretty cold in January,
with temperatures down to ~--5°C [20F?]. The bushes seem to be OK with
it, even the old, "original" ones ["China" bushes], some of them more
than 100 years of age.
These days however you´ll find more and more clonal bushes in DJ and
elsewhere. Among other desirable features those clones could also be
selected by their resistance to cold climates or e.g. salty coastal
conditions.

Karsten

On Sep 12, 12:15 am, wrote:
On Sep 11, 10:37 pm, Alex wrote:
I am finding all this incredibly interesting, although much more from
a hobby-growing perspective than out of commercial possibility. Nigel
(or anyone else) - do you know what kind of winter temperatures tea
can tolerate?

All I know is that up in Darjeeling it can get pretty cold in January,
with temperatures down to ~--5°C [20F?]. The bushes seem to be OK with
it, even the old, "original" ones ["China" bushes], some of them more
than 100 years of age.°

I have grown mature China type tea (ex seed and clonal) with winter
temperatures dipping at night down to -5°C [= 23°F] and even last year
in one place to 18°F, though young plants of some clones were killed
at this level. Really cold (freezing) weather kills plants by freezing
sap under the bark of the mature wood and causing the bark to peel
off. Assamica type plants (ex seed or clonal) are intolerent of any
cold (truly tropical), keeling over below 3-4°C [38°F]. All tea
ceases active growth and becomes dormant below an average night time
temperature of around 50°F moving storage synthate down to the
roots.

A scientist named John Vendeland was actively selecting tea bushes for
cold tolerence on a farm up in Oregon ten years ago and had a hand in
planting bushes these near Seattle. I have not heard from him for a
few years (John, if you are lurking on r.f.d.t please get in touch).

Nigel at Teacraft

In article . com,
Shen wrote:

On Sep 10, 2:40 pm, "Melinda" wrote:
A family is growing tea near Seattle Washington.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Tea.html

-Melinda

Wow! Wonderful read! Hopefully we'll see more coverage of their
product.
Just curious - has anyone here had a Washington State grown tea?
They do produce some decent white wines...................
Shen


I happen to live about 30 miles north of this tea farm. I somehow
missed word of it until I saw this thread here. Another valuable reason
to keep watching this group!

I'm heading to their roadside stand after work today and I'll report
back on what their teas are like. It doesn't sound like they're selling
any online yet.
-Charles

I visited the Sakuma Brother's Farms tea fields this weekend and it was
slightly disappointing.

We could see the five so acres of tea fields behind their produce stand
but they didn't have time to talk to us about it -- they were closing
almost two hours early so the family-owned business could attend the
local high-school football game! Still, it was a treat to see actual
tea bushes grown commercially in person.

The poor guy behind the counter knew nothing of tea (the farm is known
for their greenhouse strawberries, pumpkins, apples, and raspberries)
but told us to come back and talk to the owner, Richard, whose pet
project the tea fields are.

They were sold out of their green but they did have some packages of
white left from their first harvest. As promised the leaves were only
FOP and OP, but they were neither rolled nor twisted, and there was
little white-tea fuzz present anywhere. They were packaged horribly --
in clear plastic bags, folded over and "sealed" only with a
computer-printed label. I can only imagine that they'll see lots of
light, heat, and moisture damage and it will go stale quickly.

The resulting brew was different than expected -- almost no tea flavor
but a very present fruity tone that was somewhere between dried apple
and strawberry. We're not sure if they were just not careful about aroma
contamination during processing or if the tea bushes themselves picked
up some aroma from the immediately-adjacent berry fields.

At $8.95 for 1.1 oz (about $135 per pound) it's not unreasonable for a
high-quality tea (and certainly not for fresh tea), but I'm not sure the
flavor quite qualifies as truly high-quality.

Still, I give the farm some slack as this is their first harvest. I'm
hoping to become involved in next year's harvest, volunteering to do
some of the picking and perhaps even give my 2-cents worth regarding the
curing and packaging. A unique learning opportunity!



In article ,
Charles Dawson wrote:

In article . com,
Shen wrote:

On Sep 10, 2:40 pm, "Melinda" wrote:
A family is growing tea near Seattle Washington.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Tea.html

-Melinda

Wow! Wonderful read! Hopefully we'll see more coverage of their
product.
Just curious - has anyone here had a Washington State grown tea?
They do produce some decent white wines...................
Shen


I happen to live about 30 miles north of this tea farm. I somehow
missed word of it until I saw this thread here. Another valuable reason
to keep watching this group!

I'm heading to their roadside stand after work today and I'll report
back on what their teas are like. It doesn't sound like they're selling
any online yet.
-Charles

On Sep 17, 10:58 pm, Charles Dawson wrote:
I visited the Sakuma Brother's Farms tea fields this weekend and it was
slightly disappointing.

Still, it was a treat to see actual
tea bushes grown commercially in person.

They were sold out of their green but they did have some packages of
white left from their first harvest. As promised the leaves were only
FOP and OP, but they were neither rolled nor twisted, and there was
little white-tea fuzz present anywhere. They were packaged horribly --
in clear plastic bags, folded over and "sealed" only with a
computer-printed label. I can only imagine that they'll see lots of
light, heat, and moisture damage and it will go stale quickly.

To achieve success in agro tourism you must match or exceed
expectations - this often causes a packaging dilemma for the specialty
producer: does my target audience want an understated eco friendly
approach or a svelt up market pack for its $135 per lb product?
Unless Richard Sakuma's clientele has changed in the five years since
I visited the farm I would think they are looking for "farm shop
simple". Which is not to say that the simplicity should not meet the
functional requirements of excluding ingress of moisture, light and
taint and egress of tea aroma.


The resulting brew was different than expected -- almost no tea flavor
but a very present fruity tone that was somewhere between dried apple
and strawberry. We're not sure if they were just not careful about aroma
contamination during processing or if the tea bushes themselves picked
up some aroma from the immediately-adjacent berry fields.

The fruit flavor of this new origin tea really is interesting as i)
it's not a taste I have ever found in China Whites, nor Ceylon, yet b)
it's a taste we get in some African whites - though not our Malawi
White Teas (these have a delicate floral aroma and taste - a little
like wild rose) but we certainly do get the fragarant apple aroma in
our Pearl rolled Malawi teas (there isn't a category for these teas
yet - they are hand rolled white teas but whites cannot by definition
be rolled, not green teaa as the enzymes are not zapped, not black
teas as there is no oxidation - closest I can get so far to a
definition (by taste and form) is a White Oolong but that's sure to
upset the purists. I have also found this distinct fruit aroma in the
Kenya whites (unrolled) that I have tasted - but not in them the
floral notes of the Malawi's. We also find cedar wood and wintergreen
in a few of the Malawi Whites - there are more than 30 cultivars to
try all with different nuances. These are teas looking for a home.


At $8.95 for 1.1 oz (about $135 per pound) it's not unreasonable for a
high-quality tea (and certainly not for fresh tea), but I'm not sure the
flavor quite qualifies as truly high-quality.

Washington State grown tea is rare - and rarity sets its own price -
our special Antlers d'Amour which are the tender velvety stems of the
finest flush - yes, White Tea tea just made from only the the juicy
stems with the leaves and buds removed(!) are selling retail in the
USA at $12 per half oz ($384 per lb) - but to my certain knowledge
this product (which concentrates the aroma in the stem and the
superfluous bud and leaves would just dilute the effect) is unique in
the tea world.

Nigel at Teacraft

"Nigel" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 17, 10:58 pm, Charles Dawson wrote:
I visited the Sakuma Brother's Farms tea fields this weekend and it was
slightly disappointing.

Still, it was a treat to see actual
tea bushes grown commercially in person.

They were sold out of their green but they did have some packages of
white left from their first harvest. As promised the leaves were only
FOP and OP, but they were neither rolled nor twisted, and there was
little white-tea fuzz present anywhere. They were packaged horribly --
in clear plastic bags, folded over and "sealed" only with a
computer-printed label. I can only imagine that they'll see lots of
light, heat, and moisture damage and it will go stale quickly.

To achieve success in agro tourism you must match or exceed
expectations - this often causes a packaging dilemma for the specialty
producer: does my target audience want an understated eco friendly
approach or a svelt up market pack for its $135 per lb product?
Unless Richard Sakuma's clientele has changed in the five years since
I visited the farm I would think they are looking for "farm shop
simple". Which is not to say that the simplicity should not meet the
functional requirements of excluding ingress of moisture, light and
taint and egress of tea aroma.


The resulting brew was different than expected -- almost no tea flavor
but a very present fruity tone that was somewhere between dried apple
and strawberry. We're not sure if they were just not careful about aroma
contamination during processing or if the tea bushes themselves picked
up some aroma from the immediately-adjacent berry fields.

The fruit flavor of this new origin tea really is interesting as i)
it's not a taste I have ever found in China Whites, nor Ceylon, yet b)
it's a taste we get in some African whites - though not our Malawi
White Teas (these have a delicate floral aroma and taste - a little
like wild rose) but we certainly do get the fragarant apple aroma in
our Pearl rolled Malawi teas (there isn't a category for these teas
yet - they are hand rolled white teas but whites cannot by definition
be rolled, not green teaa as the enzymes are not zapped, not black
teas as there is no oxidation - closest I can get so far to a
definition (by taste and form) is a White Oolong but that's sure to
upset the purists. I have also found this distinct fruit aroma in the
Kenya whites (unrolled) that I have tasted - but not in them the
floral notes of the Malawi's. We also find cedar wood and wintergreen
in a few of the Malawi Whites - there are more than 30 cultivars to
try all with different nuances. These are teas looking for a home.


At $8.95 for 1.1 oz (about $135 per pound) it's not unreasonable for a
high-quality tea (and certainly not for fresh tea), but I'm not sure the
flavor quite qualifies as truly high-quality.

Washington State grown tea is rare - and rarity sets its own price -
our special Antlers d'Amour which are the tender velvety stems of the
finest flush - yes, White Tea tea just made from only the the juicy
stems with the leaves and buds removed(!) are selling retail in the
USA at $12 per half oz ($384 per lb) - but to my certain knowledge
this product (which concentrates the aroma in the stem and the
superfluous bud and leaves would just dilute the effect) is unique in
the tea world.

Nigel at Teacraft


Hey Nigel, who is carrying all these African white teas, any idea? I was
going to check Nothing But Tea but wondered if you knew of any others.
Thanks.

Melinda

On Sep 19, 9:40 am, "Melinda" wrote:
"Nigel" wrote in message
Washington State grown tea is rare - and rarity sets its own price -
our special Antlers d'Amour which are the tender velvety stems of the
finest flush - yes, White Tea tea just made from only the the juicy
stems with the leaves and buds removed(!) are selling retail in the
USA at $12 per half oz ($384 per lb) - but to my certain knowledge
this product (which concentrates the aroma in the stem and the
superfluous bud and leaves would just dilute the effect) is unique in
the tea world.

Hey Nigel, who is carrying all these African white teas, any idea? I was
going to check Nothing But Tea but wondered if you knew of any others.
Thanks.

In the USA Tea Embassy, through their website Tea Treasures, is
selling the Antlers - Google "Antlers d'Amour" for the link.
Metropolitan has an inferior Kenya White from Nandi Hills and will
soon have two of the Malawi Whites in stock. Full range of seven
different Malawi Whites is available from Nothing But Tea Ltd
www.nbtea.co.uk - order any and mention r.f.d.t and we will throw
in a few samples of some of the not yet listed cultivars and types.

Nigel at Teacraft

On 19 Sep, 23:14, "Blues Lyne" wrote:
"Nigel" wrote in message

ps.com...



On Sep 19, 9:40 am, "Melinda" wrote:
"Nigel" wrote in message
Washington State grown tea is rare - and rarity sets its own price -
our special Antlers d'Amour which are the tender velvety stems of the
finest flush - yes, White Tea tea just made from only the the juicy
stems with the leaves and buds removed(!) are selling retail in the
USA at $12 per half oz ($384 per lb) - but to my certain knowledge
this product (which concentrates the aroma in the stem and the
superfluous bud and leaves would just dilute the effect) is unique in
the tea world.

Hey Nigel, who is carrying all these African white teas, any idea? I was
going to check Nothing But Tea but wondered if you knew of any others.
Thanks.

In the USA Tea Embassy, through their website Tea Treasures, is
selling the Antlers - Google "Antlers d'Amour" for the link.
Metropolitan has an inferior Kenya White from Nandi Hills and will
soon have two of the Malawi Whites in stock. Full range of seven
different Malawi Whites is available from Nothing But Tea Ltd
www.nbtea.co.uk - order any and mention r.f.d.t and we will throw
in a few samples of some of the not yet listed cultivars and types.

Nigel at Teacraft

Nigel,

I notice that Nothing But Tea sells samples of most of their teas, but not
the wildcrafted teas. Last time we were discussing Malawi teas, I e-mailed
them and asked about samples, but didn't hear back from them. Do you know
if this is a possibility? It would be nice to be able to compare some of
the Malawi teas and get a feel for the variety, without breaking the bank or
having way more white tea than I could drink before it's past it's prime.

Blues- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -



Sorry for this if you send your details to I will
get it sorted, like so many we have email issues from time to time,
both at nbtea and at teacraft.

regards

Helga