very similar to that of Darjeeling. I have tasted this tea and was
surprized to find it very similar in taste. The article continues
that it's possible that climate change could extend tea growing to
other areas, particularly with springtime frost growing less common in
southern England - and since its publication I have seen reference to
Taylors of Harrogate planting tea in Yorkshire.

Nigel, you must be kidding! Maybe we can collaborate and plant some
teas in Sussex?
I was very tempted earlier to put my money in an English Wine
company...

juliantai wrote:
Yes, but don't forget there are some organometallic pesticides in common
use today now, which are indeed the opposite. On the gripping hand, we

Just out of curiosity, why is organometallic pesticides harm the
drinkers and not the workers?

Lots of them do harm the workers, especially when excessively applied. A
lot of pesticides that are no longer legal for use in the US because of
safety concerns are still extensively used in other countries.

It is interesting you compare pesticides to vodha, or spirit. Does
that tell me anything about the hot water solubility of this
pesticide?

Well, ethanol is a thing you can get in a lot of forms. It makes it a
convenient reference point.

http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/food_industry.asp?id=546

As you can see, EU currently have MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE LIMITS for 30
pesticides residuals, with another 40 under discussion.

Not to mention other environmental pollutants.

It kind of struck me that low cost testing doesn't really exist, at
least for now, and the only logical place for comprehensive testing is
in the larger tea gardens, where it is subject to manipulation.

Sure.

The more I look into this issue, the less I am convinced pollution and
pesticides are an issue, especially if you are drinking a high grade.

First, a lot of tea quality is in the taste, so anyone can do their
DIY testing.

Second, as pointed to me earlier by Chagonwala, we drink only a few
grams of tea leaves each day. Only less than half is soluble in water.

Now compared this to the other foods you eat. Another 300 grams or
more? Do your vegetables and fruits and meats grow in high mountain?
Are they TRULY organic? They don't dissolve in water, do they? Have
they any history of health scare? Do they kill bacteria and virus and
reduce cancer risk?

Yes, precisely. The thing is, we drink a lot of tea which is farmed
in developing countries under poorly-controlled conditions, and we don't
consume many other products like that. On the other hand, if I were
living in mainland China today, tea would be the last thing I would ever
worry about.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

(Scott Dorsey) writes:

juliantai wrote:
[...] as pointed to me earlier by Chagonwala, we drink only a few
grams of tea leaves each day. Only less than half is soluble in water.

Now compared this to the other foods you eat. Another 300 grams or
more? Do your vegetables and fruits and meats grow in high mountain?
Are they TRULY organic? They don't dissolve in water, do they? Have
they any history of health scare? Do they kill bacteria and virus and
reduce cancer risk?

Yes, precisely. The thing is, we drink a lot of tea which is farmed
in developing countries under poorly-controlled conditions, and we don't
consume many other products like that. On the other hand, if I were
living in mainland China today, tea would be the last thing I would ever
worry about.

I don't have numbers for this at my fingertips - does anybody within
the sound of my "voice"? - but the idea that people in developed
countries don't consume much food grown under lax controls in
less-developed countries seems, well, something I wouldn't be able to
prove. Chinese-grown garlic and ginger is definitely sold here in New
York. And there's lots of Mexican produce - how much? - that, in
reality, is how well controlled in the fields and and how well
inspected thereafter?

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

Tea is an agricultural product. If you die it will be from some
bacteria you didn't kill without boiling water not because of
accumulation of pollutants or pesticides in your body. For those who
find their tea contaminated I'll take it off your hands for FREE. You
pay for shipping.

Jim

PS DDT was causing bird eggs to crack prematurely. Drink too much
water at once you'll die from drowning. Eat all the lead paint you
want as an adult. The FDA is responsible for all agricultural and
seafood imports into this country. I'll guarantee there is more
hazardess artificial preservatives in your refrigerator than your tea.


Scott Dorsey wrote:

Yes, precisely. The thing is, we drink a lot of tea which is farmed
in developing countries under poorly-controlled conditions, and we don't
consume many other products like that. On the other hand, if I were
living in mainland China today, tea would be the last thing I would ever
worry about.