> wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Sep 16, 3:32 am, Tea Sunrise > wrote:
>> Since a lot of the tea we drink comes from China and Indonesia, are
>> you ever worried that the tea leaves were sprayed with pesticides such
>> as DDT or other harmful chemicals? I'd hate to think that I could
>> be drinking a cup full of toxins or pesticides along with my EGCG.
>>
>> Is the correct move to switch to organic teas? Does anyone really
>> know if tea bushes are completely safe for consumption?
>>
>> Any input is highly appreciated. thanks.
>
> I completely agree with you. I recently read a newspaper article
> about a woman who became ill due to drinking green tea which was
> contaminated with DDT (she drink the same tea for a couple of years -
> a cheap Chinese green tea). While I agree that "going organic" is no
> guarantee of avoiding toxins, I do think that going organic can help
> to reduce the chance of your tea being contaminated. I recently asked
> Upton Tea about how they ensure that their teas are organic - they
> told me that they do test most of the organic teas from time to time
> to make sure everything is ok. I also read that in 2000 the EU
> introduced new standards for tea. The number of restricted chemicals
> jumped from 7 to 134. From what I understand, these standards actually
> require testing of the end product as opposed to merely making sure no
> pesticides are used, etc. According to this China Daily article the
> result of the new EU regulations was that in 2001 tea exports from
> China to the EU dropped by 37%. (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/
> doc/2004-04/13/content_322923.htm) (Sorry, not trying to pick on
> Chinese teas.) As a result I have tried ordering some teas from the
> EU. Specifically I ordered some teas from Jing Tea in the UK. (http://
> jingtea.com/). The only problem is expense.
>
> Another tea shop that actually tests every tea they sell is a German
> tea company (Tea Gschwender) which has a shop in Chicago that you can
> order from. I just tried something from there as well. They seem to
> be slow in stocking new Chinese greens and oolongs. (http://
> www.teagschwendner.com/)
>
> I have to admit I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the US and
> other organic certifications really mean. I do find the concept of
> actually testing the tea easier to understand!
>
> Good luck in you search for toxin-free tea. I'm doing the same.
>


This brings up something I've been meaning to ask the group...if I wanted to
take a sample of tea from my cupboard and get it analyzed for pesticides
etc., how would I go aobut doing that? I imagine a lab, but what kind, how
would I find one, and would they do such a thing for a member of the general
public?

Melinda