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, 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 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

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