A Tea Reader (17 page)

Tea Journey

BY
A
HMED
R
AHIM

I have been an artist for the past twenty plus years, and I assure you that running a business in the United States is not a Bohemian adventure. Business works more from the conscious mind, with lots of financial capital need, intricacies with human resources, and the legalities of operating a company. The creation of art for me is living more in the unconscious and tapping into the spiritual powers of one's emotions, thoughts, and the intangible world of dreams and fantasies to create what “feels right.” I spent fifteen years living in various cities across Europe and the United States developing skill in photography, film making, painting, and playing musical instruments, while also getting my hands busy with many types of building projects: from mosaic making and stone work, to building houses and planting gardens. Now that I am focused on creating a business, I remind myself every day that I can use what I have learned. We too can create something different—an experience and lifestyle that can have an effect similar to an art piece. The dream in this adventure is born every moment and lives strong in our company—Numi—because of our core values of creativity, sustainability, and a commitment to saving the planet and the people that make our products exist. It gives us a profound purpose that business can have meaning when you do it with more intention than just selling a product. We want to celebrate the mystery of art and innovation as well as the feeling that you are making a difference with the decisions made each day, from our supply chain to the types of products we market. This is the beauty and inspiration that keeps me going every day, fueling me to continue to open boundaries and either create new experiences that have never existed before or revisit ones that have lived in deep tradition. Through Numi we try to have these traditions be shared and cared for by the greater public.

It is hard to find words to describe being part of a vision that incorporates creativity, strong values for nature and people, and love, and has been turned into a product enjoyed by thousands of people across the world. It is incredible to watch teas and herbs travel across the globe, starting in small and remote villages that are so far removed from what most of us take for granted in our lives. These villagers who have very little in their lives are dedicated to cultivating and producing the best quality organic teas and herbs possible. The journey the tea takes to leave these villages and get across the world feels like a miracle. Each time it happens, it is like we have been blessed by the powers of nature and by the people who love what they do every day. Our commitment to organic and Fair Trade products provides us another and even greater reward, the chance to act as stewards to Mother Earth and the farmers and villagers. Being a part of this global “communitea” is a rare feeling, one that I believe we are in need of more and more, as the world gets smaller through ease of travel, access to communication, and the use of Internet technology.

Traveling across the world to remote villages in China, India, Africa, South America and other countries to source our organic herbs and teas always reminds me to become even more intimate and further solidifies my commitment to the core values of organic farming and Fair Trade. When I witness the way people live in these developing countries, I feel that I must take ownership and responsibility to care for them, especially as we strive to grow our partnerships and find more ways to create stronger Fair Trade programs. I learn so much during my travels about the local farming, the villages, their needs to live simple lives, and how we can bring the ceremonial attributes of these teas and herbs to the United States.

One particular experience I recall took place in the Yunnan Mountains of China. I met a man who, at the age of 31, was called a hero! The Chinese Government had leased him hundreds of acres of land in the high mountains to grow tea, but there was no road access to these mountainous regions. He recruited a very poor community from Northern China where he grew up to pave the road. In doing so, they were all given housing and paid well beyond a fair wage. With his help they experienced many things in their lives that they may have never seen if they lived their entire lives in their poor village.

I really wish everyone could see and experience the journey these herbs and teas take to get from one place to another and meet the farmers responsible. It is an experience and education that is life long, and reminds me that I can make a difference each and every day by making decisions that help our “communitea.” The people we can touch and help every day—if we really care—is so inspiring and gives me a purpose to forge ahead with the business at Numi.

These intentions have a ripple effect, and I personally hope that Numi's business model has an impact on our customers, our farmers, the earth and other businesses. I hope that we can all learn and experience a life full of abundance and commit to the care of nature around us. It is what feeds us and keeps us strong every day. Sometimes, we miss the obvious and look through the forest without ever seeing the trees. If we stop more often to smell the roses and watch the beauty right in front of us, we have more love and create so many magical wonders that make all our moments matter so much more.

Tea: Its Stirring Story

BY
W
ILLIAM
G
ORDON
S
TABLES

Excerpted from
Tea: The Drink of Pleasure and Health
,
1883.
¹

A cup of tea at early morn.
Do you indulge in such a luxury, reader? I do. And my servant knows how to make it; knows the exact amount of the herb to put into the tiny teapot (the herb itself is India's most fragrant and best), the exact amount of sugar, and the exact proportion of sweetest cream. I give the signal for infusion ere I get into my cold bath, and by the time I have done and enrobed myself in loosely flowing toga, the salver stands on the mat. Just the tiniest milk biscuit is all that is needed as fitting accompaniment, and no better beginning could possibly be made to a day. After this slight but efficient refection, I shave; but while I shave I think, and arrange the work and business of the day that is before me; for my intellect feels as sharp as my razor after that morning cup of tea. I often sing while dressing, and if there be anyone in the room I (Scot though I am!) even fire off jokes and perpetrate puns. These jokes come spontaneously. Fact! I haven't got to go feeling around for them, so to speak. If my wit didn't dry up with the heat of the day, if it only could be kept wet till dinner time, I feel sure I should pass for a fellow of infinite jest and humor. However, I am convinced of one thing, that is, there is a deal of virtue in a cup of tea at early morn....

...The following is a true and succinct account of a little adventure that befell me in 1862. I was then a student in the university of Aberdeen, and one day while walking along on the sunny side of Union Street, I came upon a man standing beside a sack evidently well filled with something. He wasn't a prepossessing man by any means, nor was he very well dressed. He was perspiring freely, holding a dirty Glengarry in one hand, while with the other he wiped a bald
at frontalis
²
with an objectionable looking cotton handkerchief. The man, as I have said, was perspiring, and what is more, the sack seemed perspiring too; both man and sack were damp.

“I'm saying, sir,” said this fellow to me.

“Well,” I replied, “what are you saying?”

“Would you mind givin' me a lift on to ma shouther wi' this bit baggie?”

Now I am naturally one of the most obliging men in the world, so I did not hesitate a moment to do what the man requested.

“It
is
heavy!” said I, hoisting up the sack. “And how very wet it is! Whatever does it contain, my good fellow?”

“Seaweed,” was the curt reply.

“Now listen,” I answered sharply, “it doesn't smell like seaweed, and it isn't seaweed; so as you have told me a lie, and if you don't divulge, I'll pull you down by the run, sack and all.”

“What do you want to now for?” said he.

“Only curiosity perhaps,” I replied; “but this may be some poor wretch you've drowned, and you may be carrying his cold slimy body to the dissecting room. You remember the lines:

‘Burke and Hare

Cam' doon the stair,

With a body in a box,

A ghastly corpse, for Dr. Knox.'

This, my dear friend, may be a body in a bag.”

“There's precious little body in it,” said the fellow with a good laugh; “it's tea leaves, and deil haet else.”

“Tea leaves?”

“Tea leaves, nothing else; I've been round hotels and inns and places collecting them.”

“But what,” I continued, really moved by curiosity this time, “what the mystery do you collect tea leaves for? Look here” (seeing that the fellow hesitated to answer), “are you thirsty?”

“Man!” he replied, “I could drink a glass o' whiskey at any hoor o' the day or nicht.”

After such a candid confession of course we adjourned. The sack was placed at the door of an inn in Adelphi Lane, and I treated him to two consecutive “glaisses,” which he swallowed after the manner of men eating oysters (or Scotchmen drinking whiskey).

“Weel, sir,” he said, “I'll tell you the truth. I buy tea leaves and sell them over again to wivies to spread over their carpets, when sweepin' them, to keep doon the dust. That's the truth.”

“It isn't the truth, my man; Aberdeen wivies, of all wivies in the world, are not so averse to dust as all that.”

“Weel, sir, I'll tell you the
real
truth this time, I sell the tea leaves to laddies to feed their rabbits wi'. That's the
real
truth this time.”

I referred the man to my eye after that, and requested to know if he saw anything the color of cabbage in it. Then I threatened to kick over the bag and call the constable; and finally I called for another “glaiss of whiskey.”

Glug! One gulp, down went the liquor, and then having had “the truth,” and “the real truth,” he told me what he termed “the honest truth,” which I was bound to believe. This
honest
fellow it seems bought the tea leaves from
honest
landladies of inns and hotels, and sold them to an
honest
“firm” who dried and doctored them, mixed them with a modicum of full flavored tea, and sold them to
honest
shopkeepers to retail to the public as pure tea.

So much honesty is somewhat confusing; but far be it from me to impute
dis
honesty to anyone, and least of all to an Aberdeen.

When this honest bagman had glugged down the fifth “glaiss” his eyes watered, as well they might, and he winked and smiled with unutterable satisfaction.

“Man!” he said, “the fun o' the thing is this: the wivies, I mean the innkeeper wivies that I buy these tea leaves from, have a good guess what I do wi' them. They ken the leaves will be made ower again, as Morrison made his mither; but they little ken what I ken, for as sure as I hold this empty glass between me and the licht, they often
buy their ain tea leaves back again
,
and no' a bit the wiser.”

After reading the above no Englishman need be told that the Scotch are far more fond of tea than they are of—of anything else to drink. They are really, I'm not joking.

1
[Certain British spellings have been amended. Ed.]

2
“
At frontalis
” refers to the forehead.

Growing Tea in Paradise

BY
R
OB
N
UNALLY

I'm not sure what prompted the idea of growing tea in Hawaii. Before the change in century (remember Y2K?), my partner and I had started looking for a place to live in Hawaii. Initially we thought we were looking for a daylily farm. Mike had done some daylily hybridization in Hawaii in the early 1990s, which led to the development of an online auction site. Our search focused on Hawaii Island, north of Hilo near Onomea Bay, a beautiful area bordering a scenic drive and botanical gardens. We really didn't want vacant land which would require home construction; however, once we saw what was being offered we couldn't resist. This area was formerly sugar cane land and zoned for agriculture. It has soil, which is of limited quantity where active lava flows down the slopes of steaming volcanic vents. However, the land along this part of the island has lots of rich, red and quickly draining soil that can handle upwards of 180 inches of rainfall a year. It's an incredible location with temperatures that are rarely under 60 or over 85 degrees and it has scenic views of a rocky coast with textured green hills and gulches. It lies at the foot of a 14,000 foot mountain called Mauna Kea. Referring to this area as paradise is not often argued. It is one of the most beautiful spots I had ever seen. In consideration of all these factors, a decision to buy this incredible land was made.

Buying agricultural land meant we instantly became farmers looking for a crop. I recall musing about different plants when tea came to mind. I've always been a tea drinker, starting each day with a cup of Earl Grey and a glass or two of iced tea during warm tropical afternoons. My partner was a tea drinker too. But growing tea? With a bit of research we discovered that tea is made from the
Camellia
plant and that tea plants
grow well in subtropical environments. Investigating more we found that our local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) office was encouraging people to try to grow tea.

Hawaii has been looking for a replacement crop for sugar cane since cane production left the island in the 1970s. Many things have been considered: tea, cocoa, vanilla, coffee, tropical fruits, bio fuels, and a host of other crops. I was most interested in tea, so we obtained about twenty tea seeds from the USDA and germinated them. They all sprouted in about 90 days. We transplanted them to the ground and they grew quite well.

We have since added 2,000 more plants. I'm starting to feel like a farmer, paying close attention to weather, always appreciating the rain and becoming concerned when we face more than a few days of cloudless skies. The tea rewards us with rich lovely green leaves. Since our island is subtropical, our tea plants always think it is spring. We get harvests all year round.

We are really excited about the prospects for tea in Hawaii. Despite being a well-established commodity in other parts of the world, we think it's time the United States had more tea farms. Most tea is imported into this country under less than desirable import regulations. We're thrilled with the idea of being one of a handful of tea growers in the U.S. We decided to grow organically and offer clean, pesticide-free tea.

Today we have enough tea in the ground to begin research on our plants. Plants grown from seeds have the genes of the mother and father plants. They can be slightly different from each other. We're looking for plants that offer the best in flavor and growing habit. Our long term project is to taste different plants and propagate plants that produce a taste we desire. Then we'll propagate that plant to expand the farm with a few more acres of tea that offers unique Hawaii grown tea characteristics.

Propagating tea is not as easy as we'd like and we continue to experiment with taking and rooting the cuttings to obtain a genetic duplicate or clone of particular plants. Growing by seed is much easier, but then we have genetic differences in each plant with little control in growing and flavor characteristics. While this can be interesting, and we do want to keep some variety in our crop, we'd also like to establish some unique plants which are cloned so that we have plants that taste and grow in a very consistent manner.

Processing tea is fun and challenging. We've met many people traveling the island that enjoyed drinking tea, but didn't know much about how tea is processed. One of the most frequent questions I am asked is, “What kind of tea do you grow?” The reply is that there really is only one tea plant and it is
Camellia sinensis
.
We grow
Camellia sinensis
and it is the processing of the leaves of this plant that make white, green,
oolong
,
or black tea.

White tea is the least processed, made by simply picking the newest leaf and drying it. Green tea is tea leaf that is usually heated, rolled and dried before it oxidizes, keeping the leaf green.
Oolong
tea production allows some oxidation of the leaf; the leaf is allowed to start to turn brown. This contributes to distinctive floral and complex flavors. When creating our
oolongs
, we chase that floral quality of the leaf, typically producing a nice sweet fragrance and a smooth taste with good mouth feel. Black tea is fully oxidized tea. After picking, the leaf is rolled and allowed to fully turn brown/black before it's dried. Our black tea has a wonderful malty tone without a bite, even when brewed for extended periods of time. We have processes in place that allow us to make green,
oolong
and black teas with reliability. We've also played a bit with white tea and flavored tea.

One of our biggest challenges is facing the economics of farming. Farming tea is a lot of work. There are so many variables that make it difficult and it hasn't proven to be a profitable venture on a small scale. At the same time, I feel addicted to it. I love looking out over the tea field, with the plants all being pruned to a pluckable height. The new flush creates a yellow-green layer over dark green older leaves. The smell of tea leaf is glorious, a sweet floral fragrance, like honeysuckle or our a locally grown vine called
maile
.
The growing of tea has spawned a new reason to visit Hawaii and this could help with the profitability of growing tea. We have started offering tours of our place so people can learn about and taste some of our teas.

We think it is important to honor the whole ceremonial side of drinking tea: brewing in artful ways and drinking from ceramic vessels. Tea is an art and can be elegant or simple and spiritual. Drinking tea is a reflective time to share and be with friends. The act of sharing tea is one of awareness and consciousness. It is to be enjoyed and used to stimulate discussion and exploration of the wonders of occupying this place in time.