Tea Knowledge & Friendship
I was merely trying to frame the OP’s & Vanebw’s concerns so they could enjoy their hobby. Sheesh... you are putting out a lot of fear here and that’s healthy for no one. I’m outta this thread after this reply.
(and, yes, I do know the irony of this sentence).That's my take on this. At the end of the day, you are giving your trust to someone--farmer, vendor, organic test, it doesn't matter. We can learn more about the farmers and the vendors to make an educated guess but that's all. Honestly, I don't have the emotional capacity to be indulge concerns about this kinda stuff, I tend to get overly concerned about everything hypochondriac-style. For me, it's just better to not worry about it. Besides, if I go down that rabbit hole, I could apply the same thinking to all the food I eat, and I don't have time for that. But that's just me.
I hear you. I'm kind of the same way with things like this. But I don't want to completely turn the other cheek and pretend nothing is happening, and then one day I'm sick from all the contaminated foods (and teas) I've ingested. But I don't want to become so rigid in my thinking, either, that I cannot enjoy anything. I'm starting to educate myself and learn more about organic certifications and pesticides used in the production of tea leaves. But at some point, I need to be able to put my trust in someone, otherwise, I am incapacitated. I'm feeling pretty good, so far, about Yunnan Sourcing's organic certifications. I emailed Scott for some additional information.swordofmytriumph wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2020 2:21 amThat's my take on this. At the end of the day, you are giving your trust to someone--farmer, vendor, organic test, it doesn't matter. We can learn more about the farmers and the vendors to make an educated guess but that's all. Honestly, I don't have the emotional capacity to be indulge concerns about this kinda stuff, I tend to get overly concerned about everything hypochondriac-style. For me, it's just better to not worry about it. Besides, if I go down that rabbit hole, I could apply the same thinking to all the food I eat, and I don't have time for that. But that's just me.
You do know organic farming can still use pesticide? It just has to be "naturally" derived and just like there's plenty in nature that's toxic to bugs there's plenty that is hardly good for our health either.Vanenbw wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2020 1:48 pmSlurp Thank you for the last several posts on the links. I will return later to visit the links. I'm very interested in this subject.
No doubt there is a lot of controversy over the subject, but I still feel pretty strongly about erring on the side of caution and choosing organics, unless I know for sure a vendor is not using pesticides. But I agree with what you said about it coming down to a matter of trust. Should I trust the farmer telling the vendor they do not use pesticides, and/or the vendor telling me the farmer does not use it? What's my alternative? Deciding not to drink tea anymore (conventional or organic) because I'm not sure who to trust? I don't know if I can trust the USDA organic label either, which is on most of the produce I buy.
I should spend some time educating myself in this area. I think it's pretty important.
Anxiety aside, that’s a good way of depriving yourself from the best tea growing areas and pay more for a lot less tasty teas, e.g. Hawaii NZ... I’ve had those New Zealand Oolongs and they are very expensive for how flat tasting they are.vuanguyen wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:22 amTo decrease my anxiety about pesticide, I mainly drink teas from the following sources:
1) Taiwanese Oolong style teas from New Zealand
https://zealong.com/
2) Green teas (pan fry) from Big Island Hawaii
https://maunakeatea.com/
3) Puer teas from Hojo
Unlike the top 2 choices listed above, there is no organic certification here though...just his claim about "natural tea" garden
https://hojotea.com/en/posts-111/
4) and sometime if I crave for organic Japanese green teas (steam), I will order from O-cha.com and Yuuki-cha.com
One of the best green tea from cold weather non tropical place is grown in Korea. I love the Organic Sejak from Arbor tea. It's cheap but clean and very tasty. Give it a try. It's one of those tea where it does not have to be expensive to be good and organic.doomslayer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 3:52 pmWow, I had no idea these places produced teas. Doesn't tea require tropical climate? Where in New Zealand do they have that?
pizzapotamus wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 5:31 pmYou do know organic farming can still use pesticide? It just has to be "naturally" derived and just like there's plenty in nature that's toxic to bugs there's plenty that is hardly good for our health either.Vanenbw wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2020 1:48 pmSlurp Thank you for the last several posts on the links. I will return later to visit the links. I'm very interested in this subject.
No doubt there is a lot of controversy over the subject, but I still feel pretty strongly about erring on the side of caution and choosing organics, unless I know for sure a vendor is not using pesticides. But I agree with what you said about it coming down to a matter of trust. Should I trust the farmer telling the vendor they do not use pesticides, and/or the vendor telling me the farmer does not use it? What's my alternative? Deciding not to drink tea anymore (conventional or organic) because I'm not sure who to trust? I don't know if I can trust the USDA organic label either, which is on most of the produce I buy.
I should spend some time educating myself in this area. I think it's pretty important.
The taste of tea is so subjective sir. I found the green tea (Lu Cha) and pure oolong teas from Zealong very good. At approximately 45 cents per gm, I do not think that it's outrageous. You can also buy small 50gm bag at $21 with free shipping on Amazon.com. If you buy at their website, it's better to buy in large quantity because of the shipping fee from New Zealand.Bok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:28 pmAnxiety aside, that’s a good way of depriving yourself from the best tea growing areas and pay more for a lot less tasty teas, e.g. Hawaii NZ... I’ve had those New Zealand Oolongs and they are very expensive for how flat tasting they are.vuanguyen wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:22 amTo decrease my anxiety about pesticide, I mainly drink teas from the following sources:
1) Taiwanese Oolong style teas from New Zealand
https://zealong.com/
2) Green teas (pan fry) from Big Island Hawaii
https://maunakeatea.com/
3) Puer teas from Hojo
Unlike the top 2 choices listed above, there is no organic certification here though...just his claim about "natural tea" garden
https://hojotea.com/en/posts-111/
4) and sometime if I crave for organic Japanese green teas (steam), I will order from O-cha.com and Yuuki-cha.com
Welcome to TeaForum. I have heard many good things about Mauna Kea Tea as well, from a student of TeaForum member @KyaraZen, and read a few articles about the organic tea garden and it’s rich volcanic soil. I’d be curious to try their teas one day.vuanguyen wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2020 3:46 amAs for the green tea in Big Island, it is indeed expensive at slightly above $1 per gm. However, I do find the tea quite exquisite and worth the price.
https://maunakeatea.com/product/organic ... rst-flush/
I'm just a newbie on this forum, you don't have to believe me
......Good teas should be shared and enjoyed by everyone.
Wow, tea from Oregon! I'll need to see it to believe it - when things normalize, we'll go on a road trip there!vuanguyen wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2020 3:19 amOne of the best green tea from cold weather non tropical place is grown in Korea. I love the Organic Sejak from Arbor tea. It's cheap but clean and very tasty. Give it a try. It's one of those tea where it does not have to be expensive to be good and organic.
https://www.arborteas.com/organic-korea ... n-tea.html
South of where you live, in the non tropical state of Oregon, you can find organic teas too. However, I have not tasted their teas so I cannot comment on their quality.
https://mintoislandtea.com/
That being said, while I don't have tea-related anecdotes, my wife's parents have a small farm in the mountains. Next to them there is some organic food producer that is a known local joke because they advertise their produce as organic, while locals have a good wide view at how organic it exactly is.
