Greetings! 

 

 

Welcome to this issue of our newsletter.

 

                      Lake Forest, Illinois                                        Beverly Hills, California

 

  

CURRENT GLOBAL TEA TOPICS -

A LITTLE BIT OF TEA HISTORY

  

  

  

 

HMS Cutty Sark

     

  

According to Bloomberg News, current worldwide tea consumption is about U.S.$50 billion yearly.  Other sources indicate that coffee consumption worldwide is about U.S.$25 billion.  Next to water, tea, of all types, is the second most consumed beverage in the world. 

 

Other statistical data indicates that the United States consumes, per capita, more coffee than most other parts of the world.  As to teas of all types, the United States obviously is not at the level of the U.K. in which six out of every ten persons consumes several cups of tea daily. By clicking on the links indicated, the annual tea and coffee consumption by country are shown for the past few years.  Tea consumption and Coffee consumption. The data reflects the socio-economic realities of the developed and developing worlds, e.g., no reference to China as having any per capita coffee consumption, but 33^rd in tea consumption, while the U.A.E, Morocco and Ireland are the top three tea consumers in the world.   Starbucks, opening its first jointly-sponsored coffee shop in Mumbai with Tata, will be entering a country where the annual per capita tea consumption is 53^rd (0.52kg or 18 oz.) and coffee consumption is 134^th (0.1kg or 3.5 oz.) in the world.  Its focus is obviously on the newly emerging high net worth market in India.

  

Since the early days of the19^th century, the Tea Clippers, ships designed to bring teas from India and China to England in half the time of ordinary sailing ships, reduced the transit time to about six months from one year, the name "Lipton" has stood for the famous black teas popular in the U.K. HMS Cutty Sark was the last Tea Clipper used in the British/China tea trade and further details are available at HMS Cutty Sark. The teas were originally from British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and then became a blend of Indian and Chinese fermented teas, the traditional "cuppa," a bracing and hearty, dark, astringent tea served with milk and sugar.  Today, "Lipton" is the second largest brand after "Coca-Cola."

 

Historical Lipton Tea Poster

 

 

 

Although Japan is renowned for the finest green teas in which the freshly picked tea leaves are first, briefly steamed to limit oxidation of the leaves, followed by the leaves being rolled, shaped and dried in a kiln, tea growers in Japan are now producing, in small quantities, variations of fermented teas commonly found in China (mostly Oolong teas) and India (including Assam and Darjeeling teas), also referred to as black teas.  These black teas are less astringent and lighter in color than traditional British black teas.

 

Utilizing the same traditional variety of the camellia sinensis plant (the basic botanical genus used for all teas worldwide), Japan utilizes its yabukita varietal which is traditionally used to produce most of the green teas of Japan and, instead of steaming, the tea leaves are permitted to ferment until they achieve slightly darker hues and pungent aromas characteristic of black teas.  Toraya Yokan, made by the eponymous maker of traditional Japanese confections for the past 500 years, also produces a Koucha Yokan or black tea yokan which is a true blending of the best of east and west. 

 

The Green Teaist believes that, over the next several years, the green teas of Japan, for a myriad of reasons, including, most importantly, their unique and elegant taste and bouquet, will become more popular in the United States and other countries.  As the globe become more culturally intertwined, different varietals of teas will appeal to tea consumers around the globe who will want to experiment with different teas than those they have been consuming for hundreds of years.  The phenomenon of black teas now being produced in Japan, albeit in small quantities, is evidence of this interesting trend. 

 

 

 

  

  

  

PREVIEW OF 2012 TGT GIFT PACKAGES FOR THE HOLIDAYS 

 

 





For a delectable "tea time," when traveling in Japan, France or America, please visit the  "Toraya Shop Locations". They include a large number of Toraya salons and tea rooms in Tokyo, Kyoto and Shizuoka as well as Toraya's salon in Paris, opened in 1980. All of these locations are situated in the most fashionable districts and reflect the very best of Japanese architecture and elegant service, not to mention, the finest wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) and the elegant green teas of Japan.  The Green Teaist is privileged to be part of the "Toraya Shop Locations," serving Toraya Yokans and the finest green teas of Kyoto, Shizuoka, Fukuoka and Kagoshima at its salons in Lake Forest, Illinois and Beverly Hills, California.  For details, please go to Toraya Shop Locations.