Diets with Tea Brewed in Teabags Linked to High PFAS Levels | Microbes are at the Root of Quality Tea | Retail Tea Prices Still High as Inflation Eases

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Researchers Link Diets that Include Tea Brewed in Teabags to High PFAS Levels | Flavor Enhancing Microbes are at the Root of Quality Tea | Retail Tea Prices Remain High as Inflation Eases

| GUEST – Senior Tea Master Lilian Xia, President of the Canada Tea Institute

| FEATURED – A hundred and fifty years ago, tea exporters in China faced a dramatic shift in demand due to conflict on the high seas and fierce commercial competition. The emergence of India as Europe’s black tea supplier disrupted almost three centuries of Chinese dominance in the world’s most lucrative black tea market. China needed something new, a cream and sugar-friendly alternative to smoky old-fashioned Lapsang Souchong. That tea was Keemun, a modern marvel rivaling Darjeeling at breakfast, and the fragrant black teas of Uva used in Ceylon breakfast blends. Invented in 1875, the aromatic red tea quickly rose to prominence, explains Lilian Xia, one of Shanghai’s first batch of senior tea masters and president of the Canada Tea Institute. She joins Tea Biz to recount the legacy of a Chinese market-savvy entrepreneur, Yu Ganchen, the pioneer of Qimen Black Tea, who developed the processing method for Keemun and expanded its sales overseas.

Hong Cha Revival – Lilian Xia and her staff in Canada offer a seven-level curriculum for adults and teens. The organization, she says, “is committed to popularizing tea knowledge, using tea as a link to strengthen cultural exchange among all ethnic groups, all classes, and all ages.” The society hosts educational tea parties, tea-themed activities, and tastings, including a public introduction to Runsi Qihong (Keemun) sponsored by the Anhui Guorun Tea Co. Lilian and I met at the Toronto Tea Festival in January. Here, she tells the of hongcha (red tea), which is experiencing a revival in China as millions line up daily for their milk tea. Keemun has a special place in the story of black tea as it is the first modern market-driven tea. Tea fragrance has always appealed to tea drinkers. Jasmin is one of the oldest and remains the most famous scented tea globally, but the European royalty and upper-class preference for milk and sugar, crumpets, and dainties limited sales of green tea, creating an opening Keemun quickly filled. 

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