Tea lovers alert! After an enlightening read on tea kinds, benefits of teas, and blends of teas, Radhika Batra Shah who is the Founder of ‘Radhikas Fine Teas & Whatnots’ takes us on the fourth edition on this on-going series with a special look at the new food buzzword ‘Organic’. Is your cup of tea produced organically? How are you to know? Radhika guides you on what and how of Organic Tea.
It’s a lovely world of fine teas as we go from one story to another, you would have realized, these stories help love the leaf and respect its various facets that heal. The “types” told us how the leaf isn’t just green; but is White, Oolong and Black too. The “benefits” told us how each leaf comes with a purpose. The “blends” told us how magical the leaf is when blended with varied fruits, flowers, herbs and spices. The most paramount aspect is the quality of the leaf and that brings us to the most used word in food nowadays: “Organic”.
What is organic? Is it natural or is it some method of farming? So many questions come to our mind. Well, organic means from the soil to the manure to the processing of the leaf is all a biodynamic method i.e. no pesticides / no chemicals / no fungicides / no herbicides, but only a pure integration of the environment without any intrusion, giving you a healthy cup of tea. It’s a rather mindful method of cultivation that not only takes care of the end consumer but also the farmer.
Organic certification bodies like the IMO and Indian Organic certify the gardens and the manufactures every year via an audit and along with it even a mandatory audit of the trader or retailer of organic teas. All this ensures that the entire process from the tea garden to the consumer is pure, foolproof and complaint to the norms.
The best way to spot an organic tea is to look for the logos on the pack of the IMO, Indian Organic, Demeter, Fair Trade to name a few.
It isn’t just a claim or a loosely used word but one of Immense Value.
To eat and drink organic means you value your health. The harmful pesticides that conventional tea has, is linked to a lot of health issues. Organic means to be sustainable taking care of the environment and ensuring consistent healthy food to all. Above all to be organic also means that the brand is conscious of the people who work and grow the tea and looks after their health as well. Thus bodies like Fair Trade and Demeter come to the forefront.
Organic is a way of life the sooner we realize its importance the healthier we will be. Simply test an organic tea Vs a non-organic Tea and watch the wonders of how excellent the quality and taste are of an organic leaf. You will feel freshness and purity of the earth that grew the tea and the hands that picked each leaf.
Till my next story Happy brewing and blending…
