2024 – Page 2 – Discovering Tea

Trees that speak to us

26 April 2024

At a time when we don’t have a clear view of what’s going on in Darjeeling, where the plantations have been suffering for many years from a crisis that we would like to see end, I am travelling through other tea-growing areas of northern India. “Nature is a temple where living pillars let sometimes emerge confused words,” wrote Charles Baudelaire. And here, in the Kangra Valley, who wouldn’t feel its presence? Look how these trees watch us with a familiar gaze! I don’t know if you can hear them. They speak to me.

A photo reveals

12 April 2024

Sometimes a photo poses a question. When the shutter is released, the photographer – on the other side of the lens, camera in hand – may not be aware of anything. They are absorbed in their subject, waiting for the right light, adjusting the framing, shutter speed and depth of field. It’s only when they see the photo on a computer screen that things are revealed. Here, for example, I can see the absence of trees. I didn’t notice at the time. How is that possible? And how is it possible to deforest in this way, to farm so intensively on such low hills?

But what I’m really struck by here is the mystery of photography, which sometimes works in two stages. First, it’s a response to appealing shapes and colours. Then there’s something deeper, which reveals itself afterwards.

Wild and tamed nature

29 March 2024

This photo is a beautiful sight, in my humble opinion. Tea bushes grow amid dense vegetation. A rugged, sloping landscape, numerous trees of different species… There’s a harmony between the cultivated plants and wild nature. It’s easy to imagine the wealth of flora and fauna to be found in such a diverse environment. For the amateur photographer in me, there’s pretty much only one colour – at first glance. On closer inspection, what a multitude, what variety! What better way to celebrate spring than with this abundance of greens?

The cuttings nursery

15 March 2024

To make good tea, you need to know your tea bushes well. It’s a lot easier if you’ve tended them yourself from a young age. Many plantations – like this one in Satemwa, Malawi – take their own cuttings and then grow them in a nursery for eighteen months. Shaded to protect them from too much sun and too little humidity, the cuttings develop their root systems. Later, the young tea plants are planted out in the ground and begin their adult lives. Then it’s time to harvest the shoots, which are few and far between in the early seasons, but become more abundant as the bushes develop and branch out.

The Lion Dance in Hong Kong

1 March 2024

In Hong Kong, the Lion Dance is performed at New Year, when the animal is paraded through the streets and shopping centers of the island. It plucks the “greens” (represented by fruit or vegetables) hung out for it in the doorway of each shop, then “spits them out” one by one while keeping hold of the associated envelope. The latter contains money for the dancers who animate the lion’s body. The shopkeepers don’t hand over their money in vain: the custom is believed to bring good luck. No doubt their business will flourish after this auspicious gesture.

A tea researcher named Léo!

16 February 2024

“Ever since I was young, tea has been a part of my life, although I didn’t attach any particular importance to it. Everything changed on my 14th birthday, when a cup of Oolong, a Tie Guan Yin from Anxi, captivated my senses with its freshness and lily scent. It sparked a passion that only grew from there.

As the adult world began to take shape before me, I wondered about my future. I was irresistibly drawn to tea, and at the same time my desire to explore the world led me to dream of distant horizons. Why not combine the two? After looking into it, I came across a blog written by François-Xavier Delmas, who had the unusual job of tea researcher.

I decided to contact him for advice. I should say that throughout my high school years, I spent my pocket money on fine teas at the Palais des Thés shop in Rennes. I tasted everything I could; every moment was an opportunity to explore the world of tea. I wanted to make a living from my passion.

After my exams, I started business school, but six months into the course I did an internship in the Brittany shop, which confirmed my desire to work with tea. I was impatient to get started so, encouraged by those around me, I quit my studies and went abroad to deepen my knowledge and gain practical experience.

Before I left, I told François-Xavier about my plans. When he saw that I was still as determined as ever to do this job after all those years, he decided to help me, and suggested various factories where I could work and learn.

I spent a year immersed in plantation life in a dozen countries, learning hands-on alongside the growers.

On my return, François-Xavier offered me the opportunity to turn my passion into a career. So I became a tea researcher, driven by my enthusiasm and determination, and the invaluable support of those who believed in me.”

Tea researching is a profession

9 February 2024

I’m not the only tea researcher in the world today. Léo also travels in search of rare teas. We’ve been working together for over five years. We taste all the samples that come in, we nurture close relationships with the farmers and try to promote them and help them when they need it. We train as many colleagues as possible to help them build up their knowledge of tea. That involves yet more sampling, and telling the stories of all our travels and what we’ve tasted along the way. There are only two tea researchers in France for now, but there’s no doubt that it’s a profession with a future, given the current enthusiasm in France for quality tea.

How does one become a tea researcher? The answer is coming soon…

A better life

2 February 2024

All over the world, men and women work the land. When you’re right there with them, you realise just how hard their work is. Spending time with them makes you aware of how they live. It reconnects you with what’s important. Above all, it makes you want to talk about them, to highlight what they do, what they harvest, what they know. In short, to support them. Here, for example, we’re working with people to help them produce teas that are more flavourful and interesting. These teas will earn them more money. This will help them to live better lives, to raise their children more easily and to benefit from better healthcare. They will be able to look ahead with more confidence and thus protect the future of this good way of working the land.

Shade and green manure

26 January 2024

Tea bushes need light, of course, but they don’t like to be in direct sunlight all day long. They prefer some shade from time to time, especially at lower altitudes where temperatures can climb quickly. So growers plant a light canopy to keep their tea bushes happy and give them some respite. This cover is usually made up of plants from the legume family, whose leaves enrich the soil with nitrogen as they decompose. It’s a kind of green manure, and the tea bushes really appreciate it.

Preparing for tea

19 January 2024

Brewing tea isn’t the same as preparing for tea. While I brew my tea, I prepare myself for it. I slow down and take time to breathe. I let go of any worries and feel lighter. I focus my attention on a favourite object, a positive emotion or a beautiful view, like this one. A view of a garden. While my tea brews, and as I sip it, standing upright yet relaxed, it soothes me.