​ Natural farming - Tea grown slowly produces safer and greater taste.

Tea, herbs, fruit, grains and vegetables that grow slowly without fertiliser, are not only safer for us to eat but also produce tastier products than those using fertilisers. In Yunnan Province, China there are several farmers growing tea "the natural way" and those villages are located high in the mountains (altitude 1800-2000m). Some other farmers are producing tea “the organic way”.  A tea produced at altitude and under natural farming produces products with great after taste like those of great wines.  The difference between "organic farming" and "natural farming" is that natural farming do NOT use any kind of fertiliser/pesticides. Tea trees grown under harsh environment without fertilisers or pesticide produces smaller, ticker, elastic and yellowish leaves containing huge number of tiny cells. These cells will not crack during rolling process, will unroll briskly to its original shape, producing great taste and no broken leaves (this important when evaluating tea quality).  The cells of poor tea is cracked during the rolling process and those leaves will takes a long time to unroll when brewing, consequently, the infusion will be tasteless.  Organic farmer do apply "organic fertilisers" and also "organic pesticides” in most cases those fertiliser and pesticides have a high content of nitrogen, altering the tea taste and producing low quality products. I do strongly support "natural farming".

Liliana Algorry. - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier   - Sydney - Australia
www.TheTeaAtelier.com.au

---