What your tea is doing right now- Spring

by Jason Walker on March 12, 2010

Do you know where your tea is right now?

Several spring teas are in the pluckers’ hands as you read this. Others are sitting in withering troughs, or being contorted into their familiar shapes by the hands of master tea makers.

For example, some Long Jing harvests are already under way. Mao feng, bi luo chun, will begin soon, if they haven’t already, along with several Japanese greens. Darjeeling first flush harvest began around the end of February.

Because it’s not just some farmer’s tea. It’s your tea- or at least it’s on its way toward becoming yours. Some tea purveyors bring you into the journey of the leaf. Life in Teacup & Harney have accepted the charge to tell the story of how our teas go from ground to cup. There’s a certain added joy of knowing the people and care that go into each tea we enjoy.

So why not ask your tea vendor about your Spring teas:

Is most of the crop pre-harvest?
Is most of the crop harvested or being processed? (Note, a really savvy vendor may even be able to describe some of the significant processing stages the crop is going through)
Is most of the crop in post-process? (E.g. Packaged and in transport)
In what ways have weather or other conditions affected this season’s crop?

Enjoy the story in your cup.