Looking at the year ahead, while there’s much to report and discuss, I will limit my comments here to teas from China.
For China’s tea factories and exporters, labor costs have continued to rise and, through 2021, high shipping rates and the currency exchange rate have added to the challenges. In my company’s experience over the past year, tea prices themselves have been relatively steady; it was the record-setting shipping costs that tested importers. Not enough empty containers are returning to Asia at this time, so various surcharges at port terminals here are likely to be reinstated for some months, while exporters seem resigned to tight bookings at higher rates.
Teas from tiny plots in Wuyi continue to make headlines with their ever-climbing prices. Completely aspirational for all but a very privileged few, such news does serve to keep fine teas in people's minds. At the other end of the price spectrum, we find a surprising driving force from bubble teas. Long a favorite beverage among the young, we have seen the varieties grow, with more fruit flavors, more flower-scented teas, and more ingredients and new combinations, with a cheese topping perhaps making the most striking appearance. This popular trend is not new, but the demand for bolder tastes inspires other directions for experimentation. We see a gradual and fresh interest in “straight” teas for in-home consumption, development of cold-brews and, for oolongs, a shift towards higher roasting.
For some years, lightly oxidized oolongs have been a favorite among a young audience in China. With their friendly floral notes, the appeal of this style is easy to understand. Recently, we are seeing more of the long, dark, robust leaves that reflect the literal meaning of oolong. These highly fired teas impart the deeper flavor that bubble teas call for. In 2022, we may expect to see more highly oxidized oolongs, including perennial traditional favorites such as Tie Guan Yin, crafted so that they veer towards the character of some Wuyi teas.
The penchant for bolder flavors has given even raw loose leaf Puerh a boost, while compressed, cooked and uncooked pu-erh will continue to grow domestically and in exports, ranging from 10-gram medallions to 100-gram cakes.
Demand for white teas is likely to remain high, due to keen interest in aged white teas in the domestic sector. Once mostly destined for an export market, white teas share this history with black teas.
For many years, China’s black teas meant OP standards (orange pekoe) – broken tea leaf for iced tea or teabags, Keemuns and Yunnans, largely slated for export markets. With the recent surge of interest in black teas among Chinese consumers, the varieties being revived and refined are benefiting importers and their customers as well. Easier to store than green teas, higher quality plucking material and attentive processing has put black teas on a competitive field with big-name green teas. Suppliers report as an ongoing challenge the work needed to improve the character of black teas in flavor and leaf appearance.
On the consumer end, product knowledge and value-driven teas will remain high priorities. In this respect, pu-erh devotees belong to a special class, having always delved deeply into their beloved category. For most tea drinkers, however, the path begins with that first spark of delight and discovery in learning that so many varieties come from the same plant. This realization may then lead to some basic research about methods in the manufacture of various categories. We now see this learning path graduating to queries from consumers about how teas reach them in a safe manner and how third-party certifications fit in.
For the classic teas we see from China, there is but one ingredient, and for flower-only scented teas (such as jasmine, Osmanthus), there are two. This may seem to make our work simpler, but traceability from garden to shop must still cover all the steps on that journey. Having some understanding of the “how” of specialty teas increases the pleasure derived from well-crafted leaves. Recently and for the foreseeable future, the “how” of those leaves arriving safely and how their future prospects may be assured will take on added weight and import. The umbrella of safeguards for exporters and importers alike will rightly be an imperative, expressing an added layer of engagement with the product.
RELATED: Don’t miss “China Teas, an In-Depth Tasting Journey” at the World Tea Conference + Expo, March 21-23, 2022. Register at WorldTeaExpo.com. The session will be presented by Danielle Hochstetter, the first American to get a master’s degree in tea science from a Chinese university, and sponsored by Verileaf. Hochstetter – who loves to talk about all things tea – has spent a significant amount of time in cupping rooms around the world, and she previously worked for Peet's Coffee in California, International Tea Importers and Teforia. In 2014, after six years in China, she graduated from the master’s program at Zhejiang University. Now based in North Carolina, she offers teas and tasting through her website, grandcrutea.com, and she volunteers at Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to download the new World Tea white paper, “2022 Tea Industry Trends, Issues & Innovation.” The white paper features the article you’re reading now, as well as others like it. To download the free paper, CLICK HERE.
As a direct importer of specialty teas from tea producing countries, Lydia Kung is a strong believer in promoting tea education. Her company, Verileaf, prepares tasting and product notes for its customers, touching upon critical issues such as how to assess quality through an appreciation of processing, how to establish benchmark and good value teas, elevating lexicon while conveying aromas and flavors, and understanding traceability. Kung evaluates many tea samples on a daily basis, and she’s served as a judge in numerous tea competitions. Visit Verileaf.com.
Plan to Attend or Participate in the
World Tea Conference + Expo, March 21-23, 2022
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend the World Tea Conference + Expo, March 21-23, 2022. The event will be celebrating its 20th anniversary, in addition to being co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
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