Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/105573
A S R A M N AT H TEA TRAVELING 101 continued from page 45 WHEN TO GO It's typically a smart idea to hold off on extensive traveling until you have a stable business and a customer base that's big enough to allow you to order in large quantities. "Before you buy direct, you have to look in the mirror and see who you are," says Fong. "When you go to a grower and say you want to buy one case, they look at you like they want to throw you out the window. They want to know how many containers you'll buy." (A container typically holds six to 10 tons of loose-leaf tea.) However, he says that when buying high-priced teas, acceptable quantities are lower. Lorien opted to head overseas once his tea knowledge, experience and passion plateaued. "I think every small businessperson hits a ceiling after four or five years and wonders: 'Can I continue to do this?'" he says. "Sourcing by its very nature takes us to the ineffable. … Going to origin was critical for me because it allowed me to reconnect with the passion side of it, the feeling side of it, the subtler sides of what it's all about for me." Fong also notes that determining which time of year you visit is important. "You have to know what is coming from where at what time," he says. "There's no sense in going to buy jasmine in January—it's produced in summer. You don't buy Dragonwell in February—it happens in April." And, he says, you have to be especially prepared if you're going during harvest because producers are busy and will have scant time to demonstrate 46 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com processing to visitors. "Going right after harvest is also good because you can see a lot of finished products," he adds. DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, DIFFERENT RULES How do you decide which region to visit among the scores worldwide? Here's a country-by-country look at what different nations offer: India. With its wealth of different areas and offerings, the populous nation is a popular choice for those traveling to origin for the first time. Beckwith goes to India once a year, and he says it's easier to get around there than in many other origins because English is prevalent. Also, as a vegetarian, he has an easier time finding suitable foods in India. However, he warns that traveling there can be taxing: "India wears down on people." Beckwith usually travels to Darjeeling because his customers clamor for leaf from the distinguished region and because most of the Darjeelings from brokers are "not that great." He adds that for businesses that prefer Assam teas, it's better to go through a broker: "Assam is hard to go to and it's not safe." He adds that it may be worthwhile to visit Kolkata just to better understand the tea auctions that take place there. Japan. The island country is the most expensive of the