TEArsquoS CARBON

FOOTPRINT

How Earth Friendly is Your Tea

copy2009 Jennifer Leigh Sauer

Ever wonder what kind of impact tea has on the environment That depends largely on the behavior of the tea drinker according to

tea technologist and longtime tea industry consultant Nigel Melican of of Teacraft Ltd who recently did an in-depth study on the

carbon footprint of tea

Researching tearsquos carbon impact from Asian tea farm to American teapot (and landfill) Melican sought to find out whether tea is an

environmental ldquosaint or a sinnerrdquo when we measure its carbon footprint by a number of criteria He found that several variables in

the domain of the tea drinker herself have a great impact on the final result and it seems worth sharing since we are on this planet

together

ldquoIf tea is well made if we look at the supply chain properly if we make some adjustments we can actually get tea to be carbon

neutralrdquo said Melican ldquoSome tea in some countries we could get to be carbon negative Now that is quite something for a product

which goes from where its grown ten thousand miles [away] to the consumerhelliprdquo

In his research Melican discovered that tearsquos carbon footprint (measured by the number of grams of carbon dioxide per cup) can

vary greatly from over 200g CO2 per cup to -6g CO2 per cup depending on how the tea is grown processed shipped packaged

brewed and discarded

On average a loose tea which you drink at a tea lounge has about 20g CO2 per cup As a reference point the carbon footprint of a

cup of beer is 374g a can of Coca Cola is 129g and a cup of cowrsquos milk is about 225g As such loose tea is a far better choice

environmentally than any of these

But here is where the tea drinker comes in First the tea selection made by a tea consumer plays an enormous role from the start

Melican found that teabag tea has in fact ten times the carbon footprint of loose tea (all other variables being equal) Irsquoll repeat it

in reverse Loose tea has one tenth the carbon footprint of teabag tea

Selecting a loose tea over a teabag tea means you (and the environment) are unencumbered of a number of carbon-intensive

packaging materials like the nylon or paper teabag and its string the box and the plastic wrap around the box This is perhaps the

best PR for loose tea Irsquove ever found (although drinking loose tea speaks for itself)

Recycling or re-using tea (as well as its packaging) also improves its carbon footprint Loose tea often comes in minimal recyclable

or re-usable containers and this benefits the planet simply because the packaging is often re-used and not discarded in landfill

Composting tea rather than tossing it in the trash will also benefit the earth If you donrsquot have a garden offer your used tealeaves to

friends and neighbors who do (they will thank you for it and so will the earth)

As well the consumer can re-use tealeaves improving its carbon footprint Steeped tealeaves can be put to good use to fertilize

houseplants or gardens to clean onersquos home or for skincare A tea drinker can also re-use tea and tealeaves to cook to clean and to

reduce odors in the home (leave loose tea out in a bowl or cup to absorb odors in a room just like baking soda)

How a tea drinker heats the water for tea also has an impact According to Melican ldquoGas is best as there is only one conversion loss

from burning the fossil fuel to produce heat energy to raise the water temperature in the kettle With electricity you get five

separate losses 1 turning fossil fuel into steam 2 steam into electricity 3 grid losses along the wires (voltage drop) 4

transformer losses as voltage is stepped up and down and 5 in heating the water in the kettlerdquo

Melican said that when he set out to do the study to present at the 2009 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas he had no idea what he would

find ldquoI was very happy to find in actual fact tea is actually a saintrdquo said Melican

Finally Mr Melican would like to see mandatory carbon footprint labeling on all food products a law which is being considered in

England and which consumers in the US and around the world can request of their representatives In the meantime sip your loose

tea guilt-free and with abandon

-Jennifer for Samovarlifecom

Jennifer Leigh Sauer is a freelance photographer award-winning video journalist and author based in the San Francisco Bay Area

She is the author of The Way to Tea Your Adventure Guide to San Francisco Tea Culture (2007)

(httpwwwwaytoteacomindexhtml) Click here to reach her by email (mailtointowaytoteacom)

Researching tearsquos carbon impact from Asian tea farm to American teapot (and landfill) Melican sought to find out whether tea is an

environmental ldquosaint or a sinnerrdquo when we measure its carbon footprint by a number of criteria He found that several variables in

the domain of the tea drinker herself have a great impact on the final result and it seems worth sharing since we are on this planet

together

ldquoIf tea is well made if we look at the supply chain properly if we make some adjustments we can actually get tea to be carbon

neutralrdquo said Melican ldquoSome tea in some countries we could get to be carbon negative Now that is quite something for a product

which goes from where its grown ten thousand miles [away] to the consumerhelliprdquo

In his research Melican discovered that tearsquos carbon footprint (measured by the number of grams of carbon dioxide per cup) can

vary greatly from over 200g CO2 per cup to -6g CO2 per cup depending on how the tea is grown processed shipped packaged

brewed and discarded

On average a loose tea which you drink at a tea lounge has about 20g CO2 per cup As a reference point the carbon footprint of a

cup of beer is 374g a can of Coca Cola is 129g and a cup of cowrsquos milk is about 225g As such loose tea is a far better choice

environmentally than any of these

But here is where the tea drinker comes in First the tea selection made by a tea consumer plays an enormous role from the start

Melican found that teabag tea has in fact ten times the carbon footprint of loose tea (all other variables being equal) Irsquoll repeat it

in reverse Loose tea has one tenth the carbon footprint of teabag tea

Selecting a loose tea over a teabag tea means you (and the environment) are unencumbered of a number of carbon-intensive

packaging materials like the nylon or paper teabag and its string the box and the plastic wrap around the box This is perhaps the

best PR for loose tea Irsquove ever found (although drinking loose tea speaks for itself)

Recycling or re-using tea (as well as its packaging) also improves its carbon footprint Loose tea often comes in minimal recyclable

or re-usable containers and this benefits the planet simply because the packaging is often re-used and not discarded in landfill

Composting tea rather than tossing it in the trash will also benefit the earth If you donrsquot have a garden offer your used tealeaves to

friends and neighbors who do (they will thank you for it and so will the earth)

As well the consumer can re-use tealeaves improving its carbon footprint Steeped tealeaves can be put to good use to fertilize

houseplants or gardens to clean onersquos home or for skincare A tea drinker can also re-use tea and tealeaves to cook to clean and to

reduce odors in the home (leave loose tea out in a bowl or cup to absorb odors in a room just like baking soda)

How a tea drinker heats the water for tea also has an impact According to Melican ldquoGas is best as there is only one conversion loss

from burning the fossil fuel to produce heat energy to raise the water temperature in the kettle With electricity you get five

separate losses 1 turning fossil fuel into steam 2 steam into electricity 3 grid losses along the wires (voltage drop) 4

transformer losses as voltage is stepped up and down and 5 in heating the water in the kettlerdquo

Melican said that when he set out to do the study to present at the 2009 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas he had no idea what he would

find ldquoI was very happy to find in actual fact tea is actually a saintrdquo said Melican

Finally Mr Melican would like to see mandatory carbon footprint labeling on all food products a law which is being considered in

England and which consumers in the US and around the world can request of their representatives In the meantime sip your loose

tea guilt-free and with abandon

-Jennifer for Samovarlifecom

Jennifer Leigh Sauer is a freelance photographer award-winning video journalist and author based in the San Francisco Bay Area

She is the author of The Way to Tea Your Adventure Guide to San Francisco Tea Culture (2007)

(httpwwwwaytoteacomindexhtml) Click here to reach her by email (mailtointowaytoteacom)

Recycling or re-using tea (as well as its packaging) also improves its carbon footprint Loose tea often comes in minimal recyclable

or re-usable containers and this benefits the planet simply because the packaging is often re-used and not discarded in landfill

Composting tea rather than tossing it in the trash will also benefit the earth If you donrsquot have a garden offer your used tealeaves to

friends and neighbors who do (they will thank you for it and so will the earth)

As well the consumer can re-use tealeaves improving its carbon footprint Steeped tealeaves can be put to good use to fertilize

houseplants or gardens to clean onersquos home or for skincare A tea drinker can also re-use tea and tealeaves to cook to clean and to

reduce odors in the home (leave loose tea out in a bowl or cup to absorb odors in a room just like baking soda)

How a tea drinker heats the water for tea also has an impact According to Melican ldquoGas is best as there is only one conversion loss

from burning the fossil fuel to produce heat energy to raise the water temperature in the kettle With electricity you get five

separate losses 1 turning fossil fuel into steam 2 steam into electricity 3 grid losses along the wires (voltage drop) 4

transformer losses as voltage is stepped up and down and 5 in heating the water in the kettlerdquo

Melican said that when he set out to do the study to present at the 2009 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas he had no idea what he would

find ldquoI was very happy to find in actual fact tea is actually a saintrdquo said Melican

Finally Mr Melican would like to see mandatory carbon footprint labeling on all food products a law which is being considered in

England and which consumers in the US and around the world can request of their representatives In the meantime sip your loose

tea guilt-free and with abandon

-Jennifer for Samovarlifecom

Jennifer Leigh Sauer is a freelance photographer award-winning video journalist and author based in the San Francisco Bay Area

She is the author of The Way to Tea Your Adventure Guide to San Francisco Tea Culture (2007)

(httpwwwwaytoteacomindexhtml) Click here to reach her by email (mailtointowaytoteacom)

Check out these carbon-neutral loose-leaf organic and fair trade teas that are on special in celebration of Meilicanrsquos findings

Downy Sprout White Tea (httpshopsamovarteacomDowny_Sprout_Organic_Fair_Trade_White_Tea_p0101dowhtm)

(httpshopsamovarteacomDowny_Sprout_Organic_Fair_Trade_White_Tea_p0101dowhtm)Yunnan Golden Bud

(httpshopsamovarteacomYunnan_Golden_Bud_Organic_Fair_Trade_Black_Tea_p0401yunhtm) Black Tea

(httpshopsamovarteacomYunnan_Golden_Bud_Organic_Fair_Trade_Black_Tea_p0401yunhtm) Palace Pu-eh Tea

(httpshopsamovarteacomPalace_Organic_Fair_Trade_Pu_erh_Tea_p0501palhtm) and the Maidenrsquos Ecstasy and Black Infusing

Mug Gift Set (httpshopsamovarteacomMaiden_s_Ecstasy_Pu_erh_Tea_Infusing_Mug_Tea_Set_p0501maibimhtm)

SHARE ON TWITTER (HTTPTWITTERCOMINTENTTWEET

TEXT=TEA262382173BS+CARBON+FOOTPRINTampURL=HTTP3A2F2FWWWSAMOVARTEACOM2FTEAS-CARBON-

FOOTPRINT2FampVIA=SAMOVARLIFE) ON FACEBOOK (HTTPWWWFACEBOOKCOMSHARERSHARERPHP

S=100ampP[URL]=HTTP3A2F2FWWWSAMOVARTEACOM2FTEAS-CARBON-

FOOTPRINT2FampP[TITLE]=TEA262382173BS+CARBON+FOOTPRINT) ON GOOGLE+ (HTTPSPLUSGOOGLECOMSHARE

URL=HTTP3A2F2FWWWSAMOVARTEACOM2FTEAS-CARBON-FOOTPRINT2F)

TEA amp WINE

(HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMTEA-

WINE)

Just like wine tea has a wealth of complex flavors Lindsey and Jesse chat about

similarities between tea and wine and pairing tea with food

Continue reading rsaquo (httpwwwsamovarteacomtea-wine)

SEE ALL POSTS (HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMARCHIVES)

ABOUT (HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMABOUT) WHOLESALE (HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMABOUTWHOLESALE) PRIVATE EVENTS (HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMPROMOTIONSPRIVATE-EVENTS)

PRESS (HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMTOPICSPRESS-ROOM) CONTACT (HTTPWWWSAMOVARTEACOMCONNECT) (HTTPSWWWFACEBOOKCOMSAMOVARLIFE)

(HTTPSTWITTERCOMSAMOVARLIFE)

RECEIVE EMAIL NEWS amp UPDATES

EMAIL S I G N U P

侘 び 寂 び mdash WABI SABITransience amp natural imperfection