Most people know and love Assam teas for their dark and strong characteristics that hold up so well with milk and sugar, but it looks like recent weather changes might make it harder to get our beloved tea!
Here is an article that explains why: Climate Change Sparks Tension in India’s Tea Gardens
So basically, raising temperatures, dry weather, and increased pests and disease are making it hard to grow to the plucking stage. In turn, the management of the tea gardens is spending more and more money on methods to produce their teas. this makes it hard for the Assam gardens to be competitive in the tea market Unfortunately, based on this article, it looks like the wages for the employees are not being assessed with the changes in business procedures; for example, the factories are operation for about half a year, verses year around. We can only hope for Assam to continue growing and producing teas, but it looks a bit grim a the end of this particular article when they talk about some gardens switching over to growing spices, and more resilient crops. We can only grab a hold of our cups to sip in support of Assam and its tea growers/employees.
Want to order some Assam teas? CLICK HERE to shop at Sereni-tea!
Reference:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/04/us-climatechange-tea-india-idUSKBN0NP1YY20150504 (Looked at on 5/5/15 at 11:30 AM PST.)
