The teabag story

Yesterday we had a follow up meeting with the Food Technologist team of the largest food company here and globally. We had been working to deliver a product for the coffeeshop sector. This highly technical team that do installation of vending machines , hot and cold beverage dispensers had a very well equiped vending machines training room.

This was where we had our meeting. As our discussions centred on making a good cup of tea ... we tried to demonstrate using the various tea samples that we brought along. Much to our dismay , we had to draw reboiled water from the vending machine. Yes , what's ideal is freshly drawn water so that we can have sufficient oxygen to make the best brew. The traditional kettle to boil water was not available.

Nevertheless , the team was briefed on product attributes like colour, taste and aroma. But when we touched on the topic of teabags , the team leader from Singapore wanted a little explanation on the origins of teabags. Since we shared with her the story , here goes :-

In 1908 there was a tea and coffee merchant in New York City by the name of Thomas Sullivan. He had been shipping tea to his customers in expensive tins until one day he discovered hand-sewn silk bags were better alternatives. Not only they were more economical to ship, but his customers found a new way to brew tea , just dunk the teabags. The novelty caught on ... eventually machine-sewn silk bag were used. Later the gauze paper replaced the silk bag.

In 1935 the string tag was introduced. The enterprising manufacturers began to advertise their individual brand and do product differentiation. And in 1952 , Thomas Lipton patented the 4 sided tea bag , known as the flo-thru teabag. Today of course , teabags come in all shapes and sizes. No staples on tag. Increasing usage of food-grade packaging materials. The same objective though remains - hold the loose tea together and allow easy infusion with hot boiling water.

Kacip Fatimah

It wouldn't be fair to have only Tongkat Ali, so they created the female version , Kacip Fatimah. Also known as Labisa Pumila, it is heavily advertised on TV and promoted at the supermarkets. Most local people know that Kacip Fatimah is a traditional remedy, an energy booster for the woman. In some product descriptions, the claims include increasing libido ... The factory I visited had the product offerings in carbonated energy drink and premix coffee, but not yet in premix tea.

Kacip Fatimah is a small woody and leafy plant. The leaves are 20 cm long. It is usually found in the forest floors together with the rest of forest undergrowth. Today, it is quite common to find a potted Kacip Fatimah at the backyard. With so many herbal remedies to choose from, one can only get healthier !

Tongkat Ali

Last week I drove south to JB and visited two beverage companies. Both are very large and successful businesses, distributing their products at home and export markets like Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, S.Korea, Indonesia , Middle East and EU. Although their core business are in ready-to-drink coffee and tea, both companies have started to develop a niche segment of the market. Targeting at male adults, they promote coffee and tea with traditional herbal ingredient, Tongkat Ali.

Tongkat Ali is Malaysia's answer to viagra, and it is a flagship product for the biotech industry. There is considerable interest in this herb, as so much have been played up on its reputation of having aphrodisiac properties. Many in this industry are actually hoping that Tongkat Ali, can be widely accepted like the ever-popular Ginseng. Tongkat Ali can be in the form of beverage and pill.

Tongkat Ali, which means "walking stick of Ali" is a slender evergreen shrub with bitter brown fruit. The plant can be found in Malaysia and Indonesia. Known as Eurycoma longifolia jack, its functional properties are blended into the coffee and tea mix.

Although I do not think too much about the potent beverage and its testosterone enhancing claims , I have no qualms to sell more tea to these factories.

Story of tea

Ever wonder how tea came about ? It's a simple story ... 5,000 yrs ago during the reign of the 2nd Emperor of China , Shen Nung, he decreed that all drinking water need to be boiled as a precautionary measure. One day by accident , some tea leaves blew into the pot of boiling water that he ordered. And that became tea.

Today tea is the 2nd most popular drink after water.

Rising tea prices

As I was still having some more fresh tea samples from the tea gardens in West Java , I continued to visit more tea blenders in the city ... when I gave quotations , I usually look at their facial expressions. A couple of calls ... I know whether my prices are going to be well-received. Once in a while, eyes popped out if we have a really good deal !

Yesterday, I had my tea tasting with the two famous brothers of Setapak. Each time I visited them, they would share their latest invoices and receipts from suppliers. Well, what do you know ! Indeed the tea prices had gone up at the weekly tea auctions, in tandem with global commodity market. The surge in demand is obvious. Almost all the receipts showed a hike of 40% for CTC and orthodox teas.

I left with a good feeling, a commitment for a 1st container order in July ... when their inventory runs down.

A different cup of tea !

As a salesperson, I knocked on many doors. I visited hypermarkets, university shops, provision shops, industrial canteens, coffeeshops, convenience stores, multi-level marketing companies, distribution houses, factories ... but yesterday my visit was to a tea blender & merchant in Kuala Lumpur. Since getting into the bulk tea business, I spend considerable time sampling and tasting tea with this unique group of passionate individuals.

This particular tea blender I visited started selling tea when he was 17. Today after 36 years in the tea and coffee business , he is quite an authority in as far as distributing tea and coffee to the downline trade. Quite proud of his personal success, he was dying to tell me his story from the very beginning ...

After giving me a tour of his factory, our conversation centred on consumption habits at the mamak coffeeshops and kopi tiams. He was complaining about dipping sales trend for his tea. He thought consumers consumed less teh tarik , tea with condensed milk, because of government clampdown on artificial colouring in tea. The banned colouring fooled many unsuspecting consumers who thought darker tea meant a stronger tea. The colouring was an attempt to stretch the tea concentrate in the tea stocking .. so that the tea maker can churn out more cups of tea thereby increasing profits.

What my tea blender friend did not notice was that competition was the real culprit. The product offerings at the mamak coffeeshops and kopi tiams have expanded. Hot drinks vs Cold drinks. Carbonated drinks vs Non-carbonated drinks, Home-made drinks vs manufactured drinks. And the influx of ready-to-drinks tetrapaks, bottled and can drinks , all of which fighting to quench the thirst of the consumer.

There is competition everywhere - product categories, brands and even the storage areas and coolers of the on-premise outlets. My tea blender friend may have found the formula for the best cup of tea after 36 years experience, but to win over the customer may be a different cup of tea !

How do you to make a perfect brew of tea ?

To make a good cup of tea, you should use freshly drawn boiling water. Filtered water makes a better cup of tea. In order to draw flavour out of the tea, the water must contain oxygen. This is reduced if the water is boiled more than once. Place tea leaves or tea bags and pour boiling water over the tea. Allow to steep for 3 to 5 minutes and remove tea leaves or tea bags. A measure of sugar and milk can be added, to individual preference.

Black vs Green

We know Tea contains natural protective antioxidants called flavonoids. Antioxidants help protect the body from free radical damage. These antioxidants also help boost our overall body circulatory systems. But which tea , Black or Green , has a better health promoting benefit for individuals at risk with Parkinson's disease ? Each year, one million Americans have to face this degenerative condition that affects movement and balance.

A study by the American Journal of Epidemiology with 63,257 Chinese men and women concluded that by drinking 23 cups of black tea a month or 3/4 cup a day, the risk of developing Parkinson's disease will be reduced by 71%. This revealing results show that Black Tea is just as good , if not better !

Better times for Tea growers

Tea growers are smiling once again as prices have started to soar this year. There is a global surge in demand especially from Middle East, North Africa , Eastern Europe and China. The trigger went off as a result of concerns of a global shortage of tea.


Political upheavel in Kenya's tea growing region pushed prices above normal levels. Farmers everywhere from Sri Lanka to Indonesia have for the last couple of years tried to mitigate against the rising fuel costs, labor and packaging costs. Indeed this time around, a sigh of relief for many tea estates as weekly tea auction prices have hit record highs everywhere. In Colombo, the biggest weekly tea auction now sells tea at USD3.15 per kg.

According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), tea will be a bull market in 2008. If there is a drought or civil unrest in any of the leading tea growing region, the demand will be lifted. Also, being the second most popular beverage after water, the tea category will continue to see positive growth.

For the consumer this commodity boom will translate to paying more for a cup of tea, at least for this year !

Teh Tarik Challenge

In Malaysia, if you meet an old friend or a new acquaintance it is always common courtesy to invite the person for teh tarik, or simply tea with condensed milk. School and college students laze over a cup of teh tarik, business deals often begin with a friendly cup of teh tarik. It is a social habit everywhere you go. It is also a good way to catch up on the latest gossip in town !

While we sip our teh tarik, the tea makers look forward to a national challenge each year. The tea makers gather for competitions at the state levels progressing to the nationals. At these competitions, the tea makers will show off their skills in making the teh tarik. Coupled with background music, the best acrobatic routine will be adjudged the champion. There is also much excitement and consumer awareness , as the challenge is captured over TV, equiped with elimination rounds over a few months.

Next time you see a tea maker doing his teh tarik stunts, he may be preparing for the nationals !