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Tea from China Safe?

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  1. #11

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    OP, do you see people dropping dead left and right from drinking Chinese tea? No? Well there is your answer.

    Btw, you did'nt specify what kind of Chinese tea you are looking for. Shoumei? Pu-erh? Tieguanyin? It's like saying English tea, but what kind of English tea? Earl Grey? Darjeeling?

    Last edited by Watercooler; 10-12-2013 at 02:14 PM.

  2. #12

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    I'm having some right now myself. I usually don't give it much thought and always, as DrunkenMaster mentions, rinse it first before consuming the first "brew" or "hu". There are fair trade tea farms popping up in China http://fairtradeusa.org/producer-pro...er-association but not always so easy to find something organic/pesticide free. Hopefully the benefits of it outweigh any potential harmful side effects!


  3. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drunken Master:
    Locals told me they fear Chinese tea that is contaminated with pesticides. Their solution to this is to throw away the first infusion or use it for washing the cups in Dimsum restaurants.
    This is primarily done to 'wake up' tea and remove dust, but it will also remove at least some of the residues. Rinse once for oolong, twice for pu erh.

    EDIT: Even Taiwanese tea isn't 100% safe. Drinking some decent Alishan oolong I bought in Taipei right now.

    http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiw.../07/2003544596
    Last edited by jayinhongkong; 10-12-2013 at 02:16 PM.

  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Watercooler:

    Btw, you did'nt specify what kind of Chinese tea you are looking for. Shoumei? Pu-erh? Tieguanyin? It's like saying English tea, but what kind of English tea? Earl Grey? Darjeeling?
    I drink all kinds.. tie guanyin (iron buddha), pu'er, green, jasmine, chrysanthemum, 8 treasure, longjing (dragon well), oolong..... pretty much anything, although most often is tie guanyin, oolong, and jasmine.
    jayinhongkong likes this.

  5. #15

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    I suspect fired/roasted teas like shui xian, some tieguanyin and da hong pao may be safer because they are heated to higher temperatures during processing than green teas, pu erh and greener oolongs. Some of the pesticides will most likely break down or evaporate at higher temperatures.

    Aside from pesticide and heavy metals, you have to watch out for fluorine. Heavy tea consumption from older tea plants definitely has deleterious effects. Teas to watch out for are old tree pu erh and other heicha like fu zhuan.

    Even organic certification doesn't mean squat if old land that has previously been heavily dusted/sprayed has been converted to organic cultivation. Some of the residues linger in the soil for decades. That and organic certification in China has to be taken with a pinch of salt...

    TeaChat is the best English-language tea forum on the web if anyone is into tea. I am a regular over there:

    http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17225

    Last edited by jayinhongkong; 11-12-2013 at 11:23 AM.
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  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by jayinhongkong:

    Even organic certification doesn't mean squat if old land that has previously been heavily dusted/sprayed has been converted to organic cultivation. Some of the residues linger in the soil for decades.
    True, I've heard unsettling things about land/water bodies containing toxic waste that is reconverted into new developments etc.....
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  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by katkatkat:
    True, I've heard unsettling things about land/water bodies containing toxic waste that is reconverted into new developments etc.....
    I think that is less likely in rural Fujian and Yunnan at this time, but it's hard to say what the water used for irrigation is like and what has been used on the soil in the past. Moral of the story for me is that everything is ok in moderation--a little lead or pesticide (probably) won't kill you.
    katkatkat likes this.

  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Azuremain:
    If it's safe, it's not from China.
    Im affraid this is the stance I take. There isn't enough regulation in China of food stuffs and there hasn't been the same kind of regulations as in the West or elsewhere regarding what can and cannot be used for a very long long time so many soils are long contaminated.

    The communists had/have a very bad track record on conservation of anything, soil, water or air......

    Plenty else to buy 'made in China'.

  9. #19

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    Take a read of the Greenpeace report on Chinese tea. It is Greenpeace, so take it with a sip of tea.

    My biggest concern is pesticide, so I drink organic tea from Taiwan. Great option if you like Oolong or Black Teas, but not an option if you prefer Pu'erh. You can also visit the tea farm and meet the farmer if you're taking a trip to Taiwan.