|
6) Japan
Japan is famous for its own teas and produces some of the
most expensive teas from the most expensively paid labour
force. Extra-fresh tea is needed for processing which should
take place within 3 hours of picking, as colour is of key
importance. Rumours are circulating suggesting that
C.japonica is being analysed for tea production using new
processing techniques, but most tea analysts agree it is an
unlikely scenario.
Oil production is decreasing due to economics.
Japanese supermarkets stock hundreds of different varieties
of ready-to-drink cartons/bottles which are drunk cold.
There are vending machines on every street corner selling
ready-to-drink teas both hot and cold.
It is perhaps appropriate here to quote the labour cost per
hour for tea operatives in various countries:
|
Country |
Labour Cost
£/hour |
|
Australia |
6.00 |
|
China |
0.30 |
|
India |
0.50 |
|
Japan |
7.25 |
|
Malaysia |
0.30 |
|
UK |
6.8 |
|
USA |
5.8 |
|
Vietnam |
0.40 |
By and large I learnt surprisingly little during my visit to
Japan. This was because their domestic market was almost
entirely for sencha tea which has a fishy taste which would
not be acceptable to the UK market.
7) China and Taiwan
Tea has been cultivated in China for thousands of years.
Until the 1880s China dominated the global tea trade and
huge quantities of tea are still produced in many provinces
in the country.
It is the least regulated of the world’s markets. The tea in
China is hand picked. The varieties do not seem to have such
tight timing at the processing stage as those of the
Japanese. Smaller quantities can be processed, whereas the
Japanese process requires volume for efficiency.
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