Prof. Christine Folch is one of the world’s authorities on the history of beverages. A delightful storyteller, anthropologist, and historian, she recently penned The Book of Yerba Mate: A Stimulating History, released this week by Princeton University Press.

“Brewed from the dried leaves and tender shoots of an evergreen tree native to South America, yerba mate gives its drinkers the jolt of liquid effervescence many of us get from coffee or tea,” Christine tells Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard in a wide-ranging and engaging conversation about the world’s third-most popular naturally stimulating beverage.

BIO: Christine Folch is an associate professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University in North Carolina. Yerba mate is the most well-known of the three ilex beverages, and as you're going to hear from Christine, it did become widely popular, just not everywhere. In a previous conversation on Tea Biz, she traced the history of yaupon and guayusa—two native stimulants that never managed to compete on the world stage with coffee and tea during those first few centuries of Colonial America. In Argentina, southern "gaúcho" Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, mate is the stimulating brew of choice, famously quaffed by the Argentine national football team en route to its 2022 FIFA World Cup victory.

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Kangra's Tea Factories May See Revival | Tea Prices May Go Up As Procurement Costs Rise | CAG Report Highlights Poor Implementation of Labor Laws In Assam

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China Discourages Speculation in Tea and Herbal Medicinals | Ceylon Tea Export Revenue Rises | Pretty Tasty Receives Accolades for its Collagen Beauty Tea

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China Discourages Speculation in Tea and Herbal Medicinals | Ceylon Tea Export Revenue Rises | Pretty Tasty Receives Accolades for its Collagen Beauty Tea

India Tea News

Kangra's Tea Factories May See Revival | Tea Prices May Go Up As Procurement Costs Rise | CAG Report Highlights Poor Implementation of Labor Laws In Assam

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GUEST – Christine Folch, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, North Carolina

PLUS | Yerba Mate’s Meticulous Chronicler

Prof. Christine Folch is one of the world’s authorities on the history of beverages. A delightful storyteller, anthropologist, and historian, she recently penned The Book of Yerba Mate: A Stimulating History, released this week by Princeton University Press.

“Brewed from the dried leaves and tender shoots of an evergreen tree native to South America, yerba mate gives its drinkers the jolt of liquid effervescence many of us get from coffee or tea,” Christine tells Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard in a wide-ranging and engaging conversation about the world’s third-most popular naturally stimulating beverage.

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On the eve of World War II, London’s tea brokers sold 60% of the world’s tea, but when the London auction resumed in 1951, the bulk of tea was transacted in the tea lands. Today, most of the world’s tea is auctioned at regional tea centers in India, Africa, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In July, the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association organized a London-style Open Outcry Auction for Charity that earned 46 million rupees (about $150,000) to build 130 “smart” classrooms and provide English Language lessons for the children of tea workers.

Today, Dan takes us into the auction hall, where the bidding is about to begin.

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Wayanad Landslide Aftermath | Andrew Yule Reports Loss

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Bangladesh Tea Stays Calm and Carries On Through Regime Change | Tea Bubble Investors Cautiously Await a Parade of Six IPOs | Tourism Rebounds in Sri Lanka

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Bangladesh Tea Stays Calm and Carries On Through Regime Change | Tea Bubble Investors Cautiously Await a Parade of Six IPOs | Tourism Rebounds in Sri Lanka

India Tea News

Wayanad Landslide Aftermath | Andrew Yule Reports Loss

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SPOTLIGHT | The Relevance of Outcry Auctions

On the eve of World War II, London’s tea brokers sold 60% of the world’s tea, but when the London auction resumed in 1951, the bulk of tea was transacted in the tea lands. Today, most of the world’s tea is auctioned at regional tea centers in India, Africa, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In July, the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association organized a London-style Open Outcry Auction for Charity that earned 46 million rupees (about $150,000) to build 130 “smart” classrooms and provide English Language lessons for the children of tea workers.

Today, Dan takes us into the auction hall, where the bidding is about to begin.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donations

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Tea festivals are enjoying a resurgence, basking in the renewed enthusiasm of health-conscious consumers and the joy of imbibing quality tea. The 14th Annual Northwest Tea Festival draws tea enthusiasts to Seattle for two educational and fun days at the Seattle Convention Center on September 28th and 29th. The Northwest Tea Fest has a rich history in tea, evolving from a small local event to become the foremost social gathering for tea lovers in a region known for its beverages.

BIO: Julie Rosanoff is a pioneer in specialty tea dating to 1990 when she co-founded the Perennial Tea Room near Pike’s Market on the Seattle waterfront. In 2004, Julee hosted tea-themed dinners there, with author Norwood Pratt narrating the story of teas as courses were served. Tastings and special events led to the founding of the Puget Sound Tea Education Association and the region’s first tea party featuring Barnes & Watson, Teahouse Kuan Yin, Tea Geek (Michael Coffey), Sa Tea, Village Yarn & Tea and Choice Organic Tea. Inspired by the mass tastings hosted by Bay Area tea firms for the 50,000 foodies attending the first Slow Food Nation in September 2008, the Northwest Tea Festival, a not-for-profit venture, launched to wide acclaim later that month.

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Assam Tea Estates Get Tourism Support | Sanjay Singhal Appointed Wagh Bakri CEO | Auction Prices High In Sale 33

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China Launches Global Tea Marketing Initiative | Kenya Suspends Auction Price Minimums on Old Tea | AI Models Predict Local Weather on a Planetary Scale

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China Launches Global Tea Marketing Initiative | Kenya Suspends Auction Price Minimums on Old Tea | AI Models Predict Local Weather on a Planetary Scale

India Tea News | Assam Tea Estates Get Tourism Support | Sanjay Singhal Appointed Wagh Bakri CEO | Auction Prices High In Sale 33

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NEWSMAKERS – Northwest Tea Festival Co-Founder Julee Rosanoff and Doug Livingston

PLUS | Northwest Tea Festival Nears

Tea festivals are enjoying a resurgence, basking in the renewed enthusiasm of health-conscious consumers and the joy of imbibing quality tea. The 14th Annual Northwest Tea Festival draws tea enthusiasts to Seattle for two educational and fun days at the Seattle Convention Center on September 28th and 29th. The Northwest Tea Fest has a rich history in tea, evolving from a small local event to become the foremost social gathering for tea lovers in a region known for its beverages.

Joining us today are founders Julee Rosanoff and Doug Livingston.

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The September 30 deadline is nearing for tea and botanical growers and brands to submit entries in the annual "Teas of the World" Contest organized by AVPA, the France-based Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products – there are two distinct parts:

· Monovarietal teas (camelia sinensis), with many categories depending on the method of preparation of the leaves.

· Herbal teas (infusion plants other than camellia sinensis), blends, and flavored teas.

Carine Baudry, an expert in sensory analysis and founder of the Quintessence, chairs this year’s jury. Ksenia Hleap, who is responsible for communications and development of the AVPA programs, joins us from Paris to explain the many benefits of participating.

BIO- Ksenia joined AVPA in 2017 after several years of work in communications, product promotions, and brand management. She holds a master's degree in international project management from UPEC and a master’s in economics from SUD University in Paris. She graduated from Ural State Technical University in Sverdlovsk, Russia.

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If you are like me and imagine that Chai was part of our traditional kitchens, that sweet, milky, boiled concoction was handed down like a well-loved legend, you’d be surprised to know that chai is very much a 20th-century creation.

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Inflation Eases Yet Grocery Prices Remain High | Starbucks Names Chipotle Executive Brian Niccol CEO | Kenya Regulators Approve Acquisition of Lipton’s Tea Estates

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Inflation Eases Yet Grocery Prices Remain High | Starbucks Names Chipotle Executive Brian Niccol CEO | Kenya Regulators Approve Acquisition of Lipton’s Tea Estates

An Indian Independence Day Tribute to Chai, by Aravinda Anantharaman

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GUEST – Ksenia Hleap is responsible for communication and development at AVPA.

PLUS | AVPA Teas of the World Contest

The September 30 deadline is nearing for tea and botanical growers and brands to submit entries in the annual "Teas of the World" Contest organized by AVPA, the France-based Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products – there are two distinct parts:

· Monovarietal teas (camelia sinensis), with many categories depending on the method of preparation of the leaves.

· Herbal teas (infusion plants other than camellia sinensis), blends, and flavored teas.

Carine Baudry, an expert in sensory analysis and founder of the Quintessence, chairs this year’s jury. Ksenia Hleap, who is responsible for communications and development of the AVPA programs, joins us from Paris to explain the many benefits of participating.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donations

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The International Wine & Food Society chose tea for its annual beverage monograph this year and selected tea expert Will Battle to author the pocket-sized 102-page The World of Tea, published in May.

“Why tea?” writes Andrea Warren for the IWFS International Secretariat, QUOTE: “Tea needs further exploration as it increasingly becomes part of the gastronomic scene, along with its diversity of styles and flavors, it is attracting the attention of new drinkers—including those keen to enjoy low-alcohol drinks and those that bring health benefits and well-being. The similarities between tea and wine are numerous, which may well also pique the interest of wine drinkers,” she writes.

Will joins us today from his family farm in the Lincolnshire countryside to discuss the importance of tea education and the role of tea in promoting health. He also discusses the joy of authoring and paging through a printed monograph, one of a series that spans decades.

BIO: Will Battle is a British tea expert who runs Fine Tea Merchants Ltd, an import and wholesale business. He has been tasting teas and creating blends for tea lovers for the past 25 years. He authored the World Tea Encyclopedia, published in 2017, with a second edition in 2020.

Andrea Warren, speaking for the non-profit International Wine & Food Society founded in London in 1933, writes QUOTE: “It was felt Will was ideally suited to give an introduction to the world of tea.” The organization will make the monograph available to its 6,500 members in 130 branches in Europe, North America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. A digital version will be available for purchase from the society, visit www.iwfs.org or the Tea Biz blog for details.

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Wayanad Rescue Update | Tea Board Officials Visit North Bengal Gardens | Trustea Issues First Version 3 Certification

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Kenya May be Forced to Borrow Billions to Pay Grower Bonus | China and Vietnam Tea Exports Rebound in 2024 | Turkish Agronomists Seek Drought-resistant Black Sea Tea

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Kenya May be Forced to Borrow Billions to Pay Grower Bonus | China and Vietnam Tea Exports Rebound in 2024 | Turkish Agronomists Seek Drought-resistant Black Sea Tea

INDIA TEA NEWS – Wayanad Rescue Update | Tea Board Officials Visit North Bengal Gardens | Trustea Issues First Version 3 Certification

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GUEST – Author Will Battle, Founder Fine Tea Merchants, Ltd.

PLUS | The World of Tea –

The International Wine & Food Society chose tea for its annual beverage monograph this year and selected tea expert Will Battle to author the pocket-sized 102-page The World of Tea, published in May.

“Why tea?” writes Andrea Warren for the IWFS International Secretariat, QUOTE: “Tea needs further exploration as it increasingly becomes part of the gastronomic scene, along with its diversity of styles and flavors, it is attracting the attention of new drinkers—including those keen to enjoy low-alcohol drinks and those that bring health benefits and well-being. The similarities between tea and wine are numerous, which may well also pique the interest of wine drinkers,” she writes.

Will joins us today from his family farm in the Lincolnshire countryside to discuss the importance of tea education and the role of tea in promoting health. He also discusses the joy of authoring and paging through a printed monograph, one of a series that spans decades.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy