Introduction
A friend of mine asked me why the price of wild and naturally farmed tea is higher. I thought this is an interesting question touching on many aspects, so I decided to share my understanding.I live in Taiwan, so this article is mainly talking about the situation here. In Taiwan, the term “wild farming tea” (野放茶）has only emerged in the past six or seven years. Especially during covid-times, many people underwent dramatic change in terms of what they value in life. It led to a development that people are more aware of the ingredients they eat and whether or not they come from a pure source, which is, I think, a global change. Looking at tea as a healthy plant with medicinal properties since ancient times in Chinese culture, people start to look for even safer, cleaner and healthier tea beyond organic mass production. Therefore suddenly ”wild farming tea” has caught people's attention. However, I have noticed that this term is still a foreign concept for western tea drinkers. Even though the organic industry in Europe and America is booming and organic supermarkets with a wide range of products are commonplace, talking about wild or naturally farmed method and even zoom into oolong teas from Taiwan is still relatively new. So I'm going to dive deeper into the industry here to help you understand the conditions under which tea is grown and to give you an idea of the pricing.
I would like to stress that no matter what kind of farming method is in place, there are always sincere people and people who solely want to make money at maximum profit. So please don't let the marketing with all their labels mislead you and instead try to evaluate each situation on its own – ideally by getting to know your source and building trust.
Fertilisation
Organic farming: Organic fertiliser is applied several times a year, depending on the conscience of the tea grower. If they want to make money, they can treat organic as a conventional farming method, applying large amounts of fertiliser, harvesting 5 - 6 times a year, squeezing out the soil’s nutrition. As a result, there will not be too much substance in that kind of tea. You are basically drinking fertiliser, not the soil. If we happen to source organic tea, we will make sure that the farmer is honest about his methodology and applies supplements in moderation with the idea of helping the land and not boosting production.Natural farming: No fertiliser is applied. Only the weeds that grow on the tea plantation itself are naturally being recycled as fertiliser which means that the land feeds itself. This requires a very healthy ecology. One characteristic is slow growth of the tea trees. Keep in mind that there is no single legal or scientific definition “natural farming”. So in Taiwan, the term is defined a little differently by each individual. Again, we will make sure that the source is clean and proper. Depending on the soil’s condition, we accept fertiliser once a year maximum.
Wild farming: Strictly no fertiliser, no watering, minimal human intervention.
Picking Times
Organic Farming: Most tea is harvested three to four times a year, more often five to six times – no different to conventional farming.Natural and wild farming: Since the tea plantations do not rely on additional fertiliser but rather on a self-sustaining ecosystem, land retention becomes a crucial aspect. Ideally the leaves should be plucked 1 to 2 times a year. The density and richness in flavour is much higher compared to 4 to 5 harvests a year.
Yield
Organic Farming: If we use conventional farming as a benchmark, the yield of organic farming is usually 30 to 40 %. That is to say, about 15 kg instead of 50 kg (for any given area).Natural farming: Only about 20 % output, meaning 10 kg instead of 50 kg.
Wild farming: As little as 10 % or 5 kg instead of 50 kg.
Summarising the above estimations and giving an example calculation, conventional farming methods can yield 5 to 6 harvests a year, with a production of 50 kg at a time. Wild farming tea, as noted earlier, 1 to 2 times per year, with a production of 5 kg at a time. This amounts to 5 – 10 kg versus 250 kg. I believe this example can help to bring some fundamental understanding and clarify the higher pricing of naturally farmed and wild tea.
Please keep in mind that the given numbers are rough estimates based on our experiences with different farmers we came across. The numbers for naturally farmed and wild tea heavily fluctuate depending on the weather in that particular season. The output on a conventional tea farm on the other hand is very stable and predictable.
A Change in Consciousness
A tea’s price doesn’t reflect its value in my eyes. Sadly, we usually fixate on numbers and facts when making rational buying decisions. However, there are many things in life that are priceless. For me tea is one of them. It is invaluable because of its spiritual purity, the pureness of the land we are drinking and the belonging it provides for the heart. It really boils down to a natural environment, a low level of human interference and the kind heart of the tea farmer / maker. It takes resources, patience and love to wait for the tea tree to grow slowly, bringing out the essence of the land through its young buds once or twice a year. What we drink is really the concentration of nature, rich in colloids and all kinds of inner substances. In addition to the enjoyment of drinking naturally farmed or wild tea, our body and mind are nourished and we contribute to protecting nature. This shift in consciousness creates a healthy cycle through our consumption, ultimately leading to unity.
When I first started drinking tea, these concepts seemed like empty words to me. I cared more about flavour, price, the beauty of tea ware and certain brewing techniques. However, after three or four years of drinking wild farming tea, many subtle changes in my body and mind made me shift my perspective to a broader horizon and question myself. For example, I started wondering, how exactly the tea I am drinking has been grown? Under what conditions? Whit what intention? How does the family live who made the tea I am drinking? Wouldn't it be great if my simple act of drinking tea could help tea farmers expand their effort? These questions have guided me to discover evermore and somehow broke my beautiful tea illusion. I was so naive to believe tea people are all kind and sincere without exception. The reality is, no matter where you go you find good and bad people.
Supporting Farmers Who Struggle on Their Own
The tea farmers we work with here in Taiwan are very few. They are people who live their lives based on certain philosophies / ideologies. To them money comes second. Some intuitively want to make clean tea, some want to do good for the environment and some have an ideal image of untouched nature in their heart that they want to reconnect with and return to. These people are not easy to find. The main reason is that in Taiwan an estimated 90 % falls upon conventional farming, with the remaining 9,9 % being organic. As for why, just scroll up to “Yield”; money is the main driver. The second reason is that those few are more quiet people, fully focused on and dedicated to their work. They go about their daily life in silence without seeking attention. Usually they are not good at “selling” themselves. If we make such a rare discovery, we are especially excited – as if finding an almost extinct species of a wild animal in the forest. Because we are one of a kind in many ways, sharing the same value base, we have a similar odour and get along with each other very quickly.As a matter of fact this “exotic species” of natural and wild tea farmers is often times encompassed by conventional tea farms. So they are met with ridicule and a lack of understanding of their values and practices which seem pretty much other-worldly by society’s standards. But those standards don’t apply to them any longer, the looks, words and laughter just bounce off. Their inner compass gives guidance and lets them walk on. They intuitively know that coexisting with the land and all beings is the only path to go. Integrity by making tea that reflects their true self is proof that they're alive. There is trust that enough money to sustain their life will come their way through dedication and pursuing the right choice. This makes us want to engage in a healthy cycle: We are their messenger, their ambassador, bridging the gap between the deep Taiwanese mountains to share a piece of their life with you. The choices we make directly impact this cycle. This is how nature works.
Beyond a Cup of Tea
Tea can be seen as just a cup of tea, yet it also represents a whole ecosystem. The tea you drink comes from people who stand up for what they believe, somewhere on the other side of the world. What it contains is a choice of returning to living life in purity and simplicity. The flavour of such a cup of tea can only be known when you experience it by yourself. It may be instant or take some time to reconnect with the deeper source in it. It’s individual but I believe your heart always knows. From a scientific point of view, this kind of tea contains much more pectin, aromatic substances, proteins, polysaccharides and other complex elements. It is a very smooth and balanced drinking experience. All the harshness in conventional tea is actually supposed to be there. It is caused by unnatural ways to grow the plants. But people have gotten used to it and don’t have any other reference points. Just like a person who grows up eating frozen or microwaved food. However, after growing fresh fruits and vegetables, watching them ripen, picking them up and cooking them by oneself, their thoughts on food are likely to change forever. That’s why we would like to share our work with you: documentations about tea planting, tea making, the soil, the people and the real connections that happen far away from where you live. We believe that satotea can transform a cup of tea from being a consumer good into something alive that inspires and brings lasting change within you.