Category: Wales Tea Merchant

Red Sea Tea & Spices Supply Issues

January 25, 2024 / HarrisonTeas

Red Sea Tea & Spices Supply Issues: Anticipating Shortages in UK Supermarkets

The United Kingdom’s love affair with exotic flavors and culinary diversity is at risk due to an unforeseen challenge in the supply chain of Red Sea Tea & Spices. Renowned for its high-quality teas and aromatic spices, Red Sea has long been a staple in UK households. However, recent disruptions in the supply chain threaten to create shortages on the shelves of supermarkets across the country.

The threat posed by the Yemen rebel group, particularly in the strategically vital region surrounding the Red Sea, raises concerns about the potential for international shipping lanes to remain effectively closed. The geopolitical tensions in the area, fueled by the ongoing conflict in Yemen, have heightened the risk of disruptions to maritime traffic. The rebel group’s control over key coastal areas and its demonstrated capability to target ships using unconventional means, such as naval mines and drone attacks, contribute to the apprehension within the international shipping community. These security challenges could result in heightened insurance premiums, rerouting of vessels, and delays in the transportation of goods through the affected maritime routes, impacting global trade flows and adding complexity to an already intricate geopolitical landscape. The international community closely monitors the situation, seeking diplomatic resolutions to ensure the free and safe passage of vessels through these critical waterways.

Impact on UK Supermarkets:

As the supply chain for Red Sea Tea & Spices faces obstacles, UK supermarkets are likely to experience shortages in their inventory. Consumers who rely on these products for their daily cooking and tea rituals may find their favorite items increasingly difficult to obtain.

The shortage is expected to affect not only individual consumers but also restaurants and businesses. The potential unavailability of these essential ingredients could force businesses to alter their menus or seek alternative suppliers, leading to increased costs and operational challenges.

Consumer Response and Alternatives:

In response to potential shortages, consumers may need to explore alternative brands or substitute products to meet their culinary needs. Supermarkets are likely to promote and highlight alternative tea and spice options to mitigate the impact of the Red Sea supply issues. Consumers need to remain flexible and open to trying new products while keeping an eye on updates regarding Red Sea’s supply chain challenges.

With the prediction of potential shortages of Tea & Spices due to supply chain disruptions, there is a likelihood of panic buying reminiscent of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when toilet paper shortages became a global phenomenon. Consumers, concerned about the impending scarcity of their favorite teas and spices, may rush to supermarkets to stockpile products, fearing they won’t be readily available soon. This panic buying behavior can create a domino effect, leading to empty shelves, increased demand for alternative products, and a strain on the overall supply chain. The fear of missing out on beloved flavors and the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the supply issues may drive consumers to adopt a precautionary approach, contributing to a surge in purchasing and potential challenges in maintaining a steady supply of Tea & Spices in UK supermarkets. It is crucial for consumers to stay informed and exercise restraint to avoid exacerbating the situation further.

Conclusion:

The Red Sea Tea & Spices supply issues serve as a stark reminder of the interconnections of the global supply chain and the susceptibility of industries to external factors. As the world continues to navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic and climate change, consumers and businesses must adapt to potential disruptions in the availability of their favorite products.

While alternative products may provide short-term solutions, the hope is for a swift resolution to the supply chain issues, allowing the return of beloved teas and spices to the shelves of UK supermarkets.

How to get the best from your tea

November 3, 2022 / HarrisonTeas

**Image Credit:** https://pixabay.com/photos/tea-party-tea-pour-pouring-tea-1001654/

How to get the best from your tea

The quality of the water affects the taste of the tea, always use freshly drawn boiling water, filtered if possible.

To get the best flavour from the tea leaves, don’t use water that’s been boiled repeatedly, it will contain less oxygen and make your tea taste flat.

Measure your tea carefully. A good guide for most teas is 1 rounded teaspoon of loose tea per cup.

Allow the tea to brew for the recommended time as indicated on the packaging.

Milk in first or last does slightly alter the taste of your tea. There is no right or wrong way, just your preference.

Store tea in an airtight container away from moisture, strong flavoured or perfumed items, and light.

#teastorage #teabrewing #tea #ukteastore #harrisonteas #teainfusions #teafilter #teapreperation

How is Tea made – A brief guide

October 31, 2022 / HarrisonTeas

How is Tea made – A brief guide

Firstly, What Is Tea?

To answer the question ‘how is tea made?’, we first need to define what tea is. Tea’s Latin name is camellia sinensis, from the genus camellia, and is an evergreen shrub, native to Asia, whose leaves are used for tea. The evolutionary origin of camellia sinensis has been traced back to China’s Yunnan province and its bordering country Myanmar. The Assamica variety, with its larger leaves, is native to India and is a naturally evolved variety (the variation was not established through human intervention).

Various Tea Types

Tea is available in varieties from white (the youngest leaves), to green, Oolong, and black. The process of creating this variety in tea is often referred to as tea fermentation.

The process that takes a green tea leaf plucked from a plant and allows it to become black is the process of oxidation where the natural enzymes in the tea leaf begin oxidizing the leaf, turning it from green to copper coloured. A similar process occurs when an apple’s skin is broken, and the white flesh of the apple begins to turn brown when exposed to the air – this is oxidization.

General Tea Manufacturing Process

Picking: The first stage of the manufacturing process is when the tea leaves are removed (plucked) from the tea plant. The best quality teas are said to be produced when the top two leaves and the bud are handpicked, unopened young buds with delicate silver hairs on them, are only exposed to natural withering and gentle drying allowing them to retain high levels of antioxidants and as such is the least processed of any tea leaves. Other teas use leaves picked when the bud is fully open.

Withering: Withering is a natural drying process that removes around 75% of the moisture from the leaf, preparing it for further processing. Withering begins as soon as the leaf is plucked but is controlled by the manufacturer so that leaves wither evenly. Tea leaves are placed in large traces, spaced apart and the trays are frequently shaken to try and keep the withering as even as possible.

Initiation: The exact nature of the tea type that is produced depends on how much oxidation takes place. To prevent oxidation from occurring tea leaves are “fixed” which means that the enzymes are deactivated by a heating process. Some tea types require oxidation, which is controlled and then stopped. Oxidation is initiated by breaking open the tea leaf and allowing atmospheric oxygen to enter the cells of the leaf. The amount of oxidation you require and how quickly you require it will determine your method of initiation. Gentle rolling or tumbling of the leaves has less drastic effects while maceration (cutting) is used in mass production to create CTC (cut tear curl) tea or other broken-leaf tea. Oxidized teas must still be fixed after oxidation and control over the amount of oxidation is achieved through the introduction of the warm and moist oxygen-rich air.

CTC method and other broken leaf teas were developed primarily for tea bags and other quick infusion methods as the larger exposed surface area allows for faster infusion. CTC leaves are mechanically mashed and cut, to invoke oxidation contrasting sharply with the gentle rolling and tumbling of the traditional orthodox methods. While the contents of tea bags, often macerated and produced from lower quality tea leaves, are often referred to as “floor sweepings” this assertion is not accurate. Still, there are leaf grading applied to all leaf particle sizes including dust grades.

Fixing: Green Teas come from leaves that are only plucked when they have fully opened and are fixed by either pan frying or steaming.

Pouchong is a tea classed somewhere between green and oolong tea, after picking and withering has oxidation initiated by rolling of the leaves. After oxidation of 8-10% of the surface of the leaf, Pouchong is fixed.

Black tea is generally over 90% oxidized with Oolong teas taking up the space between Pouchong and Black teas, displaying huge amounts of variation in both oxidation and flavour. After fixing (firing) only 3-4% of the natural moisture remains in the leaf.

As oxidation has such a profound effect on the nature (and flavour) of the tea produced it can be said to be the most important part of the tea manufacturing process.

Tea tasting and blending are important aspects when considering how is tea made. In addition to assessing the quality of tea purchased, the most important job of a tea blender is to create a consistent taste year-round for a seasonal product. This is not an easy task and tea blenders are often tea tasters with many years of experience. In addition to maintaining consistency within existing blends, tea blenders create new blends. Thousands of varieties are now available, each with its own unique features.

#tea #oolong #teavaieties #ha#tea #oolong #teavaieties #harrisonteas #ukteastore #walesteamerchant #camelliasinensis #assamicarrisonteas #ukteastore #walesteamerchant #camelliasinensis #assamica