organic v. not labeled organic.
Posted: Dec 25th, '07, 09:07
ok. I work in the world of wine and have spent most of my waking hours in the past year studying all things in the production of wine. not surprisingly some things transfer well to the world of tea.
1- people sometimes have strong opinions on organic v. not labeled organic without understanding the issues.
2- when something is not labeled organic it does NOT mean that it is not organic or that it is made of 90% ddt. getting certified as organic is expensive.
3- truth is most grape growers and wine makers have a limited amount of cash, if they spend it on getting CERTIFIED organic than they are cutting corners somewhere else.
4- wine makers, grape growers and tea growers as well, who want to make the best product WILL limit the use of pesticides, sprays and preservatives in the grapes, wine and tea because these things affect their quality and can impart "off" (bad) flavors.
5- so while one guy is focused on doing everything to get that certified organic label, the other might be doing many of the same things but with a focus on making a better wine/tea. in the end the organic label one will cost more but the one without the organic label maybe all but organic, a better product AND cost less. I have seen this all the time.
there are some wine makers who maker great wine, organically but rarely is it at a good price. the same is true in tea. Rishi, despite the propaganda does make very good tea. Their masala chai is among the best on the market.
6-and yes there are millions of wines out there that are organic but would rather spend the certification fees on something that will improve the quality of the wine. Likewise, I believe the same is likely true in the world of tea. because we all know that a tea that has a strong chemical taste is a bad tea. period. and no great tea was ever made with 90% ddt. period.
7- labeled organic means only that. It is LABELED organic. and people would be surprised at what is allowed to go into things and still be labeled organic.
Truth is a lot of wine (and tea) that is labeled certified organic is crap, crap and more crap. truth is that if they spent their money, time and resources on a better product and less on a label tag, it might actually be worth 50% of what they charge for it. Likewise some of the worst teas are clearly not organic and they might not be so unforgiabley bad if they followed some organic practices (i am talking to you lipton and snapple)
In the end the point should be to be an educated consumer and understand what it is that you are buying. making a choice to buy something should be based on something other than the label, even if the label says organic.
1- people sometimes have strong opinions on organic v. not labeled organic without understanding the issues.
2- when something is not labeled organic it does NOT mean that it is not organic or that it is made of 90% ddt. getting certified as organic is expensive.
3- truth is most grape growers and wine makers have a limited amount of cash, if they spend it on getting CERTIFIED organic than they are cutting corners somewhere else.
4- wine makers, grape growers and tea growers as well, who want to make the best product WILL limit the use of pesticides, sprays and preservatives in the grapes, wine and tea because these things affect their quality and can impart "off" (bad) flavors.
5- so while one guy is focused on doing everything to get that certified organic label, the other might be doing many of the same things but with a focus on making a better wine/tea. in the end the organic label one will cost more but the one without the organic label maybe all but organic, a better product AND cost less. I have seen this all the time.
there are some wine makers who maker great wine, organically but rarely is it at a good price. the same is true in tea. Rishi, despite the propaganda does make very good tea. Their masala chai is among the best on the market.
6-and yes there are millions of wines out there that are organic but would rather spend the certification fees on something that will improve the quality of the wine. Likewise, I believe the same is likely true in the world of tea. because we all know that a tea that has a strong chemical taste is a bad tea. period. and no great tea was ever made with 90% ddt. period.
7- labeled organic means only that. It is LABELED organic. and people would be surprised at what is allowed to go into things and still be labeled organic.
Truth is a lot of wine (and tea) that is labeled certified organic is crap, crap and more crap. truth is that if they spent their money, time and resources on a better product and less on a label tag, it might actually be worth 50% of what they charge for it. Likewise some of the worst teas are clearly not organic and they might not be so unforgiabley bad if they followed some organic practices (i am talking to you lipton and snapple)
In the end the point should be to be an educated consumer and understand what it is that you are buying. making a choice to buy something should be based on something other than the label, even if the label says organic.