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What are we really drinking?

by jayinhk » Nov 27th, '12, 23:29

The topic of pesticides in Chinese tea has reared its ugly head quite a few times on here, but the mentions have been cursory at best. I just found this :

http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news ... log/39936/

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by BioHorn » Nov 28th, '12, 00:10

Hi Jay,
To give it some perspective I just read this interesting discussion between tea pofessionals on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/China-s- ... _mSplash=1

Credit to Seven Cups for providing the link from their response to the Greenpeace press release:

http://www.sevencups.com/2012/10/greenp ... inese-tea/

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by jayinhk » Nov 28th, '12, 00:45

Some good posts from knowledgeable folk there: thanks BH!

For those who don't trust Greenpeace to be impartial, here's something else I came across earlier. You can come to your own conclusions.

http://english.caijing.com.cn/2012-06-05/111876695.html

Even Lipton isn't safe...

http://theconversation.edu.au/storm-in- ... scare-8228

Even Taiwan doesn't appear to be immune.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/loca ... ticide.htm

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by yanom » Nov 28th, '12, 08:28

see this thread:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17225

Being poisoned by what you eat, drink and breathe in China is just a fact of life. Nobody knows how much harm it will really do -- could be lots, could be negligible. Have to wait and see.

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by Neist » Nov 28th, '12, 08:35

Good time for everyone to switch to Japanese teas?

From my understanding, their MRL limits are a bit more strict.

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by Chip » Nov 28th, '12, 09:35

This has been an issue for years. The US government seems unable to effectively stop the flow of contaminated teas.

A perfect case and point is the Teavana issue. You have to look at the data from independent lab testing contracted by Glaucus! It is mindblowing. Keep in mind that Glaucus has something to gain in the short position, so the text could be interpreted as biased.

Teavana claims that all batches of tea are tested for pesticides and do not exceed US nor EU standards ..........

But after viewing the data, I think my words were MUCH stronger than theirs, likely because I am a tea drinker, I am already PO'ed at Teavana for their shady practices and baseless superlatively described claims/marketing hype towards a oft unsuspecting customer base, and the data thoroughly disgusts me.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1019431 ... des-in-tea

This is a drama unfolding before our very eyes, and if true ... how could Starbucks even consider sealing the deal ... and how could not some reform begin due to the relatively large scope of the contamination in Westerners' eyes. Could the huge house of cards constructed by Teavana come tumbling down? I think it is quite possible.

You truly must read this report and focus on the data and relative comparisons. Not sure which is worse, the levels of contamination or the large number of banned pesticides showing up in the tests. I would expect follow up testing to confirm those results. And if confirmed, the s**t will surely hit the fan.

Of course hearing what the store employees say when asked if their teas have any pesticides is interesting as well. However it is a bit hard to draw a conclusion on that since you could perhaps call any larger tea company and Joe Employee would possibly say the same thing. Or were they trained to respond this way ...

... and what will Starbucks say in response? Their Tazo brand fared very well in the comparative testing! I found that interesting!

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by jayinhk » Nov 28th, '12, 09:50

I think Starbucks can help shake up Teavana: the hit their stock price took should serve as motivation to find out what's going on. Not sure why they chose to acquire Teavana, but if they can clean up their business practices, they can take advantage of the established network of stores and existing customer base. It'll be interesting to see how this acquisition plays out!

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by Chip » Nov 28th, '12, 10:00

Relatively speaking, I think Teavana's customer base is weak because they have major retention issues. Eventually they piss too many people off. They thrive on taking advantage of the unsuspecting newbies who walk in to the Teavana trap.

If the data is confirmed, this will really piss off a lot of people! And don't forget, Andy Mack comes with the deal, so to speak.

Yes, I believe Starbucks could help Teavana in several areas where they excel. But Starbucks could simply figure Teavana is now a big liability and simply walk away. Or demand renegotiation since they were likely misled.

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by Neist » Nov 28th, '12, 10:10

Yeah, I don't have a lot of confidence in the help of Starbucks unless they rule over Andy Mack with an iron fist, or get rid of him completely.

I was hoping that he'd take his giant pile of money and leave the company, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by jayinhk » Nov 28th, '12, 10:20

I didn't realize Mack was still going to be around...not good. What were Starbucks thinking?

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by entropyembrace » Nov 29th, '12, 18:15

Glaucus says that JAPANESE teas from Teavana are contaminated too. It´s not just China.

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by jayinhk » Nov 29th, '12, 20:05

I'd put money on their Japanese teas really being Japanese-style teas from China!

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by edkrueger » Nov 29th, '12, 20:11

Nowhere on their website does it specifically say made in Japan, but it is implied. Might be careful marketing language, might be Japanese tea.

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by ethan » Nov 29th, '12, 21:20

A question that returns, is how much does it help to rinse?

Or is Teavana planning to sell teapots that draw the toxins to their walls (to be removed later)?

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Re: What are we really drinking?

by entropyembrace » Nov 29th, '12, 21:36

ethan wrote:A question that returns, is how much does it help to rinse?
Not much unless you´re using dish detergent :roll:

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