Will you temporarily stop purchasing Japanese Greens?

[Chip]

John from GreenTeaLovers,

Although this is taking a serious topic off topic.

OK, FYI ... my posts discussing ... check 'em out.

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You really have no idea how much I have promoted many vendors through formal tastings, informal tastings, positive posting, etc.

Ask for my my list of fave 5, fave 10 vendors of Japanese teas and I will gladly post them.

Generally, if I have little or nothing positive to say about a vendor, I say little or nothing about them. So if a vendor wants to see me say more about them, it is simple, in general offer better teas.

[Chip]

Sorry for getting a bit off topic there.

Sooo, back on subject again, I have a pretty well stocked TeaFridge of 2010 harvest teas from Japan, purchased since the triple disaster. Much more than any previous year in April. So, I can say I have continued to buy teas from Japan.

This was done in a rather purposeful move, first to support vendors of Japanese tea, and in a small way support the industry. But also, I really did not know at the time what might change from day to day. I think we have all been watching this quite seriously.

And I am beginning ground work on at least one Shincha OTTI!!!

[shinobicha]

How do I get in on the Shincha OTTI (or any other Japanese greens OTTI)?

[Chip]

How do I get in on the Shincha OTTI (or any other Japanese greens OTTI)?

Thank you for asking! Watch for announcements here:
http://www.teachat.com/viewforum.php?f=66

This is the Hagi & TeawareArtisan SOP & OTTI forum of TeaChat. Believe me, I will be hyping this. There will be formal announcement at least 3 days prior to the posting of the actual OTTI offering. This announcement will include lots of info including the teas to be offered and how to participate.

A few changes, improvements to the OTTI program will hopefully make them even better, including guaranteed 10 grams or more of each tea to be sampled (usually 5 teas).

[shinobicha]

Thanks Chip!
I just subscribed to "OTTI Round Schedules" so hopefully I can stay up to date on it.

[Chip]

Thanks Chip!
I just subscribed to "OTTI Round Schedules" so hopefully I can stay up to date on it.

GREAT! Hope you join us

[Nenugal]

How do I get in on the Shincha OTTI (or any other Japanese greens OTTI)?

Thank you for asking! Watch for announcements here:
http://www.teachat.com/viewforum.php?f=66

This is the Hagi & TeawareArtisan SOP & OTTI forum of TeaChat. Believe me, I will be hyping this. There will be formal announcement at least 3 days prior to the posting of the actual OTTI offering. This announcement will include lots of info including the teas to be offered and how to participate.

A few changes, improvements to the OTTI program will hopefully make them even better, including guaranteed 10 grams or more of each tea to be sampled (usually 5 teas).

Shincha OTTI? Very VERY interesting I still regret that I didn't join the 90s sheng OTTI, but I'll certainly try to get into this one...

[Harrynelson]

This is right that in Japan radiation problem is face by locals.Radiation is thing which affect food and live things so it is good decision that stop purchasing before confirm that there is no problem in tea.We can see that there is only few place in Japan where radiation problem is available but we don't know the tea is coming from which area.Thanks

[Chip]

This is right that in Japan radiation problem is face by locals.Radiation is thing which affect food and live things so it is good decision that stop purchasing before confirm that there is no problem in tea.We can see that there is only few place in Japan where radiation problem is available but we don't know the tea is coming from which area.Thanks

Actually we do know which tea is coming from which area. There is also a substantial amount of pretty trustworthy data available (much more so than if this occurred in another tea growing country such as India or China) to assist in the decision making process.

There is a lot of information available, so those interested can indeed make an educated decision.

[a.serrao]

Actually we do know which tea is coming from which area. There is also a substantial amount of pretty trustworthy data available (much more so than if this occurred in another tea growing country such as India or China) to assist in the decision making process.

There is a lot of information available, so those interested can indeed make an educated decision.

I've received an answer from Marukyu. They said that it's possible a shipment delay up to 1 week because: "of the extra documentation certificate (declaration) of the production place which EU requires. It takes time to get this documentation."
A similar statement appears on IPPODO's main site.

Now, from the following site: http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/modules/ ... ml_lang=en it's specifically declared that: "Personal goods are not included within the scope of the Regulation, provided that the recipient will refrain from subsequent commercial use. The recipient will have to make his or her own personal assessment whether there is a risk in consuming the goods."

Now the two things clashes.
It's also unclear as what "personal goods" is referring to.
Any hints?

[Kevangogh]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but looks like tea from Kanagawa is out of the running.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 15660.html

Radiation Detected in Tea Leaves in Japan


TOKYO—A prefecture just south of Tokyo said it had detected higher-than-permissible amounts of radioactive material in tea leaves, in a reminder that Japan's radioactive-contamination problems are far from over.

The contamination—the first case in nearly a month that an agricultural product has been found tainted outside Fukushima Daiichi's home prefecture—is also the first time that any agricultural item from Kanagawa Prefecture, which includes Yokohama, was found to contain an excessive level of radioactivity.

Japan is still struggling to cope with its worst-ever nuclear disaster at the stricken power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, but concerns over radioactivity in food and drinking water had been easing over the past few weeks, at least outside the most-contaminated areas near the plant. In some prefectures, previously banned shipments of certain vegetables have since resumed, as repeated tests showed declines in contamination levels.

Before the latest case of Kanagawa tea leaves, the last time any prefecture outside Fukushima reported higher-than-permissible contamination in any agricultural product was spinach from Ibaraki Prefecture on April 12, according to Japan's health ministry.

According to Kanagawa officials, a sample of tea leaves collected May 9 from the city of Minamiashigara, in the western part of the prefecture, was found to contain 550 becquerels of cesium per kilogram in the first test; the second test of the same sample detected 570 becquerels. The difference between the two readings is within the margin of error in such tests, the officials said.

Since the discovery, the prefecture has suspended shipments of tea leaves from all of Kanagawa, not just Minamiashigara.

Kanagawa tested tea leaves for the first time because local farmers were about to start shipping this year's tea leaves they had just picked. The prefecture had been testing other agricultural products, but hadn't found any problems of excessive contamination.

"Before the tea leaves, Kanagawa's other agricultural products had shown no apparent increase in the amount of radioactive materials," which had always been well below the Japanese government's regulatory limits, said Hideto Funahashi, a Kanagawa government official in charge of the prefecture's agricultural issues.

[Chip]

So, what is the permissible level ... by law or whatever?

I do not think I ever even saw tea from Minamiashigara or even Kanagawa.

Of course, regardless this is sad news for everyone affected.

[Xell]

This sounds bad, since for most people there are no safe limits, especially when there is choice. I wonder if they did found something else expect cesium. From what i remember, cesium is still not that dangerous. It doesn't stay in body for long time.

[bambooforest]

I purchased a kyusu from Yokkaichi after the earthquake. The clay was sourced in that area as well.

I wonder if I should be concerned.

Isn't that near or in Kanagawa?

What say you?

[a.serrao]

This sounds bad, since for most people there are no safe limits, especially when there is choice. I wonder if they did found something else expect cesium. From what i remember, cesium is still not that dangerous. It doesn't stay in body for long time.

Because of its beta decay (to 137mBa), 137Cs is a strong emitter of gamma radiation.[41] Its half-life makes it the principal medium-lived fission product along with 90Sr—both are responsible for radioactivity of spent nuclear fuel after several years of cooling up to several hundred years after use.[42] For example 137Cs together with 90Sr currently generate the largest source of radioactivity generated in the area around the Chernobyl disaster.[43] It is not feasible to dispose of 137Cs through neutron capture (due to the low capture rate) and as a result it must be allowed to decay.[44]
Almost all caesium produced from nuclear fission comes from beta decay of originally more neutron-rich fission products, passing through various isotopes of iodine and of xenon.[45] Because iodine and xenon are volatile and can diffuse through nuclear fuel or air, radioactive caesium is often created far from the original site of fission.[46] With the commencement of nuclear weapons testing around 1945, 137Cs was released into the atmosphere and then returned to the surface of the earth as a component of radioactive fallout.[7]