QTrade Teas & Herbs will be exhibiting at the Natural Products Expo West show March 9-11th at the Anaheim convention center! We will be exhibiting at Booth #2825 (Hall C). Stop by and say hello.

Natural Products Expo is one of the largest expositions of organic products in North America. We are happy to be a part of this year’s activities.
Also, if you plan to be in town a little early please come see us at the SCiftS Supplier’s Night Expo. Wednesday, March 7th from 3:30-8:00pm.

Grown almost exclusively in China and Taiwan, the word “oolong” literally means “black dragon” in Chinese.

Mythology

One of the best known varieties of Oolong is known as “Tie Kwan Yin” or “Iron Goddess” tea. Legend says that a poor farmer noticed that the temple that housed an iron statue of Kwan Yin the goddess of Mercy was in disrepair. Being only a poor farmer, this man did his best to repair the temple with what few materials he had. On his way home from the temple (or in a dream, in some versions) the goddess appeared to him and told him where he could find a treasure behind her temple. In the place where the goddess indicated stood a tea bush. He took cuttings from the plant home and grew it. The proceeds from the leaves made him prosperous.

Production

The craft of Oolong tea production has been perfected through generations of Chinese artistry. Once plucked, these leaves go through a complex drying and heating process which make the tea come alive in the cup.

One of the unique characteristics of Oolong tea is that after being plucked and withered they immediately go through a process of rolling. Sometimes this rolling is done by hand. In these instances the tea master will gather the leaves into a piece of cloth and roll/ compress them into a ball using his own body weight. Sometimes the leaves are allowed to oxidize between rollings yielding an even darker liquor.

Color and Flavor

Oolongs can range in color from a faint, naive green to a dark, brooding orange. The level of oxidation varies widely according to the variety of oolong, how tightly it is rolled, and other contributing factors such as the terroir it was grown in.  Some oolongs are mild and subtle others are rich and toasty. This variety is part of this category’s appeal.

Brewing Oolong Tea

Generally speaking, we recommend that you steep 3 grams of Oolong (roughly two teaspoons) per cup at about 190 degrees Fahrenheit. One of the benefits of a tightly rolled tea is that it is often conducive to multiple steepings. With each successive cup different flavors can be detected.

Have questions about this post? Ideas for future posts? Leave us a comment below! We love to hear from our readers.

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

As the Fair Trade movement continues to grow, people are seeking innovative ways to bring the benefits of Fair Trade to more producers while increasing awareness at home.

Students in particular have begun to realize that their personal decision to purchase Fair Trade products as often as possible, while noble, is not sufficient to bring about the wide-spread change they desire. In order to see far-reaching change in developing nations, there must be systemic change in developed ones.

What is a Fair Trade University?

Fair Trade Universities are schools that have publicly committed to abide by Fair Trade principles and purchase Fair Trade products as often as possible.  These schools use Fair Trade items in their cafeterias, bookstores, and athletic equipment. They talk about Fair Trade openly and are conscious and intentional about how their decisions impact lives around the world. A university’s choice to support Fair Trade not only affects the immediate needs of the communities that they purchase from, it also broadcasts the message of Fair Trade to the students and community where the school is located, providing for exponential growth of the movement and impact for producers.

How can we make our campus Fair Trade?

There are five steps to becoming a Fair Trade University:

1. Have your school governing body form a Fair Trade Committee

2. Make Fair Trade products available in university-owned/operated outlets as well as included in service contracts as much as possible.

3. Use Fair Trade products at internal university meetings, events hosted by the university and in university offices.

4. Commit to Fair Trade education and raising awareness on campus and in the surrounding community.

5. Pass a Fair Trade Resolution and Fair Trade Procurement Policy through a campus-wide governing body

 How Can QTrade Help?

QTrade Teas & Herbs is the largest supplier of Organic and Fair Trade Teas in North America. Our company was started by members of the communities that benefit from the Fair Trade movement. We remain committed doing everything in our means to care for the communities that produce the world’s finest tea.

With this in mind, QTrade has developed special programs for schools that are interested in becoming Fair Trade Universities. We can provide all of the hot and iced teas your campus needs as well as giving you hands-on information about how your school’s purchase of Fair Trade products impacts producing communities.

Our award-winning Fair Trade foodservice iced teas will provide your school’s dining services with everything they need to qualify as a Fair Trade school, while our hot teas are perfect for campus coffee shops and retail stores.

And these teas not only help change the world they also taste great!

Please contact us for more information about how we can help your school qualify to become a Fair Trade University.  One person’s choice to purchase Fair Trade products can help change the world. Imagine what an entire school can do.

Additional Resources

Fair Trade University Introduction and Criteria

Fair Trade University Application

Fair Trade Student Action Guide

Fair Trade Films List

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

A Question of Oxidation

There are two basic types of green teas, pan-fired and steamed. Both of these are methods used by tea-masters to arrest the oxidation process and prevent the leaves from turning any darker. Traditionally, pan-fired teas originate from China, while steamed teas come from Japan.

Green teas are pan-fired in a large wok, by manually pressing the leaves against the hot iron sides of the pot. This often flattens the leaf into a distinctive-looking rectangle, which provides the added benefit of slowly unrolling with multiple steepings.  Pan-fired teas often carry a slightly smoky smell and flavor.

Leaves are usually steamed through a mechanical process that exposes the leaves to the steam over a conveyor.  Steamed green teas have the reputation of having a more subtle, nuanced flavor.

Kinds of Green Tea

There are many kinds of green tea from different origins with unique flavor profiles. Here are a few of the more famous ones. As a general rule green teas are brewed at 3 grams per 6oz of water at 185°F (85°C) for 3 minutes. Click here to learn more about steeping tea.

Sencha – Described as having a grassy or vegetal flavor, Sencha is a traditional steamed tea from Japan.  This mid-season steamed tea in the Japanese style has an assertive vegetal twang and a distinct, bright green liquor.

Dragonwell – This “Long Jing” tea classic of Zhejiang, China, has lovely light green leaf with golden highlights, a clean, light liquor, a vivacious green infusion and a liquor boasting flavors of sweet grass, dried hay and roasted chestnuts. You can see the distinctive “flatness” that comes from pan-firing.

Genmaicha is an interesting concoction created by the Japanese as a savory blend of puffed brown rice, and a fresh green bancha leaf.

Jasmine Pearls- Long graceful greenish leaf and slender silver buds are hand rolled into pearls which produce a delicate, aromatic, yellow liquor and a nose that reveals the sweet complexity of jasmine.

Matcha – Delicate spring tea is stone ground into a very fine powder, which, when whipped in hot water, makes an intensely vegetal, tea “shake,” latte or cappuccino. Also used in baking and confections.

Please contact us for more about green teas and blends. We will have more posts about green tea in the future.  In the mean time why don’t you let us know what you think about this one? Please leave us a comment below!

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

Black Tea Production

Most of the world’s black tea comes from India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya while a large portion of the US supply is grown in Argentina. Black tea is  produced from Camellia sinensis, the same plant as white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and pu’erh tea. What makes black tea different from other varieties comes from how it is produced, specifically,  the amount the tea is allowed to oxidize after the leaves have been plucked.

• After plucking, the leaves are set out to wither for several hours.
• Once they have lost a large portion of their moisture content the leaves are rolled either by hand or machine.
• Depending on the methodology being used, the leaves may be crushed and curled at this stage to promote faster oxidation.
• Next they are set out to oxidize.
• When the blend master has determined that the leaves have oxidized enough he will order the leaves to be “fired.”
• Exposing the leaves to high temperature arrests the oxidation process and pulls out much of the remaining moisture in the leaves.
• Finally the leaves are sorted according to their size.

Black Tea’s Color and Flavor

Black tea gets its name from the darkness of the tea’s liquor, but it is not technically black as one would think of coffee being black.  The color is more of a dark amber or orange.  The Chinese  called it “red tea” hundreds of years ago, but now this designation more often refers to Rooibos and Rooibos-based blends.

Irish Breakfast and English Breakfast are favorite black tea blends in the British Isles. They consist of black tea from different gardens that is mixed together to provide a distinctive flavor profile. Contrary to most Americans, the British almost always drink their black tea with milk and sugar. This accounts for the Breakfast blend’s strong, sometimes smoky or bitter quality that is meant to stand up to additional flavors.

Black Tea Caffeine Myth

There is a common misconception among  tea-drinkers that black tea has more caffeine than other tea varieties. The best we can figure, this belief comes from the fact that black tea looks the most like coffee in the cup. There is a lot of debate in scientific circles as to exactly how much caffeine the average cup of tea has, as wellas what factors in production adn brewing contribute to that caffeine actually passing on to the consumer.  A general rule of thumb is to assume that a cup of tea (whatever the color) has about half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. For other health-related questions about tea please be sure to see our “Is Tea Healthy?” page.

Please contact us for more about our organic and fair trade black teas and blends. We will have more posts about black tea in the future.  In the mean time why don’t you let us know what you think about this one? Please leave us a comment below!

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

The following are the basic steps of Orthodox tea production. Future posts will delve more deeply into the different steps that are taken to specifically create each variety of tea.

Step 1. Plucking

The quality and variety of tea being produced will determine which new leaves are plucked for production. It takes roughly five pounds worth of fresh plucked leaves to equal one pound of tea. Most high quality teas are still plucked by hand.

Estate Workers Plucking Tea

Step 2. Withering

Next the tea leaves are spread over large trays where they are left for several hours to wither. As much as seventy percent of their moisture evaporates during this stage. This makes the leaves more pliable and controls their moisture content before they enter the next stage.

Tea Withering

Step 3.  Rolling and Crushing

This stage is either done by hand or by machine. The leaves are rolled in order to break the cell walls and release the enzymes that promote oxidation.

A machine designed for rolling the tea leaves after they've been harvested.

Step 4. Oxidation

Tea is once again spread out on trays or mats to allow the leaves to darken. The longer they are left out the darker the tea will become. Often this process takes several hours to complete, and is carefully monitored by the tea master.

Chinese Tea Producer Checks the Oxidation

Step 5.  Firing

Here the teas are exposed to high temperatures to stop the leaves from oxidizing any further. It also dries the leaf even further so that they contain less than 3% of their original moisture level.

Some teas are heated in tumblers like these.

Step 6.  Sorting

This is where the tea is organized by size. The smallest grade of leaf at the end of the process is what is used in traditional paper tea bags.  The largest grades are what are sold as loose leaf teas.

Tea is Still Sorted Manually in Some Parts of the World

We will dig deeper into how the different varieties are processed in future posts. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on this or future posts please leave us a comment below!

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

The new building will allow QTrade to double its inventory capacity to 3.5 million lbs for specialty and organic teas, as well as herbs and spices.

The move will also dramatically increase our capacity for on-site blending and packaging.  In particular, the new facility will provide the infrastructure for QTrade to implement world-class food safety systems that incorporate raw material screening and product testing demanded by our growing clientele.

The new property is only about five miles away from our current headquarters making the transition faster and more efficient, with less time lost in the interim. In order to  dedicate resources to completing the move as quickly and efficiently as possible we will be closed for a 5 day period from Monday, October 24 – Friday, October 28, 2011. We look forward to serving our clients from our new and expanded facility beginning November 1st.

The address for the new facility is:

16205 Distribution Way

Cerritos, CA 90703

Our phone number will remain the same (949) 766-0070

info@qtradeteas.com

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way Cerritos, CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

Tisanes made with chamomile (called “chamomile tea,” or “manzanilla tea”) have been served throughout the West for centuries. The ancient Egyptians used its bright, daisy-like flowers in ceremonies to worship the sun god Ra, and the ancient Greeks gave it to their soldiers to make them fit for battle.

In medieval times chamomile was the herb of choice for flavoring beer several hundred years before hops were used for that purpose. European monks employed chamomile extensively for a wide-range of ailments, as well as for improving the welfare of their herbal gardens. It is still thought that planting chamomile near weak or sick plants will help them grow. For this reason chamomile is known as the “doctor of the herbs.”

The word “chamomile” is derived from the Greek word meaning “ground apple” because of its apple- like fragrance and flavor. The Spanish word for the herb is manzanilla (“little apple”) for the same reason.  Chamomile prepared as a tisane is very popular among Central and South Americans as an aid to a healthy lifestyle. It is easily one of the best-recognized and most-requested herbal products in the Latin American market.

Chamomile comes in two main varieties: Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) and German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita). Botanists have long disputed which constitutes the “true” chamomile of the two as they have similar properties but subtle differences in appearance and flavor. At QTrade we offer German chamomile to our customers as this is the variety most often sought for beverages.

QTrade carries chamomile in whole and TBC cuts. We also have a number of blends which feature chamomile as an ingredient. Organic and Fair Trade options are available. Please contact us today for more information about our chamomile products.

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

The above information is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended for the prevention, diagnosis, or cure of any disease, illness, or ailment.

What is Fair Trade?

Simply put, Fair Trade is a way of doing business that intentionally seeks to improve the lives of producers. A percentage of every Fair Trade purchase you make goes straight to the workers who grow, harvest, and process the tea you enjoy. These producers choose how the money is spent, whether on local healthcare projects, education for their children, or other means of improving their living conditions.

How Does it Work?

Whenever you purchase a Fair Trade Certified product a percentage of that money is passed from you directly back to the producers. This money is called a “Fair Trade Premium.” In order to qualify for the Fair Trade Premium the producers agree that they will offer employees a fair wage, not employ child labor, and give their workers collective bargaining rights. The producers also agree that all decisions made on how to use the Fair Trade Funds are arrived at democratically.

These stipulations are audited regularly to ensure full compliance with the Fair Trade guidelines.

The majority of this footage was shot on Fair Trade Tea Plantaions

Why does it matter to us?

Many of QTrade’s employees started their tea careers in producing countries. We know firsthand the time and effort it takes to produce the finest tea in the world, so we consider it our duty to ensure that the workers who do so are fairly compensated for their work. We were one of the first companies in the tea industry to embrace the Fair Trade movement and we enthusiastically support its continued growth across all industries and consumer groups.

How to Get Involved in Fair Trade Month

1)   Vote with your dollars. Request Fair Trade Tea at your local tea house or coffee shop. Be sure to tell them about QTrade when you do!

2)   Use this handy locator to find other Fair Trade products to buy.

3)   Join the campaign to make your city or University Fair Trade friendly.

4)   Contact us today to learn about how your business can carry Fair Trade products or how we can help your school qualify for the Fair Trade Universities Program.

For more recommendations on how you can celebrate Fair Trade month follow this link to Fair Trade USA’s website. We would love to answer any questions you have about Fair Trade and tea. Leave us a comment below!

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com

An Inconvenient Truth

The reality of the North American tea industry is that customers prefer convenience over any other quality. Ever since a tea salesman first noticed the samples he sent could be brewed inside their silk pouches, Americans have associated their tea with tea bags. In order for tea bags to steep properly, smaller grade tea cuts had to be used, and lower quality infusions resulted.

Fortunately, there has been a significant upswing in loose-leaf tea interest in recent years. Forecasters predict that the tea company which finds the most convenient ways to present loose-leaf tea to the general public will win the day.

What Makes the Teaze Different?

First, is the presentation. If you haven’t had a chance to see this over-the-cup infuser in person, you should request a sample. It is a fascinating way to serve tea, as it takes away the hassle associated with brewing loose-leaf in a way that is aesthetically enjoyable. You can watch the leaves agonize and unfurl their flavors right before your eyes.

Second, the Teaze Infuser is made from medical grade Eastman Tritan™ plastic and a stainless steel filter. It is BPA free and dishwasher safe. This thing is tough. No other infuser on the market is made from such high quality materials.

A Sight to Behold

We have never seen any other product that so perfectly compliments high quality loose-leaf tea drinking experience in all our years in this industry.

Every time we bring this product into a tea house or coffee shop people are amazed by it. This reinforces our belief that the Teaze Infuser is the ideal product for any retail tea or coffee establishment, finally bringing high quality loose-leaf teas to the average American consumer. We challenge you to take this product around your own business and see the reactions that it creates among customers and employees alike. Seeing it in action is enough to convince them to take one home.

Learn more about the Teaze Infuser at: www.TeazeInfuser.com or  contact us for pricing and additional information. As a reminder, QTrade does not sell any of its products directly to consumers, so you are never in danger of competing with us for customers.

Have you tried one of these at home or sold them at a retail location? We would love to hear about your experience. Please leave a comment below!

www.QTradeTeas.com | (949) 766-0070 | info@qtradeteas.com

16205 Distribution Way, Cerritos CA 90703 USA| www.TeazeInfuser.com