Tea Biz

Hosted by Dan Bolton

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About the show

The Voice of Tea Lands | Tea Journey Magazine , founded in 2015, and the Tea Biz Blog | Podcast are favorites of tea enthusiasts and professionals worldwide. Content is authentic, timely, and exclusive, a collaborative effort that enlists 40 voices skilled in 12 languages to tell the story of tea. Coverage spans tea discovery and preparation to tea tourism, lifestyles, health and wellness, meditation, culinary tea with recipes, and terroir. Our business coverage offers insights for commercial producers supported by rich market data and scientifically backed research. Transparency is rooted in authentic storytelling, featuring nuanced articles about the places and people who passionately live a life in tea. As a niche publication, Tea Journey relies on reader contributions for most of its income. Please consider donating to support the writers and staff who bring you our unique tea content from around the globe. We appreciate your support. In 2025, we teamed up with our good friends at OverSubscribe, a platform that lets our fans make real financial investments in our future. By contributing as little as $25 to Tea Journey , you’re not just supporting our publication—you’re joining a lively global community and earning a return on your investment. | https://teajourney.oversub.me/

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60 recent

2 min

Tea Price Report | Week 35 | Ending 28 August 2026

Quality-Led Firmness Masks Uneven Auction Liquidity | Tea markets closed ISO Week 35 with headline support intact, but quality mattered more than volume. Buyers remained disciplined, closely tying bids to immediate blending needs. Colombo was buoyant overall, led by low-grown leafy teas and selected better high- and mid-grown descriptions. Mombasa improved at the headline level, though incomplete clearance revealed uneven demand. North India drew good participation, but plainer Assam teas, orthodox descriptions, and dusts met resistance; South India was fair during a holiday-affected week. Indonesia saw slow demand, with selective firmness for scarce West Java lines. In Colombo, prices averaged $3.70/kg this week, up $0.07/kg vs the previous sale’s reconstructed $3.63/kg benchmark. In North India, prices averaged $2.33/kg this week, down $0.06/kg vs the last available official benchmark of $2.39/kg for the week ending 15 August. In Mombasa, prices averaged $2.21/kg this week, up $0.03/kg vs Sale 33’s $2.18/kg benchmark. In Indonesia, prices averaged $1.12/kg this week, up $0.01/kg vs the prior indicative Week 34 benchmark of $1.11/kg. | Podlink sign-up: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

17 min

Spotlight | Behind the Cup

Behind the Cup: Why Quality Tea Needs a Better Business Model | Social and environmental conditions behind tea production remain far less scrutinized than those of coffee or cocoa. In this Tea Biz Spotlight, I speak with Ecological Economist Pierre William Johnson, author of the French-language Thé: l’envers de la tasse — Tea: Behind the Cup. Pierre’s central argument is not that the tea trade should be made to feel guilty. Rather, it is that quality, economic viability, social justice, and environmental resilience are interconnected — and that a higher-priced tea is not necessarily more equitable. His research examines the structures that determine how tea is grown, processed, traded, and valued. We discuss why quality premiums do not necessarily reach workers or smallholders; what happens inside the processing “black box” between green leaf and finished tea; how plantation systems might evolve without abandoning workers; why monoculture creates both business and environmental risks; and what tea companies should change first to build stronger relationships with producers. BIO: Pierre William Johnson specializes in ecological economics and the sustainable development of agricultural and artisanal value chains. His research focuses on tea-producing regions in Asia and East Africa. His latest book examines labor relations, trade structures, producer organization, environmental pressures, and value distribution across the tea sector. | Podlink sign-up: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

10 min

Tea News Recap | Nepal Recovers | India Maps Tea | US Grown Matcha

Nepal Tea Enters Recovery Mode | India Puts Tea Under Satellite Surveillance | Vale Bets on US-Grown Matcha | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

34 min

Ep 245 | Nepal Tea Recovers | India Maps Tea by Satellite | US-Grown Matcha

Nepal Tea Enters Recovery Mode | India Puts Tea Under Satellite Surveillance | Vale Bets on US-Grown Matcha NEWSMAKER – Author and Ecological Economist Pierre William Johnson PLUS |Behind the Cup: Why Quality Tea Needs a Better Business Model Social and environmental conditions behind tea production remain far less scrutinized than those for coffee or cocoa. In this Tea Biz Spotlight, Ecological Economist Pierre William Johnson, author of the French-language Thé: l’envers de la tasse — Tea: Behind the Cup — examines the structures that shape how tea is grown, processed, traded, and valued. We discuss why paying more for quality does not necessarily translate into higher income for workers or smallholders; how colonial-era plantation systems continue to shape wages and working conditions; why monoculture poses both economic and environmental risks; and whether producer organization, agroforestry, stronger quality incentives, and shorter value chains can lead to a fairer distribution of value. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

2 min

Tea Price Report | Week 32 | Ending 7 August 2026

Quality Holds as Regional Tea Prices Diverge | Tea markets closed ISO Week 32 with mixed headline prices but a consistent trading pattern: buyers remained active for immediate coverage and continued to reserve their strongest bids for clean, well-made teas.| In Colombo, prices averaged $3.58 per kilo, up 3 cents versus the reconstructed Week 31 benchmark. | In North India, prices averaged $2.37 per kilo, down 4 cents versus the last available official average for Week 31. In Mombasa, prices averaged $2.14 per kilo, up 2 cents versus Sale 29. In Indonesia, prices averaged $2.39 per kilo, down 2 cents versus the prior indicative Week 31 benchmark. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

13 min

Spotlight | A World of Tea Comes to Seattle

Taste the World of Tea in Seattle | The 16th edition of the Northwest Tea Fest returns to Seattle Center September 26–27 with a sold-out exhibitor hall and a deliberately broad view of the tea world. Visitors can taste teas from major origins, speak directly with the people who source and sell them, attend presentations and workshops, and explore teaware and tea culture under one roof. Virginia Wright, Executive Director of the Northwest Tea Festival, and Festival Coordinator and Puget Sound Tea Education Association Board President Andrew Goodman are in the SPOTLIGHT to explain what makes this year’s gathering distinctive, how first-time visitors can approach dozens of choices without feeling overwhelmed, and why longtime attendees treat the festival as both an educational experience and an annual reunion. The Northwest Tea Festival is presented by the nonprofit Puget Sound Tea Education Association. The association’s mission focuses on tea education, community, and broader public engagement with tea culture. Last year’s festival attracted approximately 4,000 tea enthusiasts to the Seattle Center.| Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

11 min

Tea News Recap | Floods Hit China and Assam | Argentina Tea Moves to Market

Typhoon Deluges South China’s Tea Lands | Floods Halt Production at 30 Assam Tea Gardens | Argentina Moves Its GI-Protected Tea Origin to Market | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

31 min

Ep 244 | Typhoon Deluges China’s Tea Lands | Assam Floods Halt 30 Gardens | Argentina Takes GI to Market

Typhoon Deluges South China’s Tea Lands | Floods Halt Production at 30 Assam Tea Gardens | Argentina Moves Its GI-Protected Tea Origin to Market NEWSMAKERS | Festival Coordinator Andrew Goodman and Puget Sound Tea Education Association President Virginia Wright PLUS | A World of Tea Comes to Seattle | Festival organizers Andrew Goodman and Virginia Wright preview the 2026 Northwest Tea Festival, September 26–27 at Seattle Center, in Seattle, Wash. They explain how a sold-out exhibitor hall brings together teas from China, Taiwan, Japan, India, Africa, Korea and Vietnam; how curious newcomers can sample without feeling overwhelmed; and how presentations, workshops and Tea Bar sessions turn tasting into learning. Andrew also describes what admission includes and why the festival has become an annual reunion supported by a dedicated volunteer community. Buy tickets and explore the program at https://nwteafestival.org/ | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

2 min

Tea Price Report | Week 27 | Ending 3 July 2026

In Colombo, prices averaged $3.55 per kilogram this week, up 10 cents versus the previous week, Sale 24. In North India, prices averaged $2.62 per kilogram, up 8 cents from the last available official average (Week 25). In Mombasa, prices averaged $2.33 per kilogram, up 1 cent versus the prior indicative benchmark, Sale 25. | In Indonesia, prices averaged $2.41 per kilogram, flat versus the prior indicative benchmark, Week 26. | Across the four markets, quality segmentation remains the dominant pricing mechanism. Exporters are resisting lower bids where currency stability and embedded costs support price floors, but buyers are not building speculative positions. Freight, insurance, packaging, and finance remain important, particularly for lower-value teas where logistics consume a larger share of the delivered price. The takeaway is that headline averages are firming without a broad demand breakout. Traders should watch quality, clearance, and export execution separately: the best teas are moving with competition, while weaker descriptions still need accurate pricing to clear. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

27 min

Spotlight | Authentic Presence

When Tea Becomes More Than a Product: Building Ritual, Community, and Trust Without Losing Authenticity Tea is often described in terms of origin, cultivar, elevation, and craft—but another dimension is harder to quantify and increasingly central to how people engage with tea today: presence. Across the specialty market, we are seeing a shift. Not just toward better tea, but toward more intentional ways of experiencing it - spaces designed for slowing down, for attention, for connection. The language of ritual and mindfulness is everywhere. But that raises a critical question for the industry: what is real, and what is simply being repackaged? Today's guest operates directly inside that tension. | Bio: Flowing River is a poet, ceremonialist, and co-founder of Drishti House in Santa Barbara, Calif. It is a space built not around consumption, but around shared presence, where tea becomes a medium for conversation, reflection, and community. He is also the author of The Flowing River, a collection of 221 poems written over a decade-long personal journey that traces spiritual awakening, grief, love, service, identity, and ultimately, surrender. He has led more than 1,000 gatherings, from silent tea ceremonies to immersive retreats. In this conversation, we explore what it means to build a tea practice - not just a tea brand. Where the line between authenticity and performance sits. And what, if anything, from ceremonial tea culture can translate into a viable, modern business model? | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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