Importance of Buying Organic and Fair Trade Tea and Coffee

There exists around the English and their tea drinking, myths. Admittedly people in the UK drink lots and lots of tea, and some, not from the UK, even think it's a ritual, imagine that! Unfortunately, lots of people from the UK are not aware that the tea they drink is grown in parts of the world by producers who care not for their workers or the environment. Some tea plantations in the developing world, who pay their workers a pittance, use poisons and pesticides that are sprayed directly on the crops and even on the poorly paid workers who tend them.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Organic and Fairtrade tea, coffee and coca are being offered and they are growing in popularity. The more people learn about the abusive practices of some of the plantation owners the more they are searching for those alternatives, and are willing to pay a few extra pennies for enormous benefits to the health of all and the conditions of workers. Sustainable is a buzz word now and for that reason people are reaching out to Organic and Fairtrade markets.

Organic and Fairtrade are different, though some offer both. Fairtrade promises that their workers are cared for in a manner that offers them improved working conditions and fairer pay which enhances their quality of life. Fairtrade tea, coffee and cocoa are truly altruistic endeavors because the benefit is only to the worker and not the person who purchases the product at a higher price.

Organic tea, coffee and cocoa, on the other hand, benefits the purchaser, the worker, the environment and the health of the planet in general. Who doesn't want organic? Especially when it is not that much more expensive than the standard brew. A good choice of organic, fair trade tea is Morrisons own branded organic, fair trade tea bags, since it is cheaper than the branded products like clipper teas.

Based on what is involved in becoming an organic grower, it is really surprising that it costs so little more than the standard brew of tea or coffee.

A self sustaining, environment friendly tea or coffee plantation is required to qualify as organic, and must use natural insect and disease management. This only happens when there is, inherent in the land itself, an equilibrium in nature that encourages healthy plants, and control of harmful insects without the use pesticides.

The establishment of these organic tea fields and coffee plantations is complex and requires quite some time. Soils are not virgin and require that the chemical residues from past cultivations be neutralized and nutrient levels need to be built up. This interim period, also called the conversion period, could take from 3-5 years, depending on the agro-ecological condition of the farm. The timing of the conversion is important because if the field or plantation is brought back into production before its time there could still be chemical residue in the soils. If the timing is correct and the techniques are followed there is little chance any pesticides will contaminate the end product.

There is a large selection of organic herbal teas available also. Being organic is a great benefit for herbal teas as some are used for medicinal purposes. Just to name a couple, peppermint tea aids digestion and chamomile tea offers to soothe and relax.

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