First published in TChing here and here
These types of themes usually run in just one direction,
tied to a vendor claiming that their tea is “wild sourced” from naturally
growing plants in the jungle. Sometimes
it really is. Monsoon Tea in the North
of Thailand specializes in that theme, and has worked with a Russian
researcher, Alexey Reshchikov, who is doing research on assessing biodiversity
and forest health, based out of China.
I just attended a talk by Alexey at a Monsoon location in
Bangkok, with a
video of that presentation here. I
won’t get far in covering what he said, and it’s easy enough to watch it, but a
bit of summary will make a start. Just
bear in mind that I won’t do the fine points justice, this only comments on some parts.
Alexey does research into the health of ecosystems. It’s possible to assess this by trapping insects and evaluating which ones are present. Of course that would mean a lot more to a very specifically trained ecologist, which he is. The idea is that the health of a forest depends on the balanced diversity of all forms of life present, the plants, the insects, and everything else living there, but the insects can provide a window into how the rest is going.
As an interesting related tangent, one particular kind of
lack of health in a forested environment can occur when a new species is
introduced into an ecosystem that isn’t already in balance with that insect (or
animal or plant).
The US sees this happen from time to time. There was a type of silk worm (gypsy moth)
spread that destroyed a lot of Pennsylvania forests when I was younger, with
that not an uncommon event, per
this reference:
Collectively, oak, elm, ash, hemlock, butternut, dogwood,
redbud, and chestnut trees died at a rate several times greater than that of
unimpacted tree species. From 1991 to 2013, trees attacked by invasives
accounted for about 25% of all tree death, measured by the amount of tree
biomass lost…
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trap system used to collect insects |
Alexey mentioned a case in which a novel form of resolution for
this had been utilized; researchers introduced an insect that
disrupted the invading insect’s lifecyle, stalling the progress of destruction
of entire forest areas. In discussing a
similar theme with Kenneth Rimdahl of Monsoon, related to Alexey’s research, he
covered how one type of insect is actually a sort of guardian of the tea plants
(trees). It feeds on other insects that
would feed on the leaves, protecting the plants, when present in significant
numbers.
Truly natural environments find their own balance. The role pesticides play in monoculture
farming, moderating impact of insects, is replaced by naturally established relationships
between organisms. Alexey described how in evaluating the role pesticide plays in monoculture farming it is helpful to
understand what that not-as-natural environment is like, what insects can live
under such circumstances. That would mostly
be relevant to organic farming, since enough pesticide use strips the
environment of most types of insects. Such
study is occurring through the Dali University
that Alexey is a part of.
Alexey and Kenneth discussed a related concern: when farming using pesticide controls as soon
as an insect gains tolerance for the chemicals it has unrestricted
access to feed on the plants, requiring different chemical
treatment to eliminate it. It could
potentially become a vicious cycle, requiring a series of changes over time, one
with health impacts for consumers eating or drinking products made from those
materials.
All very fascinating!
The entire talk is worth a watch, to catch the original form, or a
related Tea Fauna Facebook page
covers more, or the related Instagram
version tells the story through photos.
In the end the goal is to promote preservation of truly natural wildlife areas. Being able to assess the health of a local environment and knowing more about stages in between balanced, natural forests and ecologically stripped, monoculture farming environments could support this. This early research work isn't necessarily building directly into a way to transition from monoculture farming back to more varied, organic approaches, or to use of truly natural environments as food sources. It's about developing understanding and tools for analysis.
Beyond leading towards more natural organic approaches, another more extreme idea is that if wild forests can provide economic support, income for local people, that provides more incentive for protecting those environments. The links and supports between original forest, least environmentally friendly farming (mono-culture approaches), more organic approaches, and re-forestation (the interim steps) make for a longer story.
Related to that one end point goal and sub-theme, Monsoon sells “wild” origin versions of Thai teas, as are produced all across South East Asia. I'll mention a lot of examples of related teas here, without going into detail about character or background, with more information about them in linked materials.
The "wild" teas can be unusual. Many of those have an odd sour taste, which is better once you are expecting it, and have a chance to acclimate a bit to the different style. It’s not unique to their versions; I reviewed a wild Xiaguan sheng pu’er that was similar here (a 2005 version, so with some age), and a locally made sheng version produced by my favorite Bangkok shop owner (from 2012, so not “young” either), which I really liked.
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wild tea search in Laos, covered here, photo credit the Comité de coopération avec le Laos |
I
just reviewed a Yongde “ye sheng,” or wild origin
material Yunnan black tea not long ago, but in that case I was talking
about an unusual degree of tartness, not sourness. It would depend on the mix of genetics in the
plant material, and of course processing always affects outcome. I reviewed a hill-tribe producer sourced Thai black tea last year that wasn't tart or sour, just quite good tea, maybe only a little more "rustic" than some more refined versions. And I've reviewed a comparable themed version from Vietnam. Again, differences in plant types and processing would factor in, so resulting character varies.
Those references relate mostly to black teas, since that's the general type I started on discussing, but wild and plantation produced sheng "pu'er-like" types come up across South East Asia too. As of now the production and market for those probably aren't extensive enough to play a significant role in preventing further de-forestation. But lots of little steps could add up, and help support retention of natural areas, including appreciation for forest-origin products.
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a small tasting gathering after the talk |
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