..................... with your tea?

Researching the tea shelves was an exercise in learning that a tea may be produced in one country but it can be packed somewhere else entirely. And not all tea comes from China, though Mr Twining’s special selection teas seem to favour China.

There are quite a few varieties of black teas stocked on the shelves of my four local supermarkets, most of which would be recognised by any respectable tea drinker. In no particular order I found Bushells, Dilmah, Tetley, Lipton, Madura, Taylor’s of Harrogate and Billy Tea.

Tea-bags are most popular but for those die-hards tea drinkers who maintain loose leaf is best, most brands carry a loose leaf range. The tea may be a blend and it may be grown in India or Sri Lanka and it may be packed in Indonesia or the United Arab Emirates.

And an Australian grown black tea? Only one 100% Australian grown tea. Nerada. I  found this variety in January when I wrote this post and this current closer look at the shelves stocking tea in the supermarkets hasn’t revealed anything new. Those readers who might be interested in the history of Nerada Australian tea can find out more here.

Madura also grows tea here in Australia but it is packaged and sold as a blend of local and imported teas. Close, but no cigar.

As for Billy Tea and its Campfire Brew and the claim it has been traditionally Australian since 1885? Close examination of the label shows it is an imported tea with very clever labelling which might lead people to think it is an Australian tea. Not so.

Ah well, one Australian produced tea is better than none at all.

This is more like it.......

 Meandering around in the Local Green Supermarket, picking items up, reading the label and putting them back on the shelf, I came to a sudden stop while I was looking along the juice shelf.

I'm looking at a bottle of apple juice and this is what I see first.

 We're off to a flying start here with those stand-out words 100% Australian apples.  It doesn't come much better than that as far as I am concerned, although maybe I should qualify that as it is early days and I may become more difficult to please as time passes and I gather more variations on the theme.
I pick the bottle up and examine it closely. There is a short paragraph about the quantity of apples in the bottle but more importantly there is an additional line that informs the buyer that the contents are made in Australia from local juice.


 I put the bottle in my shopping basket immediately.

 While I am in What-Can-I-Drink? mode I move along to the tea section of the supermarket and here I have to look very carefully at labels.  It takes a little while but eventually I find this:

Nerada Australian tea,  grown in Queensland.   Here is another product to add to the list of Ausfoods. The packet of teabags joins the bottle of apple juice in the basket. There is much more to be said on the subject of tea and what is available in the Red and Green supermarkets. You can be sure I will have more to say about the matter of tea.



I am so impressed with the Nudie nothing but 5 apples labelling and I send off an email praising their efforts in the interests of clear labelling and Australian produce.  A reply states they try their best but some fruit, such as cranberries, have to come from other places.  Even Valencia oranges from time to time.

The lesson for me at this point, is to look for juice that contains only one type of fruit.  Today's juice drinkers seem to require many varieties of fruit and sometimes even vegetables, to be fitted into the one bottle.  In these cases it is highly likely the label will state Imported and local ingredients.

Look out for the dissertation on tea coming up before the end of January.