With prices going up every time you shop for groceries, fill up your car with gas, buy clothing, or shop for that upgrade to the latest household gadget that has gone kaput!, it’s nice to know that tea is still the affordable indulgence. Here’s how:

• More tea being grown – While tea has certain requirements for optimum growth, the amount of acreage world-wide being planted with tea plants has increased steadily over the past 14+ years, with China leading the pack and India second. There is also a tea plantation in the UK (Tregothnan mentioned in various articles on this blog) and in more and more places here in the U.S.
• Efficiency improvements – The more efficient tea producers are, the better for us all. They have a better return on their investment and can produce even more. Improvements in how the tea is produced so that the harvest workers damage less and drop less, so that what makes it to the tea factory is in the best condition and usable, so that the machines run better and faster, and so on, are key.
• Eliminating frills – While some tea companies spend tons of money on celebrity endorsements, fancy stores, and complicated packaging, others bring you great teas in simple pouches (both loose leaf and simple style teabags). When you pay for tea instead of frills, you get a better return on your investment!
• Better steepers – Yes, there are devices out there that help you get more cuppas from the same amount of tea leaves. One is the IngenuiTea. You put loose tea leaves in it and steep them several times, giving you two or three times as much tea.
• Using fine ground tea – Several tea experts are certain that you get more efficient steeping from fine ground tea. A teaspoonful can steep up not only faster but either stronger or (if you use more hot water) a larger amount.

Of course, the one thing that really makes tea affordable is for you to make it yourself at home instead of buying that expensive tea-like beverage at one of those chain tea or coffee joints. You can make for pennies what they charge you several dollars for, and you can be assured that the tea will taste the way you like it.

Cheers!

See more of A.C. Cargill’s articles here.

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