"Tea is tea, right?"
That's a question I often hear. While it might seem straightforward, tea is far more complex and diverse than most realise.
Tea is an infusion made from the tender leaves of a single plant species, Camellia Sinensis. The plant concentrates its active ingredients and flavourings predominantly in its youngest leaves and the unopened bud. These parts create the finest quality tea when hand-picked and carefully processed.
The young bud highlights the subtleties and unique characteristics of a cultivar and its terroir, often contributing floral and fruity notes to the tea. In contrast, older, larger leaves provide more earthy flavours.
The journey of a tea flush involves many factors influencing the final product. The specific methods of processing tea, the region where the tea is grown, and the timing of the harvest all play crucial roles in determining the tea's unique characteristics.
For potential tea importers, understanding these nuances is vital. It enables you to make informed decisions and cater to the specific tastes and preferences of your market, ensuring you offer high-quality and distinctive teas that stand out.
Kenyan Two Leaves and a Bud Standard
In Kenya, the picking standard of two leaves and a bud has been established as the ideal for many types of tea. This method strikes a good balance between the diverse taste characteristics of the bud and the leaves, ensuring a high-quality, flavourful tea.
This standard is essential for importers seeking to offer superior tea products that deliver consistent and exceptional taste profiles.
Tea Varieties in Kenya
Although tea-growing countries can produce various types of tea, each country has a long-established culture of its own. Kenya primarily produces CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) tea, with Black Tea being the most common variety and Kenyan Orthodox Tea the least common.
The CTC method enhances the tea's strength and brightness, making it ideal for tea bags and blends. Orthodox tea, although less common in Kenya, is popular in specific markets such as the Middle East, Turkey and Iran.
Kenyan CTC Tea is highly sought after in international markets due to its consistent quality and strong flavour profile. The tea is graded by separating particle sizes using various meshes, resulting in well-known grades such as Kenyan Broken Pekoe 1 (BP1), Pekoe Fanning 1 (PF1), Pekoe Dust (PD), Dust, and Broken Mixed Fanning (BMF). These grades are then bid for at the Mombasa Tea Auction in preparation for export.
The country exports nearly 90% of this CTC Black tea production, with around 522 million kgs exported in 2023. This high demand ensures a reliable supply chain for importers, reducing the risks associated with sourcing tea from other regions. Kenyan tea's reputation for quality makes it a dependable choice for tea packers worldwide.
Kenyan Orthodox Tea
While CTC tea dominates Kenya's production, Orthodox Tea is also produced, albeit in smaller quantities. Kenyan Orthodox Tea is less common compared to its CTC counterpart and is not as widely recognised as Sri Lankan Orthodox Tea. However, it has gained recognition in niche markets for its unique qualities. Orthodox tea is typically hand-processed, which helps to preserve the integrity of the leaf and maintain its natural flavours.
The favourable growing conditions mentioned earlier — ideal tropical climate, rich volcanic soil, and high-altitude terrain contribute to a distinctive taste profile that includes rich, malty flavours with a hint of floral notes. The orthodox processing method allows for a more nuanced flavour development, making it appealing to connoisseurs and specialty tea markets.
Despite being less prevalent, Kenyan Orthodox Tea holds potential for growth in international markets that are currently importing Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka, the worlds largest producer of Orthodox Teas.
Orthodox tea from Kenya is a valuable addition to the diverse range of Kenyan tea offerings, providing importers with an opportunity to cater to different segments of the tea market.
Tea Growing Regions in Kenya
Kenyan Tea farms are located in the highland areas on both the East and West of the Great Rift Valley. The unique geography allows tea bushes to flourish under favourable weather patterns of rainfall and adequate sunlight throughout the year. These regions are renowned for their fertile soils and optimal growing conditions.
The East is home to more than 500,000 small-scale tea farms managed by KTDA, while the West has large multinational companies responsible for most of the tea grown and exported.
These corporations have bargaining agreements with workers and are rainforest alliance certified to create a sustainable tea industry for workers, farmers, and the environment with hilly forests surrounding many plantations.
Kenyan Tea Production
In recent years, Kenya has remained the largest black tea producer by volume. 2023's tea production hit a record high of 570 million kg, compared to 535 million kg in 2022 (a 6.58% increase). This consistent production volume ensures a stable supply of high-quality Kenyan tea for importers worldwide.
With minimal seasonal variations in quality, Kenyan tea liquors range between good, medium to very fine qualities. This consistency makes Kenyan tea dependable for tea packers worldwide. The reliability of Kenyan tea as a product base can enhance brand reputation and consumer trust, providing a competitive edge in the market.
Read more about the Kenya tea industry Report on the 2023 performance highlights below:
Why is Kenyan Tea Different? Unique Characteristics of Kenyan Tea
The art of processing tea in Kenya benefits from an ideal tropical climate, deep volcanic soil rich in minerals, and fertile high-altitude terrain, creating perfect conditions for tea cultivation.
These natural advantages contribute to high antioxidant activity, making Kenyan tea a clean and health-conscious choice. The high-altitude terrain, typically between 1,500 to 2,700 meters, enhances the flavour profile by allowing tea bushes to develop more complex flavours and higher concentrations of beneficial compounds.
Kenyan tea farmers employ sustainable agricultural practices, using organic fertilisers to maintain soil health and productivity. No agrochemicals are sprayed on the tea leaves, adhering to stringent standards for environmental sustainability and consumer health.
These factors result in unique characteristics of Kenyan tea - tea that is flavourful, aromatic, and rich in health-promoting antioxidants, making Kenyan tea an excellent choice for importers looking for high-quality, nutritious tea that supports sustainable agriculture.
Kenyan Tea Taste Profile
Kenyan tea is known for its distinct taste, full-bodied character, brisk flavour, and aromatic quality. The liquor's colour can range from delicate amber to bright coppery hues, offering an ideal blending opportunity. These qualities make Kenyan tea the best choice for many tea brands looking to deliver a superior tea experience.
For potential tea importers, the taste profile of Kenyan tea provides a versatile base for creating a wide range of blends. The robust, rich flavour of Kenyan black tea makes it suitable for both traditional and innovative tea products using Kenyan tea as a raw ingredient.
It's strong, brisk notes can stand up to milk and sugar in classic milk teas, while its bright, lively character can enhance fruit and herbal infusions. The tea's natural sweetness and complex flavour profile also make it an excellent choice for premium loose-leaf teas and specialty blends, ensuring that your customers enjoy a high-quality, memorable tea experience.
Kenya also produces green and white teas, though in small quantities for specialised markets. These teas are crafted with the same attention to detail and commitment to quality as the more common black teas, offering unique flavours and health benefits.
Kenyan Purple Tea, a unique varietal with high levels of anthocyanin, offers numerous health benefits, including weight management. The development of purple tea highlights Kenya's innovation in tea production, creating new opportunities for health-focused tea products in the global market.
Benefits of Kenyan Tea For Your Business
Kenyan tea offers a growing number of varieties, sustainable practices, consistent supply, distinct taste, unique nutritional value, and opportunities for value addition.
Tea isn't just tea; it's an emotional connection for consumers, accompanying moments of solitude, conversations, and a healthy lifestyle. Each cup represents a unique blend of history, culture, and careful craftsmanship.
Understanding this depth significantly benefits tea importers and we has assisted tea importers by helping them make more informed decisions, cater to diverse consumer preferences and tap into niche markets.
This knowledge allows for the creation of unique Kenyan tea blends that stand out in a competitive market, fostering brand loyalty and increasing your sales.