Ya-Ya’s Tea-Board

The annual New Zealand International Film Festival is always a great time to see documentaries that are not likely to make their way into mainstream movie theaters or video stores. But when we read through this year’s program, we got really excited: the latest work of famous documentary film-maker Les Blank (Burden of dreams, The maestro) All in this tea is going to be screened throughout New Zealand!

When I first read about this documentary earlier this year, I thought to myself that this film would be very unlikely to ever be shown in New Zealand. The topic seems too specialized, the potential audience too small. But the curators of the Film Festival never cease to surprise me and have chosen the movie we’re burning to see. The movie will be shown in Christchurch at our favourite theatre - the Rialto - on 14, 18 and 19 August (visit the festival site for a description and screening schedule).

This will be a great chance for anyone interested in tea to get to know more about it. Les Blank follows US tea expert David Lee Hoffman on his travels to remote areas of China on his quest to find and support unknown tea makers that produce outstanding teas. His mission is to raise awareness of the fast replacement of hand crafted (and naturally organic) artisan teas by mass-produced, chemically fertilized average products. He faces many obstacles on his way but his charm and enthusiasm often seems to work in finding ways to “cheat the system”.

From what I gathered by reading reviews and comments on the film (I highly recommend this review on Cha Dao, written by the the moderator and tea aficionado Corax himself or this excellent write-up from the Marin Independent Journal and this review for a more cinematographic take on the film), the film is as much a portrait of David Lee Hoffman as it is of the state of the tea industry: a century-old craft at the brink of industrialization. (some might think that tea has been industrialized for decades - think Bell or Dilmah - but we’re talking about the extinction of rare specialty teas here)
Although not the focus of the film, much can be learned about the production of fine teas, from picking the best leaves and buds off the bush to shaping them into the final form. Set mainly in the vast landscape of remote areas in China, the film shows the - often very poor - tea farmers that produce the outstanding treasures we love and seek. It also investigates the practice of organic tea farming vs. over-fertilizing, an issue that draws little attention in China’s thriving economy.

One of the driving forces (possibly the most important one) of the protagonist is clearly his drive to find the finest teas on earth. This is a passion I can easily relate to and I know, many of our customers can, too. So, don’t let this chance of following one of America’s most prominent tea importers on his quest for rare and precious teas pass by and reserve a ticket to go and see this movie. It is certainly one of our highlights of the year…