Climate change can affect not only the volume of tea production but also its taste. According to a new report, rising temperatures and increasingly frequent extreme weather events in major tea-producing countries are making tea taste less stable and more bitter. Problems are already being felt.
Tea belongs to crops that are particularly dependent on relatively stable climatic conditions. For its normal growth, temperatures between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius are necessary, as well as a sufficient, but not excessive, amount of precipitation. However, these conditions are increasingly being disrupted in countries where a significant portion of the world's tea is grown, including Kenya, India, and Sri Lanka.
This is stated in a new report by the international organization Christian Aid, which deals with poverty alleviation, humanitarian aid, and climate change adaptation issues.
As Sky News writes, the authors of the document note that the taste of tea depends on the balance of various chemical compounds in the leaves, including catechins, amino acids, and polyphenols.
Rising temperatures affect this balance: plants begin to produce more substances that give the drink astringency, while components responsible for sweet notes decrease. As a result, tea can become more bitter.
Changes in precipitation patterns also affect leaf quality. Too heavy or irregular rains can reduce the concentration of substances that form the characteristic taste and aroma of tea. Droughts and floods create additional stress for plants, leading not only to reduced yields but also to a deterioration in product quality.
Farmers themselves testify to the impact of weather on tea plantations. According to their observations, in very dry or unpredictable seasons, the leaves become smaller, and the quality of the harvest deteriorates. This, in their opinion, also affects the taste of the finished tea.
Tea leaf picking on a plantation in the mountainous region of Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka. Photo: Tuul & Bruno Morandi / Getty Images
The problem affects not only traditional tea-growing regions. Even in the UK, where it is also cultivated on a small scale, climate change makes it difficult to achieve a consistent product taste year after year.
Tea brands strive to maintain the characteristic taste of their products. However, as the weather becomes less predictable, ensuring such stability becomes increasingly difficult. Moreover, the problem is not limited to changes in the taste characteristics of the drink.
Reduced yields and other disruptions in production caused by climate change can lead to rising prices, increased costs, and disruptions in tea supplies.
Christian Aid also proposes a number of measures that could help producers adapt to new conditions. These include developing more heat- and drought-resistant tea varieties, improving irrigation systems, and planting trees to provide shade for plantations. The organization also advocates for fair pricing and additional funding for farmers so that they can implement measures to adapt to new climatic conditions.
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