Why tasting is remains best method of testing tea quality

A tea basket on a tea farm in Tetu, Nyeri. [File, Standard]

Last year, when the tea bonus payment was announced, many smallholder tea farmers were not satisfied and believed that the payment ought to have been higher. I agree, the payment in many factories was not what we expected. In some factories, the prices were way lower than the monthly payment.

A debate on the price disparity between East and West of the Rift Valley came up, but I must say that this difference has been there for years. Teas from the east fetch a fairly higher price at the auction than those from the west. We should also note that even in the east some factories have a history of higher prices than others.