There is a general strike which was initiated by the Gorkha movement in response to government measures  which are contrary to their way of life (enforcing Bengali as the language in local schools), the Gorkha’s are now pushing for and Independent Gorkhaland. This started early June, and is shows no signs of being resolved. It has led to riots which are causing damage, and now appears to be spreading. I have seen reports today which suggest it is spreading to the Dooars area of the West Bengali foothills. All the tea gardens of Darjeeling have been closed. This means there has been no tea production for that last month. The Second Flush Darjeeling crop is probably lost and some reports suggest the Monsoon crop is now being impacted.  It is difficult to get news out of Darjeeling at the moment as the internet has been cut off and so communication is limited.

This will see Darjeeling prices rise and the quality of future crops change, some gardens have suffered in addition to the neglect of bushes.

For a bit of historical background reading click here

First published by Nothing but Tea Ltd on 15th July 2017 http://www.nbtea.co.uk

It is the time of the year again, so what ever you are celebrating, Teacraft would like to wish you a wonderful holiday, and a Happy New Year.

The Thermoray Moisture Balance is a rugged and reliable mechanical instrument with infrared lamp drying: it is the natural replacement for older Foss and Ohaus mechanical models now no longer available.  The unit is ideal for both drier mouth tea moisture monitoring and for quality control checks during tea blending and packing.  The Thermoray is exceptionally good value for money and offers features found in instruments sold at double the price.  It is of European Union manufacture (CE marked) and the fully tested design measures sample moisture in a fixed time (10 minutes) or to a constant weight.  It requires only ten grams of tea for a moisture measurement and the moisture content is directly displayed as a percentage on the large easy to read scale marked 0 to 20% mc.  Higher moisture contents can be measured, if required, by simple adjustment.  It is also suitable for withered leaf or dhool moisture measurement, which takes 25 minutes to constant weight.
The original clockwork timer, as used on the Thermoray since its launch many years ago, has now been replaced with an integral electric timer.  This is powered by a synchronous AC motor and offers enhanced timing accuracy, from 1 minute to 60 minutes.  The new electric timer is also available for simple retro-fitting into existing Thermorays.
The Thermoray is exceptionally easy to operate, and comes pre-calibrated and complete with full operating manual and operator’s quick-check wall chart.  The instrument is supplied as standard with one spare IR lamp, loading spatula, 10 disposable aluminium weighing trays, and a set of weights.
Teacraft has recently provided Thermorays to customers in Cameroon, Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda: many of these being repeat orders.  In Kenya, we have units operating with Brooke Bond, African Highlands, KTDA, George Williamson, LAB International and Cargill.  We are proud that the KTDA have, so far, specified the Teacraft Thermoray moisture meter for 21 of their tea factories.