All in This Tea (2007)

During the 1990s, David Lee Hoffman searched throughout China for the finest teas. He's a California importer who, as a youth, lived in Asia for years and took tea with the Dali Lama. ... See full summary »

Directors:

Les Blank, Gina Leibrecht

Stars:

David Lee Hoffman, Song Diefeng, Werner Herzog

Cast

Cast overview:
David Lee Hoffman	...	Himself - American Tea Importer
Song Diefeng	...	Himself - Zhejiang Tea Import & Export Corporation
Werner Herzog	...	Himself
Angela Justice	...	Herself
Gaetano Kazuo Maida	...	Himself - Tea Arts Institute
James Norwood Pratt	...	Himself - Author, The Tea Lovers Treasury
Winnie W. Yu	...	Herself - Teance Fine Teas, Berkeley, CA

Storyline

During the 1990s, David Lee Hoffman searched throughout China for the finest teas. He's a California importer who, as a youth, lived in Asia for years and took tea with the Dali Lama. Hoffman's mission is to find and bring to the U.S. the best hand picked and hand processed tea. This search takes him directly to farms and engages him with Chinese scientists, business people, and government officials: Hoffman wants tea grown organically without a factory, high-yield mentality. By 2004, Hoffman has seen success: there are farmer's collectives selling tea, ways to export "boutique tea" from China, and a growing Chinese appreciation for organic farming's best friend, the earthworm.

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Plot Keywords:

tea | china | farm | importer | earthworm | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Flower Films [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

27 June 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Einai ola mes' sto tsai

Filming Locations:

Anxi Province, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Flower Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 70 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A Tea Feast

I saw this film in Austin, Texas accompanied by five distinct varieties of teas to drink, most actually coming from the Hoffman estate. Before seeing this film, drinking those teas would have meant little to me. But after seeing the film and learning about the tea making process, from plant to package, I became more aware of the effort it takes to enjoy a quality tea. Les follows tea exporter David Hoffman around China as he talks to everybody, from politicians and businessmen down to the farmers about buying good quality organic tea. The term organic, says Hoffman, is a recent term. Seventy five years ago, all tea was organic. Before chemical fertilizers were touted as the solution to the mass production of tea, centuries old methods of tea growing was the only way of production. Today, Hoffman battles Chinese bureaucracy and stubbornness to sway the government away from vast modernization and to buy traditional tea directly from the farmer for a good price. The battle is long and hard and filled with potholes and bumpy roads. China believes that the chemical fertilizers will increase production and exports. Hoffman argues that the farmers won't even drink the teas grown with chemical fertilizers. The teas I drank from the Hoffman estate were exquisite. Much better than any Lipton or Bigelow tea. After seeing this film I can rest assured that I won't be poisoning myself anymore with chemically grown teas. I now know what to look for, thanks to Les.