All in This Tea (2007)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Directors:

Les Blank
Gina Leibrecht

Release Date:

27 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

During the 1990s, David Lee Hoffman searched throughout China for the finest teas. He's a California importer who...

Plot Keywords:

Tea | China | Farm | Importer | Earthworm

Cast

David Lee Hoffman	...	Himself
Song Diefeng	...	Himself
Werner Herzog	...	Himself
Angela Justice	...	Herself
Gaetano Kazuo Maida	...	Himself
James Norwood Pratt	...	Himself
Winnie W. Yu	...	Herself

Runtime:

USA:70 min (Ashland Independent Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Anxi Province, China

Company:

Flower Films

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.