> OK, the band-aid comment made me a bit ill... hell to think others were
> just worried about a few bugs. That's pretty damn rough.

Hair is common and fingernails can often be seen as well. I've been
promised that the band-aid was simply an accident by the vendor...as if
they would purposely put one in a bing?

> I had mentioned this a while back in reference to rice crops, since I
> have close friends in Korea that grow rice, and the things you hear are
> stomach turning. I think almost all food prep in Asia/U.S./wherever to
> some extent will have this effect since we like to think of things
> being relatively clean and safe... it rarely is though. BUT I will say
> I have seen and heard more about Chinese products that is downright
> unsafe, illegal, and just plain wrong.

China ain't got anything that even resembles the FDA. The very word
"illegal" is variable here depending on who you know.

> I will also say that I have seen some very un-natural shades of green
> in some japanese/chinese green teas that I know for certain were fresh
> and clean... and TGY also can have this look about it too even
> legitimately.

I tried to convince myself that it was natural for the longest time. I
recently came across some tea from a small shop here in the city that
had the same said bright, neon leaves when brewing. I noticed that the
taste was really sweet and smooth although the leaf quality was
relatively poor. For spring tea, it had retained a great amount of
freshness to the point it made me really suspicious. The price was
also remarkably low that it surprised me. Well, after the 4th or so
brewing, the tea began to have the terrible flavor of low-grade
restaurant, floor-sweeping tea. I inquired about this sudden change,
and the shopkeep, lacking good excuses, played the "stupid foreigner"
card and said, "oh, all good tea is like this."

Right.


> It's sad but radiation, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other
> "genetic modifications" are most likely here to stay due to our greed
> and lack of outcry... it is unfortunately a fact of life anymore. It is
> also why I do not like to claim anything about tea and health benefits,
> because I'm sure there is much more harm than good anymore in each
> leaf.

I am more concerned with the added dyes and flavoring than any
modification. Most of the pesticides could be washed away with the
first wash of the tea, I hope and pray.