Prices at the world’s major auctions gained modestly last week, reflecting tightening supply and higher production costs.

In Colombo, the auction average rose to 2.50 per kilo, supported by strong interest in bright, high-grown liquoring teas and limited fresh offerings.

In South India, the CTC market strengthened to 182 rupees per kilo, driven by active blenders in Kerala and the Nilgiris and by continued seasonal demand from packers. |

In Mombasa, Kenya, BP1 grades rose to one dollar and eighty-nine cents per kilo, a six-cent weekly increase, as buyers from Pakistan and Egypt met lighter Rift Valley production and tighter warehouse stocks.

Worldwide, cost pressures persist. The Sri Lankan rupee remains near record lows; Indian estates face rising electricity, fuel, and labour costs; and Kenyan fertiliser prices are up sharply year over year.

Looking ahead, the tone is firm. Colombo is expected to trade in the US$2.05–2.15/kg range; South India CTC is likely to hold around INR 180–185/kg; and Mombasa may inch toward US$1.90–1.94/kg if lower Kenyan output continues.

https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/

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CuppaTrade is a next-generation sourcing platform explicitly designed for the global tea and coffee trade. What sets CuppaTrade apart is its architecture: it is the first AI-driven, blockchain-enabled, climate-aligned B2B marketplace built for bulk buyers, specialty importers, private-label brands, roasters, trading houses, and retail chains.

The platform connects verified producers across India, Nepal, and Vietnam with global buyers who need transparent pricing, reliable quality data, and direct access to origin. CuppaTrade offers AI-powered product discovery, digital quality cards, sample management, and full blockchain traceability, giving buyers confidence in authenticity and compliance with origin requirements. It also integrates logistics partners, warehousing, and—soon—digital finance solutions to support seamless procurement.

For producers, CuppaTrade reduces intermediaries and opens new international channels. For buyers, it brings a more efficient, data-rich, climate-smart way to source tea and coffee at scale.

CuppaTrade is led by three principals whose combined expertise has shaped the platform into one of the most advanced sourcing systems in the tea and coffee trade.

Joining us today are newsmakers Mihir Gandhi, Rakhee Biswas, and Satrajit Bannerjee, founders of CuppaTrade Marketplace Joining us today are newsmakers Mihir Gandhi, Rakhee Biswas, and Satrajit Bannerjee, founders of CuppaTrade Marketplace

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Tariffs Ease, Prices Don’t: Relief for Most Origins but Inflation Pressures Persist | Growing European Tea Market Shuns Sugary Drinks for Herbal Infusions | Sri Lanka’s SereneTea Benefits from UK Trade Partnership Program

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Tariffs Ease, Prices Don’t: Relief for Most Origins but Inflation Pressures Persist | Growing European Tea Market Shuns Sugary Drinks for Herbal Infusions | Sri Lanka’s SereneTea Benefits from UK Trade Partnership Program

NEWSMAKERS-Mihir Gandhi, Rakhee Biswas, Satrajit Bannerjee, founders CuppaTrade Marketplace

PLUS | CuppaTrade Launches a B2B Marketplace | CuppaTrade is a next-generation sourcing platform explicitly designed for the global tea and coffee trade. What sets CuppaTrade apart is its architecture: it is the first AI-driven, blockchain-enabled, climate-aligned B2B marketplace built for bulk buyers, specialty importers, private-label brands, roasters, trading houses, and retail chains.

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Tea Trade Takeaways |

• East Africa: PF1 prices strengthened at Mombasa as buyers favored clean teas; plain leaf discounted.

• India: North Indian CTC auctions firm; retail inflation stable at 2.1%.

• Sri Lanka: Uva and Western High Growns held premiums amid limited offerings.

• Indonesia: Orthodox steady to dearer; Java plains easier on light demand.

For expanded coverage, visit www.teajourney.pub

→ Tea Biz → Tea Price Report (https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/).

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How Does One Choose What Tea to Drink? The answer is both simple and profound. 101 Teas to Steep Before You Die is far more than a bucket list compiled by four respected tea experts with impeccable credentials. In 256 pages, the book distills a millennium of tea heritage into 101 unforgettable cups. It is both a love letter to Camellia sinensis and a practical guide to brewing and enjoying every style of tea. Each profiled tea is chosen for its flavor, story, and cultural significance. The authors invite us as trusted companions to rediscover familiar favorites, explore rare treasures, and understand how tea connects culture, science, ethics, and pleasure in a single cup.

Preorder: https://a.co/d/16LOkDR Release date: Nov. 25

BIO: Authors Nigel Melican, James Norwood Pratt, Maria Uspenski, and Shabnam Weber are among the world’s foremost tea authorities. Melican is a global tea scientist and innovator living in Ireland; Pratt, who authored the Tea Lover’s Treasury in 1982, is the beloved tea historian and “America’s Tea Sage”; Maria Uspenski, founder of The Tea Spot in Denver, Colo., is the author of Cancer Hates Tea; and Shabnam Weber, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, headquartered in Toronto, is an accomplished retailer and tea educator who created the Tea Sommelier® program.

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US Holiday Retail Outlook Dims Ahead of the 2025 Season | Asian Tea Origins Negotiate Trade Treaties with the US| Nanoplastic Research Likely Overstates Concentrations of Particles in Tea

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US Holiday Retail Outlook Dims Ahead of the 2025 Season | Asian Tea Origins Negotiate Trade Treaties with the US| Nanoplastic Research Likely Overstates Concentrations of Particles in Tea

NEWSMAKERS - Nigel Melican, Maria Uspenski, James Norwood Pratt, and Shabnam Weber

PLUS | How Does One Choose What Tea to Drink? The answer is both simple and profound. 101 Teas to Steep Before You Die is far more than a bucket list compiled by four respected tea experts with impeccable credentials. In 256 pages, the book distills a millennium of tea heritage into 101 unforgettable cups. It is both a love letter to Camellia sinensis and a practical guide to brewing and enjoying every style of tea. Each profiled tea is chosen for its flavor, story, and cultural significance. The authors invite us as trusted companions to rediscover familiar favorites, explore rare treasures, and understand how tea connects culture, science, ethics, and pleasure in a single cup.

Preorder: https://a.co/d/16LOkDR Release date: Nov. 25

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This week in tea markets, quality continued to earn premiums across major auctions.

In East Africa, lighter catalogues at Mombasa helped PF1 and BP1 hold firm, though plainer grades still met resistance.

In Sri Lanka, Colombo’s seasonal Uva lines drew keen bids while other orthodox grades traded at irregular rates.

India’s Kolkata and Guwahati auctions were steady overall as retail inflation remained contained. On the destination side, Pakistan’s weekly index was mixed, while U.S. beverage prices ticked higher on the month.

Bottom line: quality sells, buyers remain disciplined, and premiums are increasingly tied to leaf cleanliness and cup brightness

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The 8th India International Tea Convention was held this year under the banner “Innovating the Tea Ecosystem for Tomorrow” at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty, Kerala. This gathering marked the long-awaited return of IITC after a several-year hiatus under the aegis of UPASI, the United Planters Association of Southern India. The Convention aimed to recharge India’s tea discourse: to reconnect producers, drive innovation, re-examine sustainability, and reassert India’s role in the global specialty tea ecosystem. I spoke at the event and recorded my observations later in this podcast.

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