Celebrate National Elephant Appreciation Day with a Cup of Tea?

Celebrate National Elephant Appreciation Day with a Cup of Tea?
image via Matthew Spiteri/Unsplash

September 22nd is National Elephant Appreciation Day, and we’re celebrating the majestic Asian elephant in a pretty unique way: with tea.

Worldwide concern over the decline of elephants led to a complete ban of the ivory trade in 1990, but both the African and Asian elephant are still endangered, not only due to poaching, but also due to a lack of land where these animals can forage and roam free.

Asian elephant herds are organized around a matriarch, the oldest female in the group. This rarity in the animal kingdom is thanks to her memory, which guides the herd to food sources and protects them in case of storms. (It’s true that an elephant never forgets – due to the enormous size of her hippocampus.) These herds need extensive land to survive, consuming hundreds of pounds of plant matter in a single day.

Good Earth Tea pays homage to the noble Asian elephant with its new Hathikuli Organic tea. The blend is sourced from Hathikuli Estate, India’s largest integrated organic farm. The farm is aptly named: hati is the Assamese word for elephant and kuli means frequent. Elephants are indeed frequent guests, as they roam freely amongst the tea plants and within the nearby Kaziranga National Park (along with two-thirds of the global Greater One-Horned Rhino population).

“The rustic tranquillity of the hills is complemented by the raging Brahmaputra River, creating impossibly lush plantations,” explains Good Earth Tea. “The organic cultivation of tea in Hathikuli ensures the ecological balance is maintained in the midst of this bio-diverse hotspot.”

The area boasts the perfect combination of elevation and soil conditions to give the tea a unique flavor profile, featuring sweet, malty notes reminiscent of dates and honey. The tea is available in either pyramid sachets or loose, so you can brew depending on your own tastes (and support safe elephant habitats while you do).

Related on EcoSalon
Elephants are Basically Dinosaurs: Habitat Loss, Poaching and Global Warming are Killing Our Favorite Animals
Ringling Brothers Finally Eliminates Elephants from its Circus
Yao Ming Works to Save the Elephants by Making Purchase of Ivory ‘Socially Unacceptable’

Emily Monaco

Emily Monaco is an American food and culture writer based in Paris. She loves uncovering the stories behind ingredients and exposing the face of our food system, so that consumers can make educated choices. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vice Munchies, and Serious Eats.