Zine.01 Commodities Beyond Taste
Editor: Sriya Sarma Producer: Jyotiplaban Talukdar Tea Culture & Plantations
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Tea Wine

When the leaf meets the yeast

Tea wine is a fermented alcoholic beverage where tea leaves — often black, green, or oolong — act as the primary flavoring agent. It is made by brewing a very strong tea, adding sugar and yeast, and allowing it to ferment for several weeks or months.

The result is a unique alcoholic drink, usually 9%–15% ABV, that carries the earthy, tannic, and floral notes of the tea.

Fermented 9–15% ABV Black · Green · Oolong
Artistic folk illustration of tea wine in an elegant glass surrounded by tea leaves

Tea Leather

Leather from tea waste

Tea leather is a sustainable, plant-based leather alternative made primarily from tea waste. It was developed to address the massive amount of waste generated by the tea industry — specifically "Class 4" waste, which consists of tea dust, stems, and fibers.

This waste is unsuitable for drinking or animal feed and is typically destined for landfills or incineration — until it is transformed into material.

Plant-based Class 4 Waste Sustainable
Folk illustration of sustainable leather swatches made from tea waste alongside dried tea leaves

Tea Brick

Currency of ancient routes

Tea bricks are blocks of whole or finely ground tea leaves that have been packed into molds and pressed into block form. This was the most commonly produced and used form of tea in ancient China.

Beyond being a beverage, tea bricks were historically used as a form of currency across Asia, prized for their compact nature and long shelf life.

Pressed Transportable Historical
Vintage illustration of compressed tea bricks used for trade

Tea Chocolate

Where cocoa butter meets the leaf

Tea chocolates are made by finely grinding high-quality tea leaves directly into cocoa butter and milk solids during the refining process. Alternatively, tea can be steeped into the warm fats of the chocolate base and strained, allowing volatile aromatic oils to infuse the chocolate.

With no artificial flavor and no lecithin — only cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and teas like matcha, hojicha, gyokuro, or sencha.

Matcha Hojicha Gyokuro Sencha
Folk illustration of tea-infused chocolate bars with matcha powder and cocoa pods

Tea Paper

Cellulose from the plantation floor

Tea paper is a sustainable material produced by extracting and pulping the cellulose fibers found in tea industry waste — spent leaves, stems, and husks.

The resulting sheets feature an organic texture and natural earthy tones, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional wood-based paper for stationery and packaging.

Cellulose Eco-friendly Stationery
Folk illustration of handmade paper sheets with tea leaves pressed into the surface