This is the Tea Price Report for Week 36, ending September 5, 2025.
Tea Price Takeaways
- Premiums concentrated in quality: Mombasa PF1s and Colombo’s seasonal Uva lines continued to draw premiums, while plainer grades struggled.
- Retail inflation stable: India’s CPI remained at multi‑year lows, while EU and US beverage categories stayed firm, keeping shelf prices sticky abroad.
- Heavy volumes test buyers: Mombasa catalogues exceeded 160,000 packages again with ~34% withdrawals, showing selective demand.
- Policy & cost factors linger: Sri Lanka’s wage hikes and shipping costs continue to pressure exporter margins into Q3.
Podcast Transcript
India — Retail inflation stayed low, softening pressure on domestic tea prices. Auctions at Kolkata and Guwahati trended steady to softer, while direct estate purchases remained limited.
East Africa — At Mombasa, Sale 35 cataloged over 160,000 packages. PF1s and BP1s with good leaf held firm, but nearly 34% went unsold, showing selective buying.
Sri Lanka — Colombo saw strong interest in seasonal Uva teas, fetching premiums of 15–20 US cents, while Low Growns remained firm. Exporters remain cautious amid higher costs.
Indonesia — Jakarta offered light volumes again, with orthodox teas from North Sumatra firm‑to‑dearer. Direct overseas buying programs were minimal.
That’s your Tea Price Report — Week 36.
For expanded coverage, visit www.teajourney.pub and select the Tea Biz Tea Price Report
https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/week-36-aug-30-sept-5-2025
India
- Retail prices (consumer): India’s CPI held near record lows at 1.55% y/y, reducing pressure on FMCG shelf pricing. | MoSPI | Reuters
- Wholesale (trade sentiment): Major packers cautious on list prices, citing competitive imports from Nepal and Kenya. | Economic Times
- Auction: Kolkata average ₹236.2/kg, Guwahati ₹217.1/kg. | Tea Board of India
- Direct buys: No new estate contracts announced; demand selective. | Reuters
East Africa
(Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo*)
- Retail prices (destinations): Pakistan’s SPI (week ending Aug. 28) reported “tea prepared” +0.26% w/w. | Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
- Wholesale (trade sentiment): Demand steady for clean PF1s, weaker for plainer types. | Van Rees
- Auction (Mombasa): Sale 35 (Sept. 2) offered ~162,300 pkgs. Withdrawals ~34%. PF1s sold firm to dearer. | Africa Tea Brokers
- Direct buys: No major off‑auction trades reported. | Lanka Commodity Brokers
Sri Lanka
- Retail prices (destinations): Ireland CPI shows “Tea” +2.4% y/y in July. | CSO Ireland
- Wholesale (costs & sentiment): Wage hikes and freight rates remain key cost drivers. | Daily FT
- Auction (Colombo): Sale 34 (Sept. 2–3) catalogued 6.2mn kg. Seasonal Uva teas gained USC 15–20. | Sri Lanka Tea Board
- Direct buys: Private Sale Figures ~195,000 kg, steady Middle East demand. | LCBL
Indonesia
- Retail prices (destinations): US CPI shows beverages +3.6% y/y; coffee & tea +8.6%. | BLS
- Wholesale (trade sentiment): Brokers note steady orthodox demand, plainer Java discounted. | Van Rees
- Auction (Jakarta): ~4,000 pkgs, ~21% unsold. Orthodox firm to dearer. | Van Rees
- Direct buys: No new corporate programs reported. | Van Rees
Tea Price Forecasts
- Global composite price steady near $2.75/kg in August. | YCharts
- Trading Economics forecasts tea in the $2.70–$2.80/kg band through Q3. | Trading Economics
- Van Rees expects premiums for PF1/Orthodox teas to remain quality‑driven. | Van Rees
- IMARC projects 4% CAGR to 2030, led by specialty and RTD teas. | IMARC
Note: AI algorithms make mistakes. Generated with ChatGPT3
Tea Price Report Archive
Week 36 (Aug. 19 – Sept. 5)
https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/week-36-aug-30-sept-5-2025
Week 35 (Aug. 23-29)
https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/week-35-aug-23-29-2025/
Week 34 (Aug. 16-22)
https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/week-34-aug-16-22-2025/
Week 33 (Aug. 9-15)
https://teajourney.pub/tea-price-report/week-33-aug-9-15-2025/
*The Mombasa Tea Auction is the world’s largest black tea auction and one of the few that is uniquely international. It handles teas not only from Kenya, which supplies about 60–65% of the volumes, but also from Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. The average annual volume ranges from 450 to 520 million kilograms. Mombasa is the only auction center in the world trading straight-line teas from more than one country.
