Week 9: It may be a long while since the days of tea Clippers like the Cutty Sark racing around the Cape of Good Hope, but tea still makes the greater part of its journey from the bush to the cup onboard ship.

However the similarities with the halcyon days of sail pretty much end there, tea is no longer transported in chests in the cargo hold but in metal containers. These ‘boxes' are the main way goods are transported around the world today, chances are wherever in the world you live you'll have seen one either on the back of a truck, on a freight train or onboard ship. They are generally 20ft or 40ft long, and the latter will carry about 24 tonnes of tea.

After we've bought teas in the auction, they are allocated to the relevant containers according to their destination on the computer system by Anne in the Stansand office. The warehouse then ‘stuffs' the container with tea as requested - this may sound more appropriate to preparing a roast turkey, but it is a technical term. In fact, the tea is in paper sacks which are packed neatly into the container on cardboard slip-sheets. When this is completed the box is sealed and taken down to the port. Almost all of the tea produced in East Africa will make its way though the port of Mombasa, so this week I went along to have a look for myself.

Recently Mombasa Port has been overwhelmed with containers. This has been partly down to operational difficulties, but has been exacerbated by the recent political crisis. Containers have been piling up on the quayside with lorries unable to take them up country. Until recently there were over 19,000 boxes in the port, now down to a more manageable 10,000.

For my visit I was hosted by George and Henry from one of the major shipping lines who operate out of Mombasa (and practically every other port in the world), and after passing stringent security we made our way by car along the dockside. 

The first section of the port is for bulk goods - like oil or grain (or anything that can't be packed into a box). However even in this area there were plenty of boxes being stacked. As the port's capacity was stretched every spare piece of flat ground had to be used for storage and only now are they beginning to clear the backlog. As we crossed the causeway into the container terminal itself, rows of trucks slowly filed their way towards the main road and we had to weave our way in an out of the traffic. On the quayside the boxes were stacked in piles up to four high, it felt like we were driving through a metallic gorge, formed by some great geological force rather than the specialised forklifts and cranes.

We had the opportunity to go aboard the Lissy Schulte, a ‘small' vessel (it can only carry a mere 1,800 containers), which plies the waters between Mombasa and Salalah in Oman, where the containers are transferred to ships bound for the UK and elsewhere. The view from the bridge showed us just how well ordered loading has to be, with the heaviest boxes going in the hold, and the lighter items stacked on top. Get this wrong and it will make the ship difficult to handle on the high seas. And if navigating a heavily laden craft across the Indian Ocean was not enough, the Captain told us of the danger of pirate attacks off the Somali coast. There's plenty to think about when getting tea across the ocean.

I also visited some other tea tasters in Mombasa this week at Venus Tea Brokers. The brokers are the people who do all the selling at the auction, so my hosts, Charles and Soi, will be the ones armed with the gavel next week. But ‘knocking' the tea is only a small part of their job. They provide the link between producer and buyer, compiling the catalogues for the forthcoming sale, ensuring all the tasters in Mombasa have samples in time, sorting out warehousing, valuing the lots, monitoring changes in tea production and sending feedback to the producers. In the tasting room the brokers need to keep an eye on the characteristics that will attract all potential buyers. As always it was an interesting experience to see how another part of the trade tastes, the things they look for and the vocabulary they use.

In Nairobi this week tea was also on the political agenda. The rival political leaders Mwai Kibaki Raila Odinga, were photographed taking tea together with chief mediator Kofi Annan. We can be sure it was Kenyan, and we all hope they find the right blend in the upcoming round of negotiations.

Week 10: Now I'm past 10 weeks in Africa, it's difficult to picture life back at home in the UK, though I'm pretty sure it's a lot colder and probably raining!

As this part of Kenya is adjusting to normal again, I decided to get back into tourist mode at the weekend and absorb some of the local culture. This came in the form of a day trip up the coast to Gede (thanks to fellow Tetley tea taster Philippa for recommending this one). I diligently studied the map in my guide book and then managed to leave it in my flat so, as I headed up the coast road, there was little knowing whether I'd actually find my intended destination. Nearly two hours in my trusty pink car and a fair few potholes later, more by luck than judgement, I arrived. Since the recent troubles here in Kenya, tourist numbers have plummeted and this was certainly evident as I was the only visitor to the site, perhaps all day. Indeed in the eerie quiet, among crumbling walls overgrown with plants, it felt as if perhaps I was the first person there since it was abandoned. 

Gede dates back to the 14^th Century, or rather the only part which can be accurately dated is from that time, and was a trading centre for the Swahili people in the area. At its height it was home to over two thousand people. There are no written records of its existence in Arabic or Portuguese history so its story is pieced together through archaeological discoveries made in the 20^th Century long after it was abandoned. The evidence of trade is there - the artefacts uncovered in the area come from some far flung places, such as porcelain from China and beads from Venice. So some things don't change as over the horizon ships are still bringing manufactured goods from the Far East and exporting products, including tea, to the European market. The city was finally deserted in the 17^th Century following tribal conflicts and after the sea retreated and the water table dropped leaving the population without access to trade routes or safe drinking water.

I had my own personal guided tour of the ruins from the very enthusiastic Hamisi, though despite the impish effervescence of his commentary I had to decline the offer of my own personal show of a traditional local dance.

In the evenings I've joined the local rugby team at the Mombasa Sports Club for pre-season training. I'll have left Kenya before the first match kicks off but it's a good way of motivating myself to exercise in 30 degree C heat, when the easy option would be to cool off with a cold drink of some kind. There's always time for that afterwards of course, as a few of the lads from the club are fellow members of the Mombasa tea trade, the combination of that with a rugby team makes for a very sociable crowd.

Back in the world of tea and to the auction where I was the one doing the bidding. When you're new to something like this, and when your competitors have been doing it for years it's a daunting business. I've talked about the auction in previous blogs, but the pace is suddenly much faster when you're the one making the calls. Add to that the continuing strong market due to the weather and logistical problems I could really feel my heart rate quicken as the lots were called out. It strangely made me think of rugby, like being the teenage debutant on the international field lined up opposite a seasoned professional. Each time you're outbid it's like taking a heavy tackle, but as you get up from the ground with the taste of turf in your mouth you join back in and have another go.  

Afterwards it was back to the tasting room to look at the lots for the forthcoming sale, plenty of slurping, spitting and grading, knowing exactly what you need to bid on and what represents good value is crucial preparation for the auction room. It will take quite a while to be able to taste, assess and buy teas to the level of our buyer Robert, but I'm here to learn and his post-match advice was invaluable this week. Next time I'll be ready for the opposition, with a little more knowledge of when to change pace or add in the odd sidestep.

That will have to wait, however, as I'm off to Uganda next week to visit some tea estates over there...