Now, when I think of leachate, I normally consider a negative connotation referring to liquid waste, but since this liquid collection tray is simply collecting the runoff from the organic matter (food and paper scraps) I'm putting into my worm bin, I don't think this is a fair categorization.

I'm wondering what other people think about this...what the difference is between "compost tea" and "worm tea" -- if any -- and any other thoughts on this topic.

One of the posts I found here after searching for AVT said:
"Vermicompost tea is made by mixing finished compost with water. Compost tea is NOT the juice from the bottom of your bin. If you have that much liquid in your bin, it's too wet and likely a symptom of more serious problems."

After I bought my WF and following the posts here, I have e-mailed WF and commented a.o. on their description of "worm tea". I got a reply and they admitted that the run-off is not worm tea, rather what is called leachate in the vermicomposting community. The name will be changed with the next printing.

I agree with folly grows, if you've got leachate then your bin is too wet. You will get mite problems and smell. So, add dry shredded newspaper to soak excess liquid. The bin usually gets enough moisture just from the veggie/fruit scraps added.
I have never made vermi or compost tea but came across postings from people who have brewed them. You have to add molasses and aerate the brew etc. like folly mentioned. I do not have the link handy but you can google for the recipe.

If I do get leachate, I dilute that with water (1:10 just to be safe it is not too strong)and water my houseplants with it. None have died so far.

Otis

I'll keep digging through past posts for more information on tea.

Thanks!

To summarise:
Leachate - the correct word for the dark liquid that comes out to bottom of your bin. If your bin in maintained correctly you should have very little leachate and what you do have can safely (in diluted form) be given to your plants. Sometimes leachate is incorrectly referred to as "worm tea". Some sites refer to at as "worm wee", but even that is technically incorrect.

Compost tea - a mix of VC and water. Useful if you don't have leachate and want some liquid fertilizer.

Worm tea - a mix of VC, water and molasses. It is brewed in the sense that hot water is used and it must be used almost immediately otherwise the benefit is lost. There is a lot of controversy regarding the benefits of creating and using worm tea. My person view is: "If in doubt, leave it out."

Hope that clears things up.
Alex