A little Southern hospitality goes a long way in South Carolina’s Wadmalaw Island, home of America’s only tea garden, the Charleston Tea Plantation. Cindi Bigelow gives a fun and informative video tour of the idyllic plantation, purchased by the Bigelow family in 2003.
The plantation receives over 30,000 visitors each year, many of whom are curious to see a real, unique tea garden – in all its 127-acre splendor – and perhaps want to plan their weddings/special events on the grounds or to explore the rich history of Charleston or to simply just enjoy a lovely a cup of the plantation’s signature American Classic Tea.
Spring is in the air — and popping out of the ground, with tulips and daffodils in abundance! Flowers are a beautiful gift from the garden — but they are not alone. Vegetable gardens are becoming increasingly popular, from rooftop gardens to the White House!
If you are planting a vegetable garden, don’t forget the tea! Even if you only have a balcony or sunny windowsill, you can grow your own herbs to use for tea. You’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor, and know you are supporting sustainability with your own “Victory Garden”. Bigelow Tea is, of course, committed to reducing the consumption of energy and raw materials; it’s all part of our Sustainabili-TEA program.
People around the world have been creating tea gardens for as long as they have been drinking tea. In our fast-paced modern lives, making time for growing herbs and savoring herbal infusions are a time-tested way to enjoy nature’s bounty. As a tea drinker, what could be better than adding a few fresh herbs from your garden to your tea?
And if you are looking for some tea gardening inspiration, perhaps a visit to our Charleston Tea Plantation is the ticket! Be it a rooftop, windowsill, or plantation, just be sure to enjoy all the gifts your garden has to offer this year — the ones you look at, the ones you eat, and the ones you drink!
The Charleston Tea Plantation and The Bridge at 105.5are proud to host one of Charleston’s premier events tomorrow. Tea lovers from all over are gathering at The Charleston Tea Plantation tomorrow on Wadmalaw Island from 10:00am to 5:00pm for our third annual “FesTEAval”. The First Flush FesTEAval is a unique and fun experience that celebrates the first harvest of America’s only tea garden!
Tomorrow the FesTEAval will be featuring local artists from the Folly Beach Artist Guild, lots of tasty foods, games for the kids and plenty of live music — including headline act Shawn Mullins. Also rocking the First Flush Stage will be Alternate Routes, hailed by Performing Songwriters as having “an unfailing melodic and soulful touch,” and you’ll want to catch Charleston’s own Jay Clifford, who has toured the world showing off his soulful voice. Rounding out the day’s lineup is Virginia’s own Sons of Bill, bringing their love of music to Wadmalaw Island and the FesTEAval.
The Charleston Tea Plantation invites you to bring the whole family to tomorrow’s event and join Bigelow Tea in celebrating the start of American Classic tea’s harvest season! Take part in this singular experience, and yes, you can enjoy all of the American Classic Iced Tea that you care to drink!
The Third Annual First Flush FesTEAval is right around the corner! The Charleston Tea Plantation and The Bridge at 105.5 are proud to host one of Charleston’s premier events on Saturday, May 16th, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Join Bigelow Tea in celebrating the start of American Classic’s harvest season, and bring the whole family for a fantastic day of live music, tasty foods, a ton of games for the kids, and over 40 local artists from the Folly Beach Artist Guild — and, of course, ALL of the American Classic Iced Tea you can drink!
This year the Charleston Tea Plantation welcomes an outstanding entertainment lineup to the First Flush Stage. Headlining is Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, performing his classic hits as well as songs from his vibrant new album, honeydew (released in 2008 by Vanguard Records). Other outstanding performers for the FesTEAval will include Alternate Routes, Jay Clifford, Sons of Bill, and Wadmalaw Island’s own New Bethlehem Baptist Church Heywood Jubilee Choir, and Edith L. Frierson Steppers.
The First Flush FesTEAval will also have an array of everyone’s favorite foods, served up by Hometeam BBQ, Savory Market, M&C Catering, T&T Original Kettle Corn, Charleston Festival Foods, Charleston Cookie Company, Chick-Fil-A, Island Soulfood Café, Irvin House Vineyards, and much more!
Besides being such a fun event, the First Flush FesTEAval is also a unique experience for everyone, celebrating the first harvest of America’s ONLY tea garden. First Flush is defined as the escalated growth of new leaves on tea plants in the spring, after a winter of rest. The FesTEAval is a celebration of harvesting that “first flush”. The Charleston Tea Plantation invites you to experience the production of what avid tea drinkers know as the most unique, fresh, and amazing cup of tea — American Classic’s First Flush.
Be sure to MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Saturday, May 16th!
Trees, glorious trees! We enjoy their beauty, appreciate their shade and plant them as living memorials for loved ones. They provide a safe habitat for wildlife, improve our air quality and moderate our climate. Trees sustain us – with antioxidants contained in their fruit, nuts and, yes, their tea leaves! There is nothing more serene than the sound of leaves rustling gently in the summer breeze. Trees keep us centered. And in return, we need to protect, respect and replenish them.
Arbor Day dates back to 1872, when Nebraska journalist and politician Julius Sterling Morton, who devoted his career to improving agricultural practices, believed the economy and environment would benefit from planting trees. He proposed a special day dedicated to planting trees and raising public awareness. His birthday, April 22, became the annual Arbor Day for the State of Nebraska. As the idea spread past the Nebraskan border, other states followed suit and, today, Arbor Day is celebrated nationwide.
We at Bigelow Tea are committed to following sustainable farming practices. In 2003, Bigelow Tea purchased the Charleston Tea Plantation, America’s only tea garden, to save it from real estate development. Our work at the Charleston Tea Garden is a labor of love: crops are healthy and pesticide-free and our plantation staff is an integral part of the Bigelow Tea family
Hard work and dedication means sustainable choices today for tomorrow. The “fruit” of our labor: American Classic® Tea.
At Bigelow Tea, we do not waste our resources. We’re almost 100% paperless and fully dedicated to recycling — in fact, 85% of our packaging is biodegradable or recyclable. Anything that can be recycled is recycled. Simply put, we practice Sustainabili-Tea — everyday.
The 2008 harvest at Bigelow’s Charleston Tea Plantation was one for the books, including the introduction of five brand new American Classic Tea varieties. As the only location in North America where tea is grown, the Charleston Plantation is located on Wadmalaw Island, just south of Charleston, South Carolina, and it holds a wealth of interest for any tea lover. The singular task of growing tea in America is just another step in the appeal of Bigelow and Bill Hall — our partner and world renowned third generation tea taster.
The number one question from public tours of the 127-acre Charleston Plantation site has always been: “Do you make green tea?” Bigelow Tea and Bill Hall were able to answer that question definitively in the spring of 2008, capitalizing on those unique conditions there that are amenable to growing tea. The introduction of the new American Classic Tea Island Green was a hit; after several growing seasons, Bill had found the green tea recipe that would pass his critical standards of quality at this one of a kind Tea Plantation.
The wait was finally over and the American Classic Green Tea went on sale in the plantation gift shop in July 2008 to incredible demand. It quickly became the #1 seller in the shop. Now we are able to offer this popular tea directly on the web! Also new in 2008 were four additional American Classic Tea Pyramid tea bag items. The large cut leaf teas, in a pyramid tea bag create a whole new experience for enjoying fresh tea from the Charleston Tea Plantation. American Classic Tea, Charleston Breakfast, Governor Gray, Plantation Peach and Rockville Raspberry pyramid tea bags are all for sale. See the new Buy 5 boxes, Get 1 Free web offer at the bottom of the page (Call 1-843-559-0383 to place your order).
New from the farm: This season has been exceptional. Record quantities of green leaf have been harvested this year with the factory running 5 days a week. Rainfall has been perfect at 1 inch per week. The tea plants have been very happy this year.
We are proud to say the Charleston Tea Plantation is now producing its own Green Tea, called ISLAND GREEN. A very mellow green tea with a smooth flavor. Available from our Gift shop in loose tea tins or glass jars.
In an earlier post, we introduced you to Bill Hall, the Charleston Tea Plantation tea taster. But we saved what may be the most important question until now: what does a tea taster look for in a cup of tea?
Bill says that there is “a whole set of terminology in tea tasting: whether or not tea has “good character,” is “out of condition,” is “over or under withered.” But basically, what you’re looking for is a very fresh, smooth mellow taste. Not really harsh and bitter like coffee.”
Bill also points out that it is his job to maintain a constant quality all the time. “Because the quality and flavor of the leaves is changing all the time, it’s the taster’s job to keep the quality the same. That’s why many teas, like English Breakfast, are actually blends of a number of different leaves. One of the things Bigelow really excels at is creating blends. They will take the basic tea and add flavors to it.”
There’s still more to learn about the art of tea tasting! So stop back for the last in this series of posts when we’ll explore the importance of tea freshness.
Like wine, tea is a complex beverage full of scents, colors and tastes that are often hard to define. That’s where tea tasters come in. At the Charleston Tea Plantation, Bigelow is lucky enough to have a third-generation tea taster on hand, Bill Hall.
In describing the job of a tea taster, Bill explained that “tea is one of the few commodities in the world that is sold strictly on the basis of taste alone. In order to put a value on it, you have to taste it.” But here’s where tea differs from wine: the taste of tea can change every week.
“Unlike wine, which is grown and harvested once a year,” Bill says that “tea is harvested every 15 to 18 days.” During this time many factors can influence the flavor, including the temperature and humidity level. Bill notes that tea tasters can tell if something had gone wrong in the process, “if it’s burnt, musty, old or out of condition, a tea taster can tell you all that.”
How does one receive an education in tea tasting? Bill went through a four-year apprenticeship during which he tasted between 800 and 1,000 cups of tea a day! During this time he worked with the world’s largest tea packer (Brooke Bond Ltd.) and the world’s largest tea dealer (Van Reese).
Tea-tasting also runs in Bill’s blood. His grandfather and father were in the business as well.
But what is Bill’s favorite part of being in the tea business? He responds, “What is really exciting about this plantation is that we’re going from the ground right through to the cup. What we do here in Charleston is unique. It’s a one stop shop that is vertically integrated.”
Hear more from Bill Hall and get some tea tasting tips in our next featured post!
As the only location in North America where tea is grown today, the Charleston Tea Plantation holds a wealth of interest for tea lovers in the United States. And we’ve got some of the answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q: How much tea is grown at the plantation and when is it harvested?
A: The Charleston Tea Plantation has hundreds of thousands of tea bushes in the fields. They stretch almost as far as the eye can see. The tea grows from May to October. During this time it is picked every 15-18 days on average. In spring we get the “First Flush,” the very first tea leaves of the year. Then by the end of October, the plant goes dormant and rests all winter long.
Q: What varieties of tea are grown at the plantation?
A: We produce “American Classic,” the only tea grown here in the U.S. American Classic is a fresh, smooth black tea picked from the plants that are descendants of those that were brought to America during colonial times.
Q: What Bigelow teas feature American Classic?
A: 2007 marked the introduction of four Loose Tea varieties of American Classic Tea — Charleston Breakfast, Rockville Raspberry, Plantation Peach and Governor Gray. Each is a very special tea, blended personally by our full-time tea taster, Bill Hall, to assure consistent taste and the highest quality. The best news for all tea lovers is that these teas are available throughout the year in the Gift Shoppe.
In upcoming posts, we’ll feature more about Bill Hall and the tradition of tea tasting, so we invite you to return to learn more!
