Image via David C. Bigelow’s Archive

You know that family and community are both very important here at Bigelow Tea, ever since the very beginnings of Ruth Campbell Bigelow’s foray into the world of Constant Comment® now 65 years ago. With Bigelow Tea, we know that keeping company with family and friends makes life that much all the more delicious.

In that spirit, we believe one familial branch deserves a more prominent place in our vast family photo album. Enter Camellia Sinensis, the granddaddy and chief contributor to cup after cup of our storied past. In fact one could argue it is our family tree. Muse enough for David C. Bigelow, Co-Chairman Bigelow Tea, to grab his trusty camera and snap these family portraits during recent visits to the Charleston Tea Plantation, documenting our favorite evergreen.

Image via David C. Bigelow’s Archive

More than just a pretty face, the tea tree is capable of prodigious growth. Here you see the stages of growth, starting with the tiny cuttings…

Image via David C. Bigelow’s Archive

And with plenty of nurturing, the tea plants grow and grow….

Image via David C. Bigelow’s Archive

And zoom to the mature healthy plants, getting ready for harvest time. How quickly the kids have grown!

Throughout the celebrated history of Bigelow Tea, Camellia Sinensis has reigned alongside our fantastic Herbal Teas. Tea appreciation has generated tea societies and countless tea experiences across the globe. Author Erika Dillman writes that “After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. It’s drunk hot, cold, plain, with sugar, with milk, and in the Himalayas with yak butter.” (We wonder if that’s for special occasions only.)

Suffice it to say, Camellia Sinensis has deep roots in our Bigelow Tea history, so welcome its bounty home to your family for a picture-perfect sip.

This year’s 4^th annual First Flush FesTEAval was amazing!!!…

The weather was perfect, in the mid 80’s and sunny…We could not have asked for a better day!  Excitement filled the air as we opened the gates at 10:00am on Sunday morning, but little did we know that by 3:30 that afternoon we would be announcing that we were closed to all guests without pre-purchased tickets.  Yes, that is right!…At 3:30 The Bridge at 105.5 announced to all of its listeners that the First Flush FesTEAval was SOLD OUT!  We had reached our maximum count of 5,000 plus attendees!  What an amazing site to see!  People and cars covering every inch of the farm… with the exception of the tea fields, of course!

People danced to the music, soaked in the sun, and enjoyed over 7,000 cups of iced American Classic Tea we had prepared for them!  We thought 7,000 cups would be plenty, but much to our surprise this tea loving group wiped out our entire supply by 1:00 that afternoon.  We found ourselves scrambling to brew enough tea to satisfy their demands!  We did it though!…Thanks to the hard work of our Charleston Tea Plantation staff and event volunteers, we were able to keep the tea flowing!

This year’s First Flush offered more entertainment than year’s past.  Not only did guests get to enjoy the music of well known performers like Crowfield, Cory Chisel and headliner Robert Randolph and The Family Band, but they were also treated to sounds of local artists presented by Mark Bryan’s (Grammy award winning guitarist/songwriter for Hootie & The Blowfish) Chucktown Music Group.  This included Amber Caparas, John Wesley Satterfield, Mac Leaphart and Mark Bryan himself.  However, to no one’s surprise, it was Robert Randolph that brought the house down with his unique style of music!  Even people who weren’t familiar with the sounds of a his famous pedal steel guitar danced and grooved to the beat!

Guests also enjoyed local cuisine and shopped the wares of Charleston artists.  Needless to say, there was something for everyone, even the kids!  The Spider Jump was a huge hit again this year and children and parents loved the new additions to the kids’ area: face painting, pony rides and Beaufort the Rescue Mule!

We can’t say it enough, this year’s First Flush FesTEAval was AMAZING!!!

A big THANKS to everyone involved in making this the best First Flush FesTEAval to date!!! Our entire Plantation staff plus over 35 event volunteers were the true heart and soul of it all!  THANK YOU again for your support, and we look forward to next year!

Cara Valentine, Charleston Tea Plantation.

Photos provided by Mark Snowberger

A working tea garden is not something many of us are familiar with, so we at Bigelow Tea wanted to share our newly designed web site for the Charleston Tea Plantation. Here you will discover acres and acres of beautiful tea plants, take a tour the Tea Factory, and even browse the charming Plantation Gift Shop.

Learn about America’s only Tea Garden, which is representative of gracious, civilized living, just like the aroma and flavor of a hot cup of Bigelow Tea! No surprise that Bigelow Tea’s plantation is in South Carolina – renowned for gracious living.

Also on our site you can learn about the trolley tour of the grounds at the Charleston Tea Plantation, with all its beauty and heritage. And for a taste of what it’s all about, please feel welcome to join Cindi Bigelow on a short video tour of America’s only Tea Garden, right now! (Please wait until the vehicle has come to a complete stop before leaving this page!)

And who knows? With all information packed into this website, maybe you’ll start planning a road trip this summer to the Charleston Tea Plantation, home of the delicious American Classic Teas!

The time is now! Bigelow Tea invites you to bring the entire family to Wadmalaw Island this Sunday, May 16^th from 11:00AM to 6:00PM to celebrate the beginning of the 2010 tea harvest at the Charleston Tea Plantation. All tea lovers will want to be there as the Charleston Tea Plantation and The Bridge at 105.5 present the 4^th Annual First Flush FesTEAval!

‘First flush’ is all about the tender, new tea leaves that are plucked in the first growing season of each year. It’s a celebration of spring, a celebration of life, and a celebration of all things tea. But you can count on this unique festival to provide even more than recognizing the first harvest at our Tea Garden (the only working Tea Garden in the country). Aside from learning first-hand how our tea is produced at the plantation factory, you can also enjoy music, food, trolley rides through the picturesque fields, and simply sitting back and relaxing in the beautiful surroundings. Bring your blanket!

This year again, the music is a fantastic lineup of recording artists. Check out Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Cory Chisel, Crowfield, and Mark Bryan (multi-platinum and Grammy award winning guitarist/songwriter for Hootie & The Blowfish). All will perform along with the Chucktown Music Group, Amber Caparas, John Wesley Satterfield, and Mac Leaphart. Add all to all of that entertainment to the games and fun just for the kids, the delectable local cuisine and complimentary iced American Classic First Flush Tea served all day long, and you know there’s something or everyone!

We look forward to seeing you Sunday at Wadmalaw Island! Don’t miss the chance to join us in celebrating the start of American Classic tea’s harvest season, and have a great day with Bigelow Tea!

Constant Comment Story Winner Debora Dickinson (left) and dear friend, Helen (right)

“As far back as I can remember, my mother bought Bigelow’s Constant Comment Tea…
We would sometimes sit out on our outside front porch in the summer when everything was rich and green and the morning doves were cooing, crickets were noisy and read a good book savoring our CC tea…”

~ Debora Dickinson

A mother and daughter…tea and tenderness…they were the inspiration for Debora Dickinson’s poignant Constant Comment® story, which won her a special trip for two to the exquisite home of American Classic Tea – the Charleston Tea Plantation, on historic Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina. Debora brought along her dear friend, Helen, and they enjoyed a three-night stay at the charming French Quarter Inn, in the heart of downtown Charleston. They sampled local restaurants and shops and soaked up the sites of historic Charleston. The icing on the cake was their personalized tour of the Charleston Tea Plantation, led by world-renowned tea taster and tea maker, Bill Hall.

The enchanting tea garden is so beautiful in the springtime, such an ideal venue for weddings, anniversaries or Mother’s Day. For Debora, the trip was a celebration of her mother and the memories of moments they shared over cups of Constant Comment®. Her lovely story resonated with all of us at Bigelow Tea because Constant Comment® was created by Ruth Campbell Bigelow and her legacy has been passed down now for generations.

As a family owned company we proudly commemorate our 65^th anniversary in business, and most especially, Bigelow Tea’s founding mother. We remember all the times that we too, as a family, shared life and love over cups of Constant Comment®.  We’re proud to provide a product that satisfies all of our customer’s expectations, and plays such an important part in their lives.

This year, Bigelow Tea turns 65.  And in the United States, 65 is synonymous with retirement.

Does that mean we’re retiring from tea?  Never!

Our family company has been making tea for three generations, and we get better every year.  In fact, in a recent interview with World Tea News, our own Cindi Bigelow explained why she’d never consider taking the company public:

Why would I? We are so committed to this business, so committed to the product, the consumer and the employee. As soon as you bring somebody else in, that focus changes. They’d propose things that we don’t feel are good for the family long-term. Their concern is profit; our main concern is our people and our product.

That’s because Cindi knows what fuels her: she’s committed to the quality of our product and the well-being of our employees.  She’d never sacrifice her values for the sake of a dollar — and that commitment has made Bigelow Tea profitable and sustainable for generations.

Last year, while visiting our Charleston Tea Plantation, Cindi stopped to chat with some of the entrepreneurs in Charleston’s tourist district.  She learned a bit about their businesses, but she also recognized a kinship they share with the Bigelow family: each of them is fueled by the desire to succeed, on their own terms, doing what they love.

(Of course, it helps that some of them keep themselves fueled with tea, too…)

So, as we celebrate our own 65 years of success, we’d like to know: what fuels you to succeed?

Ahhh…spring! For avid tea drinkers spring means the most anticipated cup of tea is on the way! To celebrate the beginning of the 2010 tea harvest, the Charleston Tea Plantation, along with The Bridge at 105.5, presents the 4^th Annual First Flush FesTEAval! It’s being held Sunday, May 16, 2010 from 11:00am to 6:00pm on Wadmalaw Island, just outside Charleston, South Carolina.

The First Flush FesTEAval is a celebration of the Charleston Tea Plantation–America’s only tea garden–and its popular American Classic Tea product line. And there’s more to the festival than the exciting first flush of the tea harvest: there will also be first-hand demonstrations of how tea is made at the plantation factory, trolley rides through the plantation’s picturesque tea fields, and rolling out your blanket to relax to the sounds of Warner Brother’s recording artist Robert Randolph & the Family Band!

The event also features entertainment from national recording artist Cory Chisel and homegrown artist Crowfield. And, Mark Bryan–the multi-platinum and Grammy award winning guitarist/songwriter from Hootie & The Blowfish, will showcase the Chucktown Music Group. Other local artists’ include Amber Caparas, John Wesley Satterfield, and Mac Leaphart. It’s as wide a selection of great music and fun as there are American Classic Teas!

There will also be games for the kids, local cuisine favorites and yes, complimentary iced American Classic First Flush Tea for everyone! It just doesn’t get any better than the annual First Flush celebration!

Bigelow Tea and the Charleston Tea Plantation cordially invite you to bring the whole family out to Wadmalaw Island on May 16^th, and join us in celebration of American Classic Tea’s harvest season!

“Then, we shall walk through dusty lanes
And pause beneath low-hanging boughs,
And there, while soft-hued beauty reigns
We’ll make our vows.”

(Oliver Jenkins, Love Autumnal)

The Season of Love is upon us once again! As couples begin to plan the intricate details of their wedding days, the first question they face is “When?” That being decided, the most pressing issue is “Where?” We’ve all heard the expression, “Location. Location. Location.” Wedding planners sing in unison that venue is everything!  The romantics at Bigelow Tea couldn’t agree more…Saveur feels the same way. It just so happens that we have the most idyllic setting for the perfect summer or autumn wedding: our very own breathtaking Charleston Tea Plantation.

Serene

America’s only tea garden is nestled on the charming and secluded Wadmalaw Island, a short distance from Charleston, South Carolina. The Plantation welcomes the beginning of a new harvest season with millions of tea blossoms and thousands of butterflies decorating the fields.  It is a picturesque setting for bride and groom to share a formal afternoon tea with guests, or listen to the sound of rustling leaves while sipping a refreshing glasses of Constant Comment® and Plantation Mint® Iced Tea.

Romantic

Take advantage of this extraordinary tea garden where warm and knowledgeable staff will help make your special day one to remember. Celebrate everything Tea with a bridal tea party for just the girls. The Charleston Tea Plantation’s secret recipe is really quite simple: combine purity of nature and the delightfully fresh American Classic Tea with Southern hospitality and charm. Exquisite memories are waiting to be made. See more wedding events information on our new Tea Garden web site and say “I do!”

Joyous

The staff at the Charleston Tea Plantation could not believe it! The day started off with reports of heavy to moderate snow fall across the northern part of South Carolina. However, before the day’s end, it became more and more evident that snow was definitely coming to the Lowcountry.

Even though the tea farm had seen snow flurries before, it had not received this much accumulated snow on its grounds in almost 20 years.

In fact, this was the first time since 1989, the winter following Hurricane Hugo, that the Charleston Tea Plantation has been blanketed in snow…and what a site it was! Seeing the Camellia Sinensis plants completely covered in snow was unbelievably surreal.

No worries, though. Even though the plants thrive on the typically subtropical climate of Wadmalaw Island, they were not harmed by the unexpected snow fall.  As veteran tea tester and plantation partner Bill Hall explained, the tea plant is dormant in winter.  If anything, snow actually insulates the plant against cold, bitter winds.

What tea plants DON’T like is to stay below 32 degrees for a week. But since the temperature in Charleston rises above 32 degrees every day, there’s no concern. We’ve had tea plants on the island since 1799 and they’re doing just fine.

The Charleston Tea Plantation did lose power, but luckily it happened after hours and was restored before our brave guests arrived the next morning.

For those who got to see the winter wonderland of tea plants, you should know just how rare this occurrence truly was!

Cara Valentine
Business Manager
The Charleston Tea Plantation

The following article by Rita Papazian details Bigelow Tea’s effort to send nearly 2 million tea bags overseas and to airports where U.S. troops are either leaving for or returning from deployment in the Middle East.

Three friends who were in the 1978 graduating class of Staples High School have come together thirty years later to share their talents and skills to bring a little bit of  “home”  to the troops fighting wars on foreign soil.

When Cindi Bigelow, president of Bigelow Tea, headquartered on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, joined staffers in creating a project to show that the people back home are remembering the military soldiers protecting this country’s freedoms, she called upon her two high school buddies, Duke Saltus, a painter and graphic artist, and Jeff Hill, regional vice president of the USO (United Service Organizations) to help her with the project.

R.C. Bigelow, Inc., a company founded by Cindi Bigelow’s paternal grandmother Ruth Campbell Bigelow in 1945, is shipping two million tea bags, packaged in 100,000 custom-designed boxes to troops in the far corners of the world. Bigelow’s American Classic Tea is from the company’s own 127-acre Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island, just south of Charleston, S.C. The Bigelow family purchased the tea plantation, which is open to the public, in 2003. The American Classic tea was wrapped and packaged in a Bigelow manufacturing plant in Louisville, Ky.

“We wanted to bring a little bit of warmth and a touch of home,” said Bigelow, in a telephone conversation last week. She recalled that she had recently been standing in an airport in Atlanta next to three soldiers when a couple came up to the soldiers to thank them for their service to the country.

She said the soldiers appeared really touched by the expression of gratitude from two strangers. Observing that brief interaction between the two strangers and the soldiers brought home the importance of the role the military plays and the importance of folks back home acknowledging the role.

Bigelow said it was appropriate to send the tea to the soldiers since the tea comes from the largest commercial growers in the U.S. and is a gesture of “from our soil to yours,” said Bigelow, noting the tea would be delivered to soldiers in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

The custom-designed boxes of the American Classic Tea are packaged only for the troops and not available for sale in those boxes. The American Classic Tea continues to be available in markets near its southern plantation.

The beautifully designed box of 20 tea bags, offers a patriotic, red, white and blue graphic set against a beige background with an image of a white tea cup with the tea bag label sporting portions of the American flag. On the side of the box a ribbon of red, white and blue includes the words, “Thank You For Your Service.” Beneath the box a message reads: Bigelow is proud to serve those who serve our country.

A message on the side of the box offers an expression of appreciation from the Bigelow family and all the employees at Bigelow Tea for the military’s “hard work and commitment to making the world a safer place.”

Designer Saltus, a life-long Westport resident, designed the box with another Staples graduate Doug Connor (Class of 1980) of Madison, with whom he has partnered on other commissioned work.

The Bigelow project brought special meaning for Saltus whose son Jake, served in the military from 2004 and 2007. He completed two tours of duty in Iraq and Saltus said fortunately his son returned safely.

Saltus recalled the years during his son’s duty when he would send home photos of his serving in Iraq. “You tend to become very patriotic”¦He saw a lot of action.”

USO Vice President Hill is no stranger to military service. He served in the special operations division for the Navy for 20 years and for the past seven years for the USO, a congressionally chartered, private, nonprofit organization. A bridge between the general public and the military, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals and corporations to support USO activities.

Hill said while many individuals and organizations want to donate goods to the troops “getting things to the front is difficult. I know how to get things moved,” said the Staples graduate, who now lives in Virginia. That is why when Bigelow came up with the idea, she called her good friend to help her get the boxes of tea to the troops.

Hill said the 100,000 boxes of tea will be shipped to 135 USO centers worldwide and distributed to the soldiers. Some of the tea he said would be re-packaged in large USO-To-Go containers and bundled with other donated goods for the troops.

“The troops love tea,” said Hill, describing his long-time high school friend as “an incredible individual¦ a very smart, a real worker.”

Hill said, “It’s been a while since I’ve been in Westport. I’ve been out seeing the world.”