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Charleston Tea Plantation A restored historic farm, the only place in North America |
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“Wadmalaw Island is in the heart of the historic Low Country and an ideal climate for growing tea because of sub-tropical temperatures, frequent rain and high humidity,” says Lori Bigelow, co-president of R.C. Bigelow, Inc. “The Bigelow family purchased the plantation in 2003 and worked closely with partner William Hall to make the plantation visitor-friendly and once again capable of producing American Classic Tea.” Hall is a third-generation tea expert who completed a four-year tea apprenticeship in England and created American Classic Tea in 1987. This high-quality black tea has a mild tone and sweet flavor. Visitors to the Plantation will be able to learn from Hall and other on-site tea experts, sample American Classic Tea, and experience the craft of local artisans. They can view the tea-making process from a new factory featuring an air-conditioned 125-foot long window gallery overlooking the equipment needed for manufacturing tea from the raw leaf to finished black tea. In the event tea is not being processed on a particular day, three giant TV screens placed strategically along the gallery will illustrate each step of the process in detail. “Tea has been enjoyed for nearly 5,000 years,” says Hall. “Legend says tea was born when a leaf from a camellia sinensis bush fell into the water being boiled for the Chinese emperor. The emperor found the resulting drink so delicious that he demanded it be served to him from then on, and today tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, apart from water.” Visit www.charlestonteagardens.com. |
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Founded
in 1960, the plantation has several hundred thousand tea bushes,
which are descendants of bushes originally brought over from China
and India during the 1800s.