Estate grown, craft, small-batch tea
We grow and process white tea in small batches.
My father planted the first tea plants over 25 years ago knowing that where the farm is located was the perfect environment for them. The soil in which tea is grown is an important factor in how it can taste. Hawaii’s soil is from young volcanic activity and is very acidic with good drainage. Our country town of Mountain View is at a higher elevation with sunny days, lots of clouds and ample rainfall, all perfect for growing tea.
Nature Centered Farming
Our tea trees are grown in an environment without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Our tea grows at 2000 ft elevation in rich volcanic soil amongst the native Koa and Ohia trees. Our tea is handpicked, whole leaf and we only pick the top bud and first and or second youngest leaves or “pekoe”.
We dry our leaves by first sun wilting on wood framed screens. We then move them into a low humidity, controlled shed. We use the same drying room as our coffee beans which could add a flavor to the tea leaves.
We fertilize our tea trees with banana stalks that have fallen after fruiting. This adds potassium and helps keep weeds down. Our tea trees are grown amongst native Koa which are naturally nitrogen fixing.
Share our tea by adding it to any order
Our teas depend on the season. See what teas we have available. We are offering black tea for a limited time.
We are happy to offer our premium white tea crafted in small batches.
Each package of our white tea contains 6 grams of whole leaf tea. This is enough loose tea to brew two, 6-8, ounce cups of tea. Each bag can be brewed several times.
Our tea is a mix of tea tree cultivars that comes from Sinensis and Assamica strains. They are shrubs native to China and India and contain unique antioxidants called flavonoids and polyphenols. If you have any more questions about our tea, check out the FAQ below.
Tea FAQ
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There are two main varieties of the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis. One is Camellia Sinensis, Sinensis and the other is Camellia Sinensis Assamica. Our tea is a mix of both of these varieties. We consider our tea a “wild” tea because we have transplanted the tea plants that have naturally grown from the seeds that have dropped to the ground off of the original tea plants from over 20 years ago.
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The soil in which tea is grown is an important factor in how it can taste. Hawaii’s soil is from young volcanic activity and is very acidic, perfect for growing tea. It is said that Hawai’i teas stand out with its own flavor profile, and can taste bright and clear, with elements of citrus and a subtle honey sweetness.
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Tea all comes from the same plant. Whether it’s green, black, oolong, or white they come from the Camellia Sinensis tree. What makes each tea different is how the tea leaves are processed. At our farm we pick and process white tea. White tea is the least processed. It is said that white tea is better for you because it is the least processed and so has more of the beneficial polyphenols intact. White tea is also much rarer, mostly because only the bud and the newest leaf are picked.
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Yes! Our tea is packaged tightly and is simple to add to any bouquet of flowers without damaging them. It’s a great addition to any gift of flowers. We are not offering the tea as a stand alone product.