Charleston Tea Garden facts for kids
The Charleston Tea Garden is a special place where tea is grown. It's located on Wadmalaw Island, about 20 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. The garden is owned by the Bigelow Tea Company. They grow tea plants called Camellia sinensis here. This tea is sold as American Classic Tea and Charleston Tea Garden brands. The garden used to host a fun event called the First Flush Festival each year. This festival celebrated the start of the tea harvesting season.
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History of the Charleston Tea Garden
In the late 1700s, a French plant expert named André Michaux brought tea plants to the United States. He gave them to Henry Middleton, who planted them at his farm. The tea plants grew well in places like Charleston and Georgetown.
It took many tries for a tea company to succeed in South Carolina. Earlier tea farms in places like Georgetown and Summerville didn't last long.
The Thomas J. Lipton Company decided to start a tea research center. They were worried about getting tea from other countries. In 1960, Lipton bought a tea farm in Summerville. By 1963, they moved their research to Wadmalaw Island. They ran this research station for about 25 years.
The Charleston Tea Garden we know today started in 1987. Mack Fleming and William (Bill) Barclay Hall bought the land and research station from Lipton. Mack Fleming was a plant professor who had been running the garden for Lipton. Bill Hall was a tea tester from England.
They created the American Classic Tea brand. This tea is still grown at the garden today. Mack Fleming and Bill Hall later decided to go their separate ways.
In 2003, the garden was sold at an auction. The R.C. Bigelow Company from Connecticut bought it. Bill Hall joined Bigelow and continues to help run the garden. The Charleston Tea Garden was then opened for people to visit and tour.
How Tea is Made at the Garden
The garden grows the Camellia sinensis plant to make black tea. These plants are kept trimmed and in straight rows for harvesting. The bushes grow from clones, not seeds. This makes sure every plant is exactly the same. It helps the tea taste consistent year after year.
Mack Fleming invented a special machine called the Green Giant. He created it while working for Lipton. This machine is a mix of a cotton picker and a tobacco harvester. It is still used today to pick the tea leaves. The Green Giant cuts the top layer of leaves from the bushes. It collects them and takes them to the factory.
At the factory, the main goal is to dry the leaves.
- First, the leaves are spread out for 12 to 18 hours to wither. This means they lose some moisture.
- Next, they go through an oxidation process for less than an hour. This step gives black tea its flavor and color.
- Finally, they are baked to remove all the remaining moisture.
After drying, extra stems and fibers are removed. Then, the tea is packaged. Tea is harvested at the garden from May to October.
The garden sells American Classic Tea and Charleston Tea Garden tea. They offer nine different flavors in tea bags or loose tea. They also have five flavors in ready-to-drink bottled teas. Some flavors include Charleston Breakfast, Governor Grey, and Carolina Mint.
Wal-Mart used to sell the tea under its American Choice label. This helped the small farm become known to more people. Since 1987, American Classic Tea from the Charleston Tea Garden has been the official tea of the White House.
Visiting the Garden
The Charleston Tea Garden is on Wadmalaw Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. It is open to visitors every day. You can visit for free. They offer tours, tea tastings, and other fun things to do.
The factory tour takes you inside the factory. You learn about the garden's history, how tea is harvested, and how it's made. The Trolley Tour takes you around the fields. You learn about how the Camellia sinensis plants grow. There's also a special tour guided by Bill Hall himself. This tour covers every part of the garden in more detail.
Groups and school field trips often visit the garden. It also hosts private events like weddings and corporate gatherings.
Since Bigelow bought the garden, they have been making improvements. They are updating machines and expanding the tea fields. Bill Hall brought in newer tea manufacturing equipment from his time in South America. They also upgraded the old watering system. A new, more efficient system now waters all 127 acres of tea plants. Bigelow wants to grow more tea while keeping the garden's charming atmosphere.
First Flush Festival
The First Flush Tea Festival was a yearly event at the Charleston Tea Garden. It marked the start of the tea harvesting season. "First Flush" means the first new leaves ready to be picked from the tea plants.
At the festival, visitors could taste the first tea of the new season for free. This was a way to attract new customers. The garden also invited local food sellers to set up booths. Local musicians played music for the crowds. There was always a special area for kids too, with a playground or a jump castle. The festival started in 2006 and ended after its ninth year.
