Imagine, tea growing in England. Hard to believe isn't it, but it's true. Tea, the drink, is made from the Camellia sinensis plant first discovered in China nearly two thousand years ago. These days it grows and is cultivated in over 50 countries around the world.

Small villages along the rivers, rolling hills, and cliffsides along the Atlantic Ocean and English Channel produce the film set landscape where Daphne du Maurier lived and wrote some of her novels. It is there in England's southwestern peninsula county of Cornwall, outside the city center of Truro, that tea is growing. Seven years ago the Camellia sinensis was planted on twenty acres of south facing slopes, in what some may consider the perfect climate.The weather is mild and the rainfall is sufficient to nurture not only the tea planted, but also the Eden-like botanical garden on the Tregothnan Estate, where Lord Falmouth's family has resided since 1335. The Honourable Evelyn Boscawen, son of Lord Falmouth is owner of this verdant historic estate where camellia, eucalyptus, and other fragrant foliage bloom. Tregothnan supplies big plants, shrubs, and trees in a semi-mature state for professional gardeners, garden designers, and discerning individuals. Tregothnan Estate was also the first place in England to grow camellias 200 years ago, and they have magnolias over 60 feet tall.

Head gardener Jonathon Jones said, “This is very exciting for Cornwall and an important first step in our ambition to establish a tea garden industry in this country.” The drink that replaced ale as the morning beverage hundreds of years ago in England is indeed the first “true English tea” and heralded by Radio 4 as ”˜The Next Darjeeling.'

Of course, this is not high volume tea. The limited quantity of their ”˜single estate' tea plucked last season was available only through Fortnum and Mason or directly from the Tregothnan Estate. It was being offered at Fortnum and Mason for over $30 an ounce. A ”˜Tregothnan English Estate Classic Tea' is blended with Chinese and Indian teas, and their ”˜Tregothnan English Estate Green Tea' is blended with Chinese green tea.

I was honored to be invited to the Official Tasting at Kew Gardens, London, Tuesday, 4^th October 2005 by Jonathon Jones, head gardener of Tregothnan. Tea taster Tim Clifton conducted the tasting in two sessions. Shortly after our arrival we met Mr. Jones who then introduced us to The Honourable Evelyn Boscawen and Yoshiji Nogami, Japanese Ambassador to Britain.

Cornwall is a popular tourist area for UK residents and visitors from abroad. Because Tregothnan is a private garden, special arrangements must be made in advance with Deborah Goodwin, for a personal tour. Lord Falmouth's family has always been passionate about gardening. Now they are bringing together the experience of England's two great passions: gardening and tea drinking. Tregothnan has plans to open an ”˜International Tea Centre,' where visitors may see first hand a tea garden, tea factory, tea museum, and sip ”˜true English tea.'