09.17.07
a tea tree grows in washington
posted by Sandy M. Bushberg | 20 comments
For thousands of years, its been believed that tea can only be grown in subtropical environments. I am very pleased and a little awed to learn that tea is growing in Washington State at the Sakuma Brothers Farm. Yes, you heard me, the Pacific Northwest. How marvelous! I can’t help but think that maybe little Hood River, OR where I live - which has some of the most fertile soil in the country and wet winters - may also be a good place to plant some Camellia sinensis.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could start producing some good quality local teas throughout the U.S.? Obviously there would be many different obstacles to overcome in order to make that a reality. There are generations of knowledge and skills that have been accumulated to create the quality of teas we much appreciate from China and India. As the article addresses, there are many aspects of labor and production costs that would interfere with the competitiveness of such endeavors here in America. Years of experimenting, learning, and refining would need to occur first before being able to produce even a small amount of a quality product. Would it be worth it for farmers here to get involved in such a crop? Could they make money? As Joe Simrany suggests in the article, it may only be as a result of creating a specialized niche market that would make growing tea in the U.S. feasible. Would the American public pay even a higher premium to purchase locally grown tea? These are but a few of the many questions that need to be addressed before this could begin to be approached seriously. I would love to hear from all of you in the community as to what you think would need to happen to make this a reality.
September 17th, 2007 at 10:19 am
We are jealous Sandy. Now do not please grow Darjeeling there.
I remember an old planter, who wanted tea trees which produced leaf grades only.
Same in Washington, maybe you will get patented teas there too.
Congratulations.
Rajiv Lochan
September 17th, 2007 at 11:30 am
That is two places in the U.S. that I know of now. The other is in South Carolina, by a Tea Company I believe. I forget at the moment who. To answer your question Sandy. WHY NOT!! The timing is right. All good industries start on “a wing and prayer” with tons of critics. My little regional company started with so called industry “gurus” telling us we we were stark raving mad, and the area wasn’t ready to support a new approach.
Come on people lets put our collective heads together. Plan it and make it happen. As you know I can Market and Sell anything. The Tea growers and Packers/Blenders amongst us can explore the pluses and minuses. It is something to really consider.
Thanks Sandy, and Thanks to Joe Simrany for stimulating this thought……PJF
September 17th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Some of us can remember back thirty years when the prevailing opinion was that America could NEVER compete in the wine market. Many wine drinkers still believe that the best wines come from grapes grown in France or Chile or Italy. Truth be known, the best wine I’ve ever had is grown right here in Hood River, by the oldest vineyard in our little valley, yet, I can rarely afford it.
Teas from the traditional greats like India, China, and Japan will probably continue to be the best in many people’s minds for a long, long, time. Because of labor costs, they will continue to be more affordable. Americans are, however, becoming more aware of Fair Trade practices and the necessity of supporting local business, whether the product is tea or tennis shoes.
Rajiv, I think a Washington tea would be named “Dosewallips” (east side of Olympic peninsula) and would not be able to compete with Darjeeling in anyone’s mind - or palate - for a long time!
September 17th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Rajiv, I agree with Regena. I don’t think we will be much competition, at least not for a very long time. We will have to wait and see what kind of terroir results from tea grown in the U.S.
Paul, I’m with you. Let’s just do it!
September 17th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Now we have the beginnings of good discourse on the feasibility of actually doing it.
Rajiv we need to look to India and China for proper guidance, that will only further promote the top quality grown leaf from that part of the world.
Regena, The Little Engine that said, “I think I can I think I can”…… “I knew I could, I knew I could”……PJF
September 17th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
As a farmer here in Hood River, I noticed 2 really intriguing things from reading the article: apparently tea is a short season crop (which is important in our northern latitude), and, although the Sakumas are hand-harvesting currently, it looks like they think it may be possible to machine-harvest (most of the crops here in our valley are hand-harvested, making labor an issue).
I don’t know anything about growing tea obviously, but I have always wondered about it, since camellias thrive (west of the mountains, at least) in Oregon.
I’m REALLY intrigued, and will look into this more.
September 17th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Anne, we should meet and discuss this. I was planning on approaching an organic farmer I know about possibly using some of their land for a test site, but if you have an interest, we should talk about it. I, however, am only interested in growing hand crafted teas, not ctc.
September 17th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
“ctc”? I am a newbie; please explain!
September 17th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
In the article where they mention that the Sakumas have a machine for harvesting, that is usually done where the tea is going to be used for tea bags. It’s usually lower quality tea and the machines don’t have to be very precise in how the leaf is removed. They wind up being “cut” into smaller pieces (not whole leaf) and then they go to the factory where at least 2 of the next steps are “tear”, “curl”. This is predominantly used with black teas to further the oxidation process by cutting the leaves into small pieces, tearing or crushing the leaves to release enzymes that speed up the oxidation process and then curling or rolling the leaves, hence CTC - Cut, Tear, Curl.
September 17th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
After looking at the succlent leaf, in my opinion, only hand made artisan type oolongs should be made here on this farm, because the Japanese owners must be expert in this type.
As such trying conventional orthodox manufacture is not a bad idea but not sufficient green leaf must be available at the moment.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Paul, there are three places now in the US. The South Carolina estate is owned by Bigelow, this one in Washington and there are a few in Hawaii.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Mary, You are absolutely right, I stand corrected. In fact I remember an article in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal about them, that completely slipped my weak mind. ( don’t get old Ha!)….PJF
September 19th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Hi Mary Lukas, where in Hawaii? I’m planning to be in Maui in November…and if there is one in that island, I might just be able to visit if it’s open to the public.
There is also an ongoing discussion on R.F.D.T. usenet forum about the Sakuma Brothers’ tea farm. One of the posters lives close by the farm and visited it after reading the post…he shared his (not so glowing) opinions.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Phyll, I certainly wasn’t expecting the tea to be up to par at this point. I know that the Lipton tea experimental tea plantation and the subsequent owners have been at it for a very long time and they still make money mostly as a tourism curiosity, not because the tea is of high quality. I think it will take a lot of years and a lot of experimenting with geographic areas as well as processing before we are able to see if something good can come out of this, if at all.
September 26th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I just had two pots of their White tea this morning! It was an oxidized “white peony” style tea. It was so fruity! These guys grow lots of great raspberries and blueberries… I imagine that would really affect the tea production. The raspberry aftertaste is still lingering with me. I really love the fruits and veggies grown in my region! Now I can add tea to that list!!!!
I’m a Chinese tea nut, and I’ve had the pleasure of cupping some amazing Chinese whites. Comparing the Sakuma’s tea with the real thing would be like comparing apples and oranges. I really love the fruits and veggies grown in my region! Now I can add : “Our tea is good too!”
October 11th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
I have the good fortune to live near this farm and have also tried their white. It is indeed a white peony style (large whole black leaves with a very little white tip fuzz seen) and the flavor is so fruity that we’re still debating if they late aroma contamination from their fruit occur during curing, or if there’s that much impact from cross-pollination with the surrounding berry fields. With all the fruitiness there’s little tea taste in fact, with the resulting brew tasting a bit like steeped dried apples.
Each time I go to their outlet they talk about the “next batch” being ready soon, which makes me think they are doing year-round harvesting. That combined with the fact they package it in clear plastic bags with the top folded over once and half-sealed with a small label sticker makes me think that they do not know much about the demands of the high-end Chinese tea market. However, they do say they are trying to sell to that market, and their price ($135/lb) confirms it. Until they improve their packaging and quality, it’s not the best value on the market.
That said, I enjoyed drinking fresh, local tea enough to try another package come spring!
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Yes, there are many questions which need to be addressed in oder to take this seriously, but I believe it should be taken seriously. This is again, one step closer to becoming a self-sufficient global leader. Look what happened in the California wine country. Once upon a time we were frowned upon and struggled to produce a quality wine. Now we are producing some of the finest wine in the world. Tea is different I know, but we have to start somewhere. We can adapt our own Tea Culture, develop and perfect it over time. Time is on our side, we have to reverse the modern day trends and return to the land for future generations.
Strength in numbers perhaps, if everyone interested in growing tea here in the States formed together in some type of collaberated effort. To narrow it down a little further, take the areas already succesful in tea propagation and build on them. Form co-ops! or a Tea Growers Association or something like this. Seek out interested parties or investors, who could invest in purchasing parcels of land. With the land divided up in parcels or grants, it will provide more labor per grant because each parcel is separately owned by someone in the future “Tea Growers Association.” There’s much more to say, but I grow tea too and I am loking for a future place to plant it. Thats all for now, Joseph Augustino Tea Culture.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:27 am
THis is a hoax. Those plants do not produce any viable tea.
May 28th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Care to elaborate, Anton?
June 8th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Sorry Anton,
I believe I would need first hand observation before I could elaborate any further.