Well, it’s still a long drive from my house, but it’s much closer than India, China, or Japan.

Bigelow is a family-owned tea company based in Fairfield, Conn., that was founded in the late 1940s by Ruth C. Bigelow. They are credited with owning the only U.S. tea plantation located in Charleston, S.C. Their tea can be purchased in most major grocery stores across the United States.

Touring a tea plantation is a goal of mine. As my interest and passion for tea grows, a trip to a tea plantation is a must. To truly understand the climate, see the camellia sinensis and watch the various processes of tea production would be truly amazing.

Maybe someday I’ll get to go. I’ve read many stories from various sources about their trips to tea plantations and their experiences with true tea gurus, and they are all inspiring. The history and mystique behind tea is just fascinating.

For now, a tour in Charleston South Carolina would be a good starting point. If you weren’t aware of Bigelow’s family owned tea company, visit bigelowtea.com.

I’m going to order some of their loose tea in the near future. I’ve tried Bigelow’s Cinnamon Stick in a teabag. I wasn’t overly impressed, however, I want to give their loose tea a try.

marTEA

marTEA's blog was posted on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 at 3:39 am and is filed under American Classic Tea, Bigelow Tea, marTEA Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.