Tea Hawaii & Company

While researching tea companies on the Big Island I discovered that you can take tours of their farms. But like any researcher, you can’t just use Google Maps, you also have to search around the web. That is how I found Eva’s place of paradise. Down a bumpy road through lush vegetation you reach a place of pure zen. You can tell just by looking at the picture of their house on the website that having a cup of tea here is more than a drink, it is an experience. And truly it was. Eva led us through her gardens after a customary rainstorm explaining the different types of tea cultivars (I was nerding out silently the entire time), while also telling us about how growing tea in Hawai’i has its own benefits and difficulties. We then participated in a tea tasting, sampling two of her black teas, a white, a green, and an oolong. I was also able to sample something else that I will keep secret for the moment but I look forward to their rendition of this popular tea. If you visit the island I highly recommend you head to the website and book a tour.

Website: https://teahawaii.com/

Location(s) Headquarters:

Big Island, Hawai’i, USA

Most popular company tea(s)?

Depending on the market distributions. Domestically the blacks and whites. Other niche markets the oolongs.

Does the company name have a meaning?

The meaning is inclusive of all Hawai’i-grown tea farmers that we collaborate with beyond our estate garden.

Do you participate in any charities? If so, which one (s)?

Specific ongoing we do not. On occasion when we are asked to participate in charities with tea donations we provide for the causes.

What is your and/or your co-workers’ favorite tea?

The one we are working on at the moment of production.

What are your thoughts on transparency in the tea industry?

It’s always in flux. Generally, with Hawai’i branding in teas only a small % are truly identifying origin specific. With that said it will always be challenging for the public to understand cost differences with Hawai’i-grown teas. Even now distributors are blending Hawai’i-grown teas with other commodity teas from abroad. Hawai’i-grown tea distribution is generally most authentic when direct from tea farms or distributors that are specific in identifying.

What role does tea play in our lives?

“A sense of humanity and hope nurtured by the giving leaf”.

TeaTiff Picks: Makai Black. Something about this tea really grabbed me. The maltiness with volcanic rock notes that transitions to creaminess with a hint of chocolate is delightful.

To fully understand and appreciate Hawai’i grown tea one needs to know the history and terroir of the islands. Currently, you can arrive on the islands within the same day you take off but when the first Polynesians navigated the seas they had only the stars on outrigger canoes to guide them and it took weeks. Hundreds of years of cultivating the islands have resulted in what we currently have today. While the island has lush vegetation it is also the youngest island with eruptions occasionally happening and land filled with amazing lava rock. But this lava rock can prove to make things difficult for farmers. Some have to find local soil to add while others not far away will find no trouble at all. Not to mention the higher costs of everything out there. So if you see the high prices and you go to close the page, Don’t! The teas being developed will create a unique industry and terroir that should be loved and protected just like any of the other tea farms anywhere else in the world.