The photo of me carrying a bag of tea with Halloween decor around is me making “dummy” batches of tea using dried leaves from pruning. This is called “tea waste.” For the past five years I have been sending many pounds of tea field scrap to two colleges in Massachusetts. First it was the Mass. Institute of Technology and now its to the Smith College. They have been developing sanitary pads, with the different layers, for women in disadvantaged countries that have large tea plantations. I have enjoyed helping with this program.
The other photo is a bucket of seeds that I freely give to people who want to pick them. We have had several takers this year who have hauled away lots of seeds (and plants) but I can walk out in the tea rows and there are seeds still all over the bushes. Come get some if you want them. They will soon split open and the seeds will be on the ground and harder to pick up.
This is the time of the year to transplant seedlings. They want to be moved when they are very young and during the fall, going into winter. With tea tours, I will give tourist a few plants to kill for free. If you are needing hundreds of them, they are $1 each which is almost free. We have sold or given away about 5000 seedlings already this fall and it is still early. If you want to start a patch of tea in your yard and want to grow and make your own tea, come see me.
Almost everyday we get someone calling or emailing us want us to mail them some tea. Tea shops all over the US and in foreign countries want me to ship them pounds of tea wholesale. Folks are surprised that we have been growing and making tea for 46 years, we are still artisan producers and not really a commercial business. We only sell tea down here on the farm.
I am surprised that so many people have bought my book (on Amazon) that came out this past April. Tea suppliers, distributors, professional blenders and company executives have come to see me because of this small publication and given me generous words of praise. People have been so complimentary! I very presumptively named it “The Grandfather of American Tea,” and I was sure to get beat over the head because of it but not yet. I keep hearing that my style and approach to the subject is like no other. Thank you for your supportive comments.
Tea tours are still going on here most every day. We are booked for October but still have lots of times available in November. You have to call ahead (251-209-3089) to make an appointment for a tour. If you just want to buy tea, drive up and I will come out and sell you what you need. Tea tours take place at 1:00 and we only do one a day. We like three or less people (we do not do groups) so we can tour in my golf cart. Visitors first sit down for a cup of our brew, a class on how tea is made then we tour the thousands to tea bushes we have. It takes about an hour, or hour and a half if you ask lots of questions. Tours cost $20 per person in CASH, we do not accept bitcoin, and we sell teabags for $10 and half pound loose leaf bags (black of green) for $15, which is a third of the standard commercial price.
We would enjoy meeting you are hearing your tea story.
Donnie Barrett