We sell lots of tea for Christmas presents every year. Its not only that the tea is very good, its that the word “Fairhope” is across the package. Guests from all over like to give a special gift from Alabama where they are spending the season. These one half pound packages of loose leaf black tea will be gone this week. Along with lots of packages of teabags, green and black.
As not everyone reads this web site, we still are getting constant request for loose leaf green tea. Seems folks are not able to find the green tea they like (think tariff) so they call on us. We are not set up, nor do we have the stock, or the willingness to supply the Southeastern US with green tea. I am having to explain this over and over on the phone, email and to drive-up’s every day. I hate to turn down our regular green tea customers but we are getting cleaned out of green tea. I am getting a bunch of “pretty please, just for me…” request which is heartbreaking. We will make more this spring but we are now getting sold out.
I did run our tea bagger machine last night and made around 25 packages of green teabags. I blended our standard green with a first flush whole leaf green. We make that whole leaf for the few gung-fu tea drinkers. I then added a good measure of greenish Oolong and then a scoop of black tea. Wow, it has made a fabulous green tea in a teabag! These too will be gone in a week so come get one while they are hot. I’m sure after Christmas we will not be offering any green tea for sale.
We are now starting the winter time pruning process. First I cut out the trees and big weeds. We have lots of invasive Chinese Privet bushes in the tea rows that get cut to the ground. This makes a large pile of brush to haul away. I am letting some oak trees grow tall in the tea field to add a little cooling shade. Then we use a Black & Decker hedge trimmer and cut the bushes almost in half, down to the “nuckles.” When we have tourists come in Jan-Feb the rows of bushes look like dead sticks with old leaves on the bottom. One tourist said “Well, Mr. Barrett, don’t look like you’re going to get much tea this year.” When the flush begins, and it happens early, the whole field turns light green and it does not stop growing all summer into next fall.
Remember tours happen at 1:00 most every day. You have to have an appointment and we will only do up to 6 at a time. We really like only 2-3 people at a time. Tours are $20 per person in CASH and we also sell small packages of tea. Small children do not find the tea tours interesting and well behaved dogs are ok. These are farm tours and not tea parties. It is like a class on tea culture and production. Our guests are very entertained and are most complementary upon leaving. Call (251-928-0919) and schedule a tour!
Donnie Barrett