Tasting Tea in the Azores

Tea is one of my favorite things on earth. Never fully acquiring the taste for coffee, tea was my primary vehicle for getting my caffeine fix. Now that I'm living a caffeine free life, these perky little leaves are the thing I miss the most.

However, back in the spring of 2018, I still was living a life high on caffeine, and during a visit to the stunning island of São Miguel in the Azores, Ben and I decided to take a trip to a tea farm, perched along the verdantly green hills overlooking the blue Atlantic. Around that time I had written an article about tea growing on Hawai‘i Island, so I was excited to compare and contrast the differences between the experiences.

Below, I'll share some pictures and observations of not only the beautiful landscape where tea grows in terraced lines up and down the undulating hills, but also the Chá Gorrena's process for harvesting the tea and getting it into your cup. Let's go.

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On the day we visited the tea farm of Chá Gorreana, Ben and I had been embarking on a round the island road trip. São Miguel is a lot smaller than the island we were calling home, so circumnavigating it would take several hours, but not all day. Fortunately for us, the tea farm was located on the final stretch before we returned to our hotel to rest and relax.

Once arriving at the farm, we decided to wander around and investigate the rows of tea growing on the property.

As you can see throughout the pictures, the tea plants grow in both vertical and horizontal lines on this farm, taking advantage of the terrain. According to this source, tea requires cooler, but not cold, climates, as well as plenty of rainfall. This is why the Hilo side of the Big Island is more suited for tea growing than the Kona side, which is infinitely sunnier and much more conducive to growing coffee, which is how Kona gets its world-famous coffee notoriety.

Chá Gorreana claims to be Europe's oldest tea producer, having started their farm in 1883. Similar to Hawai‘i, the Azores have a mild climate as well as nutrient rich volcanic soil which lends itself well to a tasty cup of tea. And also similar to Hawai‘i, an orange production dwindled out while farmers looked for other profitable plants to harvest. Instead of coffee in Kona, this farm chose tea - and haven't looked back since.

Inside the building, which we explored after wandering around the farm, is a museum that shows how they harvest and package the tea, using equipment that may be original. Afterwards, they also include a tea tasting and store, and you know I had to take advantage. But first, let's investigate the farm a little more before we check out the interior.

As you can see, Ben was super excited to have his picture taken.

However, even Ben enjoyed the views of the rolling hills of tea spilling into vistas of the ocean beyond.

But what is tea, and how do you harvest it? Why are there still so many leaves on these plants, and why are they not being harvested to make tea? Chá Gorreana's website shares,

"Tea is produced from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which belongs to the tea family. Regardless of the variety, all tea originates from this plant and its hybrids.

The differences among various types of tea result from the specific selection of leaves and the processing methods used. There are approximately 3,000 varities of tea worldwide, each with unique flavors, aromas, and characteristics. Factors such as geographic location, climatic conditions, cultivation altitude, soil pH and the type of hybrid significantly influance the final profile of each tea." (Source).

Generally, tea growers select only the freshest leaves grown, known as the pekoe as well as the orange pekoe (even smaller, newer leaves), leaving the older leaves on the plant that you see below and throughout these pictures. Once leaves are harvested, they are left to dry and wither. The source cited above provides excellent information about this process.

Regardless of your affinity for tea, or knowing the ins and outs of how its grown, harvested and packaged, walking around the property is still an interesting excursion as the views are hard to beat.

After admiring the factory side of the farm, we crossed the busy street to wander through the fields on the other side. There you could really see the variety of terrain and the different approaches they used to optimize their tea growing.

While you could hike higher into the hills, we opted to stay closer to the highway.

There, we could take in all of the beautiful views of the rows and rows of tea.

Before long, it was time to head back across the highway to the factory and store.

Inside, we could catch glimpses of the factory at work as leaves went up conveyor belts, machines moved, and the earthy aromas of tea filled the air.

See? Ben does enjoy himself sometimes. :)

After all of this hard work admiring the views and watching the process of tea making, it was time to enjoy a cup and maybe take some home with us (okay, definitely take some home with us). The tea has a light, earthy flavor, perfect for any chilly morning on a lanai in Hawai‘i, on a deck in the Pacific Northwest, or anywhere you may want to enjoy a delicious cup of tea.

If you find yourself on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, and you are a tea drinker like me, do yourself a favor and make sure you stop to check out not only the beautiful surroundings, but also the delicious tea that has been grown and cultivated for almost 150 years.

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Chá Gorreana Context

Chá Gorreana is located on the northern side of the island, about a 15 minute drive from Furnas, or a 30 minute drive from Ponta Delgada. According to Google Maps, there is public transportation available, though the times double, and sometimes quadruple. If you have your own car while visiting São Miguel, this farm is worth a stop. It was free to enter and walk around on our visit.

To learn more about their teas, as well as their farm and factory, visit their website: https://gorreana.pt/en/

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Day of travel: May 11th, 2018