Pinkies Up! A Local Tea Movement Is Brewing
Most of the world's tea comes from China, India and Sri Lanka. But since 2000, dozens of farms have sprouted across the U.S. producing small-batch, artisanal tea sold at a premium.
On Saturday mornings, the most popular item Minto Island Growers sells at its farmers market booth is not the certified organic carrots, kale or blueberries. It's tea.
The farm grows Camellia sinensis, tea plants, on a half-acre plot in Salem, Ore. The tender leaves are hand picked and hand processed to make 100 pounds of organic, small batch tea.
The interest is so strong – the loose-leaf black, green and oolong teas sell out within weeks of spring in 2016 and plan to plant eight more acres this spring. Their teas are sold under the brand.
