Tea-Production Ceremony

The 24th Tea 101 workshop on Production and Processing Basics, conducted by Randall Hamasaki and Stuart Nakamoto, was held on April 26 at the Mealani Research Station on the Big Island. Mealani has a field of tea that includes many different cultivars and a selection field of seedlings, a greenhouse where tea cuttings are produced, and a processing facility. The station staff are well versed in the growing and processing of tea. And they brought all their expertise to the seven-hour workshop, which was jam-packed with information and activity from beginning to end. It covered tea plant varieties, propagation, planting, shaping, pruning, irrigation, fertilization, pest management, and harvesting, as well as processing and marketing the tea. Participants tasted green, oolong, and black teas made from Camellia sinensis. Participants gained hands-on experience harvesting and processing the tea and then took home the tea they produced. Even the lunch included a discussion about the market potential of Hawai‘i-grown tea. The participants left inspired and much more informed about this exciting new crop!