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Elizabeth Miller at Minto Island Tea Company (Photo by Dan Shryock) <\/p>\n Elizabeth Miller at Minto Island Tea Company (Photo by Dan Shryock) <\/p>\n
Elizabeth Miller leads more than 25 fellow tea growers into her small nursery, pointing out young plants in various stages of development. She explains the successes and setbacks she has experienced growing tea in Oregon\u2019s Willamette Valley. <\/p>\n
The audience is captivated because, like Miller, they are either growing or hope to grow tea in non-traditional terroir. Working together these tea pioneers are establishing best practices for cultivating tea in the United States.<\/p>\n
The visit to Miller\u2019s Minto Island Tea Company is a featured event during a recent annual meeting of the US League of Tea Growers (USLTG), an 85-member organization established in 2013. Some members are hobbyists, others operate commercial tea production facilities. They all have one thing in common: a passion to grow specialty tea in their own locales.<\/p>\n
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Angela McDonald (Photo courtesy of Angela McDonald) <\/p>\n
\u201cTea is not a new crop. They\u2019ve been growing tea for thousands of years,\u201d said league president Angela McDonald. \u201cBut it\u2019s a new crop in the United States. Any time you\u2019re growing something in a new region you have to figure out how it adapts.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, members traveled to Oregon from across the country to share ideas and discover which techniques may work back home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the league first started, a lot of people were excited, but they did not want to share secrets,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cThat approach ends up holding everybody back and the entire industry doesn\u2019t develop. But they realized they are not competitors and they are learning from each other and collaborating. Eventually, we all can get to the same place.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, McDonald says, the goal is to establish viable products for the marketplace. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to have research done, collaborate and create an industry. The league exists to assist in creating that industry, so everyone has a place to sell their tea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of that effort means staying informed on all aspects of tea cultivation and production. To that end, the group is considering organizing its 2020 annual meeting to coincide with the scheduled on Jan. 16-17 at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science on the campus of the University of California, Davis. Members also are encouraged to follow and provide public comment on programs such as the California Department of Food and Agriculture\u2019s Special Crop Block Grant Program. University researchers also speak at league meetings.<\/p>\n
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USLTG Minto Tea (Photo courtesy of Fleur De Lis Tea Company, https:\/\/www.fleurdelisteaco.com\/) <\/p>\n
\u201cSome people right now are producing tea as a novelty, but it doesn\u2019t taste good,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cOnce that novelty wears off, you can\u2019t sell bad tea. You must produce good tea. We need standards.\u201d <\/p>\n
The league of tea growers is in position to help establish those standards, create good teas and develop regional flavor profiles. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like the wine industry. If you\u2019re trying to replicate, you\u2019re not going to get very far,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cIf you start creating your own wines that taste good and fit your terroir, you\u2019re going to be successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been focusing on specialty tea,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cIf we try to create commodity tea, it will be hard to compete. It will be nothing special. If we create a specialty product people all over the world will be interested.\u201d<\/p>\n
To learn more about the League of US Tea Growers, visit: <\/p>\n
Sources: <\/p>\n
Elizabeth Miller at Minto Island Tea Company (Photo by Dan Shryock) Elizabeth Miller leads more than 25 fellow tea growers into her small nursery, pointing out young plants in various stages of development. She explains the successes and setbacks she has experienced growing tea in Oregon\u2019s Willamette Valley. The audience is captivated because, like Miller,<\/p>\n