The One And Only Charleston Tea Plantation--The Tea's Intriguing History From Summerville To Wadmalaw Island

All the tea in China can't measure up to the tea grown in South Carolina. 哦啦啦 (translation: ooh la la). No, it's Oolong. Camellia sinensis is the scientific name for this tea and it came to South Carolina in 1799 by way of a French botanist named Andre Michaux. He planted the cuttings near Charleston at Middleton Barony for Henry Middleton's gardens, which is known as Middleton Place today, but they didn't stay there. Before the tea found a permanent home at the Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island, it traveled around the state for a time.

In 1848, some tea plants traveled to Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Junius Smith, a retired London physician, attempted to produce it commercially on his plantation called Golden Grove and his little venture was successful. On July 4, 1851 he declared, "Now I have before me a pot of fresh tea from my own plantation, the first I have enjoyed." He didn't enjoy it for very long. A year later Junius Smith was attacked at his home in Grove Station and seriously injured. He died from his injuries a month later. And so, that was that.


The next attempt to grow tea commercially came in 1874. Dr. Alexis Forster planted a crop of the tea plants on his Georgetown plantation called Friendfield. Unfortunately, the daring undertaking was stopped in its tracks. In 1879, Dr. Forster died when his buggy flipped while trying to outrun a group of bandits trying to rob him.


In 1884, the U.S. Department of Agriculture planted an experimental tea farm outside Summerville, South Carolina. The program ran for four years to 1888, until the government scraped it because it wasn't cost effective to harvest the tea. It was that same year Dr. Charles Shepard entered the picture and established the Pinehurst Tea Plantation close to where the government's farm had been located and ironically near the site of Michaux's original planting on Middleton Place.

Dr. Charles Shepard successfully produced a variety of high quality Oolong tea. His tea even won first prize at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. To cover costs for labor, Shepard opened a school, making tea picking part of the curriculum, giving him cost free child labor, while offering an education that may have not been available to them otherwise.

Meanwhile, in the early 1900s, Major Roswell Trimble and Colonel Augustus C. Tyler transplanted thousands of tea bushes from Summerville to nearby Rantowles in South Carolina's Lowcountry, now known as Hollywood. This venture, called the American Tea Growing Company, failed due to two possible reasons. Some believe it was because of a quarrel between Trimble and Tyler's son, while others believe its failure was because of Colonel Tyler's death in 1903 compounded by repeal of the Spanish-American War import tax of ten cents per pound of tea. The company dissolved by 1907.


Sadly, Pinehurst Plantation remained prosperous only until the death of Dr. Shepard in 1915. The tea plants were no longer harvested, but continued unattended and wild for the next 45 years.

Dr. Shepard's accomplishments laid the groundwork for the success to come. In 1963, a 127 acre potato farm located on Wadmalaw Island in the Lowcountry of South Carolina was purchased. The Thomas J. Lipton company established a research station. Shepard's tea plants were transplanted from Pinehurst to the farm. The research station operated for 24 years and proved that a high-quality tea could indeed be grown commercially in South Carolina.

In 1987, William Barclay Hall, a third-generation tea taster trained in England, purchased the land. Thanks to Hall's vision the Charleston Tea Plantation was founded. During his seventeen year tenure, his original "American Classic" tea became the first tea ever to be made with 100% tea grown in America. For almost thirty years, American Classic has been immensely popular with tea lovers in the Carolinas.

In 2003, seeking additional financing, Hall reached out to his longtime friends, the Bigelow family. A partnership arrangement was worked out and the Bigelow Tea Company bought the plantation. The Bigelows brought sixty-five years of experience in the specialty tea business to the Plantation and the American Classic brand. Since 2003, the Charleston Tea Plantation has transformed into a true American icon.

Considered one of Charleston's most unspoiled islands, the drive along Maybank Highway on Wadmalaw Island to the tea plantation's entrance marked by three brick pillars is a pleasant one, although it doesn't seem like you are on an island. As soon as you pass the entrance, you are immediately treated to a sea of lush, green tea fields. After a short drive into the trees, you arrive at the welcome center parking.

The welcome center has a long porch with plenty of outdoor seating where Waddy the Frog, a tea-loving metal amphibian custom made for the plantation by Charles “Frog” Smith of John's Island, greets plantation visitors. Inside the center is a spacious gift shop where you can choose from over several hundred tea related items including a selection of the delicious specialty teas that are produced on the plantation. There is a Tea Bar where you can sample the teas. It is also home to the "Green Giant", a custom made tea harvesting machine exclusive to the Charleston Tea Plantation.

A map of the world hangs above the check out counter with lights identifying other locations tea is grown. You can purchase a $10 ticket for a 35-40 minute trolley ride where you'll get to see the plantation's 127 acres of tea bushes and listen to a narration. You can take a complimentary tour of the tea production building designed with a glassed in, air conditioned gallery that runs the entire length of the facility. As you walk along the gallery, you will be looking out onto our factory floor at all the equipment it takes to make tea. Three large TV screens explain in great detail each and every tea making process.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is unique. It is the only place in North America where tea is grown. The historical story leading up to its establishment on pristine Wadmalaw Island, recounted in this article, is an illustrious one with deep Lowcountry roots first planted along the Ashley River in Summerville. It is worth your time to visit this Charleston landmark. While you are on the island, other historic attractions such as Deep Water Vineyard, the only domestic winery in Charleston, South Carolina as well as the Angel Oak tree are nearby.

On June 9th, 2020 the name of this tea farm changed from the Charleston Tea Plantation to the Charleston Tea Garden.

6617 Maybank Highway
Wadmalaw Island
843-559-0383

82 Queen And A Historic Carriage Ride-Completely Charleston During Charleston's Restaurant Week

It was a beautiful day for a Charleston carriage ride. It would be Keri's first. We selected Old South Carriage Tours to be our guide and purchased the tickets for $22 each. While waiting to board our carriage, we spent time talking with one of the guides about the horses and met Samson, a massively large gelding, 22 hands tall. Samson at first was attentive but after awhile became bored with our conversation and went to lean against one of the walls in his stall. It was time to board the carriage.

The guide introduced herself and informed us of our horses name, Dave. We pulled out onto the road and headed to the area where a machine randomly selects a colored ball. The colored ball drawn denotes the route the guide must take to regulate carriage traffic in any given location in the city. Ours was a red ball. Our carriage would be traveling to the Battery starting at Mills House Hotel, winding through White Point Gardens and back.

The guide was very entertaining and informative. I give her high marks. Dave didn't like making the scheduled stops and would push the carriage backwards to express his disapproval. After doing this tour repeatedly through the day you would probably feel the same way. The tour reached its conclusion. It was picture time. Keri, an experienced equestrian and horse lover, posed with Dave. We moved on and took a brief walk on King Street where Second Sunday had just come to an end. It was now time to walk to our restaurant destination on Queen Street, our Restaurant Week selection.

No landscaped walkway leading to a large porch and entrance greets you on arrival, no huge sign displaying its name. Two brass numbers on the street wall are all you have to go on aside from a tiny sign on the opened gate. If you are not paying attention you could unknowingly walk right past it and end up on busy King Street. It is 82 Queen. It can't get any simpler. The restaurant's address is its name.

Looking in from the street, you look up a narrow, beautifully landscaped alleyway. Alleys are common features in Charleston and part of its picturesque charm. At the end we could see a couple of well-dressed young ladies and after navigating the alley, we discovered they were the hostesses for the restaurant. We informed them of our 5:45pm reservation. With reservation confirmed, one of them asked what our preference would be, inside or out. Since it was a beautiful night, we said outside. The hostess led us on our way to the table. The outside dining area was a large white-trellised patio with green plants growing everywhere. Tables were strategically placed to maximize space. Overhead fans kept the area cool and comfortable.

 

Shortly after being seated we were brought the bread. Keri pointed to the four pieces and we both smiled. The amusement had to do with a previous visit to another restaurant where they only brought us out three pieces of bread, emphasis on "only". If you want to know why that was amusing, read my article about 82 Queen's neighbor restaurant the Husk.

Sonia, our server, greeted us next and handed us the menu. She gave a summary of each selection and took our drink order. I chose the Firefly Fruit Cocktail and my company, a wine person, picked Folonari Pinot Grigio. No surprise. We were undecided about our selections and took a little time. We sipped the drinks and Keri engaged in the traditional 'taste your drink' practice. She said, "I taste ice tea." I disbelievingly said, "Are you sure, I only saw vodka and fruit juices on the list of ingredients." "Nope, there's ice tea," she confidently reconfirmed. Well, the controversy needed settling. Ice tea is as common to Charleston as Rainbow Row, but in a vodka drink? I questioned the server on her return and she retrieved the drink list. The list of ingredients read: Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, Monin pomegranate mix, cranberry juice, lemonade. Firefly is a local distillery on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina and the tea comes from the Charleston Tea Plantation; a pure southern blend through and through. It's a good thing I didn't bet the house.

It was time for our 3 for $30 selections. First choice was She Crab Soup laced with Sherry. I may get in trouble with the locals for saying this, but I have been in Charleston for seven years and this was the first time I ordered she crab soup. What better place than 82 Queen for this first. It was superb and the Sherry a refreshing touch. No wonder it is called award winning. For our second selection, I chose the Barbados Style Fish Tostada and Keri picked Grilled Pork Chop. Barbados Style Fish Tostada consisted of the catch of the day with mild red chili sauce on baby greens, crispy tortilla, grilled pineapple, black bean salsa, Cilantro Lime Sour Cream. The chili sauce and salsa added a pleasant tomato taste, not too spicy. The fish wasn't anything extraordinary. I had no clue what specie it was and I didn't ask. Keri gave the pork chop a thumbs up. I liked the caramelized plantains from her dish. Key lime pie was the dessert.

Barbados Style Fish Tostada

Grilled Pork Chop

The whole staff from the front end to the server were professional. Sonia was very hospitable and very attentive, did everything with a pleasant smile. There was one issue but the management went above and beyond to correct it. The outside restaurant atmosphere was beautifully Charleston. Although I did not get to see the main dining area, I am sure it was equally enjoyable. It was Charleston Restaurant Week, so it was a 3 for $30 deal with a total bill of $86. The Pinot Grigio was $8 a glass and the Firefly Fruit Cocktail was $10. Reservations are suggested but from what I saw they will not turn away walk-ins. We saw a walk-in in the beginning and bumped into them leaving. 82 Queen is one address you will need to check out if for any reason, at least for the she crab soup. If you are feeling festive, order a Firefly Fruit Cocktail and clink your glasses to the number one destination in the nation and its top restaurants. Celebrate Charleston.