I’d mentioned research in a recent post. Sometimes, I can’t stop, even after the book is already written. In honor of How to Behave at a Tea Party, for instance, I forced my family to accompany me to this beautiful spot to see how tea was made.
The Charleston Tea Plantation (formerly a potato farm) uses plants that have been cultivated in this country for generations, though the plantation itself didn’t come into being until the 1960s.
Our big takeaway: I always thought there were different types of tea bushes to make green tea and black tea. It turns out, it’s all a matter of how long you let the tea “rest.” Green tea leaves barely have time to sit. Black tea spends more time on the withering table. I’m including some photos here.
Bonus: free tea in the lobby, hot or cold! Julia would have been quite happy there.
Entrance to plantation
Withering Bed