After water, tea is the most popular beverage on Earth. People drink it far and wide, on every continent and in every country, and it’s often associated with such exotic locales as China, Kenya, India, and Peru.

Thanks to a small farm on Wadmalaw Island, we can now add South Carolina to that list. The Charleston Tea Plantation, owned in part by the renowned R. C. Bigelow & Company, is the only place in North America that produces black tea commercially.

	TEA PLANTATION SIGN		FIELDS OF TEA		TROLLEY TOUR

Tea, South Carolina’s official state hospitality beverage, has a long and colorful history in our state. In 1799¹, French botanist André Michaux brought the Camellia sinensis plant to his friend Henry Middleton, future governor and heir to Middleton Plantation in Dorchester County. Tea has since become a relative staple in the Lowcountry, where the soil is sandy, the air is humid, and tropical temperatures prevail.

Of course, this doesn’t mean growing tea in these parts has always come easily. Farm after farm collapsed before finally – after nearly two centuries of trial – horticulturalist Mack Flemming and his partner William Hall claimed success with their brand, American Classic. Together the two men took over the former Lipton Research Station on Wadmalaw, cultivating cuttings from plants once grown at Pinehurst Tea Gardens in Summerville.

Interestingly, though Pinehurst ceased operations nearly a century ago and the land has long since been carved into neighborhoods, residents still find tea growing wild in their backyards. Because the plants have acclimated to our climate over time, their cuttings are stronger and more likely to survive than those from imported varieties.

Fleming and Hall split their company several years ago, and Hall, a third-generation tea taster trained in England, approached the Bigelow family to help save the land from developers. Ruth Bigelow’s daughter flew down from Connecticut to bid on the plantation at auction, and its future was secured. Today Hall and Bigelow manage the plantation jointly. It is open to visitors, who can view the factory, take a trolley tour of the fields, browse the gift shop, and best of all – sample the tea themselves. After all, tea tastes best when it’s fresh, which gives a cup “born and brewed” right here in South Carolina a distinct advantage.

[Editor's note: October is a great month to visit the Charleston Tea Plantation. Butterflies abound along the coast this time of year, and the tea plants attract them by the hundreds with their small white blooms.]

1. Some sources give 1802 as an alternate date.

South Carolina Tea Resources

• Complete history of South Carolina Tea Farms - 1799 through present
• Charleston Tea Plantation - photos, information, links
  – American Classic Tea | Order Online

• Tea rooms in South Carolina - phone numbers, addresses, and where possible, websites
• Tea: South Carolina’s Official State Hospitality Beverage

In keeping with our ongoing look at state symbols, and given the tasty nature of this month’s “beverage” issue of SCIway News, it is our pleasure to announce the two newest additions to our State Symbols guide – South Carolina’s state drinks. No, that’s not a typo. We actually have two: Our official state beverage is milk, while our official state hospitality beverage is tea.

South Carolina is one of only two states in America to feature multiple state beverages, but we share milk with 18 other states. We are currently the only state to feature tea however – and for a very good reason! The Charleston Tea Plantation, located on Wadmalaw Island, is the only place in America to produce black tea commercially.

Use the links below to learn more about these important state symbols.

September’s Featured Symbols:

• SC State Beverage: Milk - Most of us grow up on milk. We receive it in some form immediately after birth and are encouraged to drink it throughout our many stages of growth. However, did you know that South Carolina has close to 90 dairy farms? We encourage you to visit our new South Carolina milk page to learn more about one of this month’s featured state symbols.
• SC State Hospitality Beverage: Tea - Tea is one of the most widely-loved beverages in the world. It can be enjoyed with any meal or as an afternoon treat. South Carolina has attempted to grow tea on a large scale since the 1800s, and has at last achieved success via American Classic. Visit our SC Tea Guide to learn more about the history of tea our state.