Chiu Leong walks through the tea plants at Tea Hawaiʻi & Company in Volcano. (Courtesy of Tea Hawaiʻi)

Eva Lee walks through the temperate rainforest near the summit of Kīlauea to check the thousands of tea plants growing between the trees at the estate she built with her husband over the past 25 years.

Finding the plants ready for harvest, Lee begins handpicking the leaves that will be processed into white, green, oolong or black tea.

Lee and her husband, Chiu Leong, founded Tea Hawaiʻi & Co. in Volcano in 2006 after moving to the Big Island from Los Angeles in 2000 to embark on a tea-growing venture.

Tea Hawaiʻi & Co. employs a method of agroforestry — which integrates trees into the farming practices to enhance productivity, sustainability and resilience — to grow Camellia sinensis, the plant used for producing the four types of teas.

The farm has about 8,000 tea plants spread across 2 acres nestled in a forest that is about 200 years old.

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The rich volcanic soil, steady rainfall and tropical climate of the Big Island have created a fertile environment for various types of agriculture. But for about 150 years, the dominant crop was sugar cane.

When the island’s last sugar plantations closed in 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began searching for the next crop.

After conducting research with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the tea plant was introduced to encourage tea cultivation on the Big Island, where coffee already was a thriving industry, with Kona coffee known worldwide.

“There were many people with conventional farming backgrounds who did not want to pursue growing tea because it is labor-intensive,” Lee said. “Many of us who moved to Hawaiʻi had no extensive backgrounds in agriculture but were simply interested in tea.”

Tea farming is labor intensive because cultivation, harvesting and processing is all done manually, and with precision. Plants require regular pruning. Tea leaves are handpicked for the youngest leaves and buds. Then, the leaves must be rolled by hand to begin the oxidation process.

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Tea Hawaiʻi hires subcontractors when there are more leaves to harvest or process, but Lee and Leong remain the only full-time employees.

With the federal and local promotion of tea production in Hawaiʻi, Lee said: “People from China, India and Japan came over with their expertise to help the industry advance rapidly.”

With large corporations soon recognizing the high cost of farming in Hawaiʻi, leading tea-growing operations mainly start as small, family-run businesses like Tea Hawaiʻi & Co.

A tea tasting is set up at Tea Hawaiʻi & Company in Volcano. (Courtesy of Tea Hawaiʻi)

Leong and Lee’s estate was born from a cultural perspective and a keen interest in tea. To this day, both are actively involved in all aspects of the farm’s production, from propagation to distribution.

“Tea plants are evergreens, meaning once they’re planted, they outlive us all,” Lee said. “The most successful growers are constantly busy, whether it’s harvesting leaves, processing the tea, or distributing and marketing. It’s never a mundane job.”

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Harvested and processed all by hand, Tea Hawaiʻi regularly offers Forrest White, Volcano Green, Mauka Oolong and Makai Black, which are all 100% Hawaiʻi-grown single estate whole leaf organic teas.

With extensive background in the arts, Lee and Leong infuse a traditional yet contemporary approach in their business practices.

Instead of viewing others as competition, the two collaborate with fellow growers, institutions, and researchers to help further Hawaiʻi’s reach in world tea.

Over the years, Tea Hawaiʻi has offered programs to help educate and encourage new growers, especially in processing the tea since that is the most complicated part of the process.

Lee and Leong currently collaborate with local farmers John Cross, Sen Woo Fang and Mike Riley to process their tea for distribution in a collaboration similar to a co-op.

“I love helping new tea farmers because I don’t worry about competition,” Lee said. “I believe Hawaiʻi has a significant role in advancing tea culture worldwide, so I want to advocate for the industry and have shared my knowledge when I can.”

She added: “It’s rewarding to be able to do that and get more Hawaiʻi tea across the world.”

An art piece that incorporates white, green, Oolong and black tea from Tea Hawaiʻi & Company. (Courtesy of Tea Hawaiʻi)

Lee said any company can import tea, repackage it and sell it as a Hawaiian product, “but I don’t want to see tea ever fall into that practice because there isn’t anyone farming tea.”

“There is a path where 100% Hawaiʻi-grown tea can continue to service people around the world without question.”

Lee has offered to bring her knowledge and experience to new farmers and agriculture students at Hawaiʻi Community College with the hope that the younger generation continues to pursue tea farming.

“The hope is that more people learn about growing and processing for distribution to ensure the longevity of the industry in Hawaiʻi,” Lee said.

Even after 25 years, the work remains engaging as they continue to implement new elements to their tea estate.

Tea grows under a canopy of native trees at Tea Hawaiʻi & Company in Volcano. (Courtesy of Tea Hawaiʻi)

Recently, Tea Hawaiʻi has begun offering tea garden tours and tastings with help from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority agri-tourism initiative, which helps preserve agricultural lands, keep farmers and ranchers viable, and diversify tourism opportunities.

During the tours, visitors learn about the history of Hawaiʻi and experience the culture and artistry of tea while taking in the canopy of koa, ʻōhiʻa and hāpuʻu that cover the plants with cool shade, which is the only kind of tea grown by Tea Hawaiʻi.

“I love our shade-grown trees because shade-grown tea, no matter where it is, has a higher level of L-theanine,” Lee said. “This is the part of tea that sets it apart from coffee because it naturally relaxes you. Stress is reduced, and it improves your focus.”

According to Lee, a doctor in Canada began ordering white tea from Tea Hawaiʻi for his patients recovering from a chemotherapy infusion.

“I asked him why he recommended it for his patients, and he told me it was due to the high levels of antioxidants that helped shorten recovery time from the chemotherapy sessions,” Lee said. “I honestly did not know how helpful our tea and the L-theanine could be, and when I think about it, it’s those moments that keep us going. It was amazing to hear that.”

Eva Lee talks with a researcher while he tours Tea Hawaiʻi & Company in Volcano. (Courtesy of Tea Hawaiʻi)

While Tea Hawaiʻi doesn’t offer direct sales outside of the garden tour, they do wholesale to retailers across the state and internationally. The tea can be found in cafes and stores across the Big Island.

Leong also sells his handmade cups and bowls used for drinking tea on the Tea Hawaiʻi website. Many of the pieces represent the ʻāina that grew the tea.

Those interested in taking a garden tour of Tea Hawaiʻi or have questions about purchasing tea can email teahawaii@gmail.com or visit the website.