The farm is 127 acres, with half of it currently in production. By the end of the year, three-fourths of it will be in production. Harvesting season is from May to October, and free walking tours are given the first Saturday of those months. The tea's growing, harvesting, drying, grading and packaging all take place on the plantation. One of the more memorable parts of the tour is Bill's tea tasting, a practice that involves slurping and spitting.
Women find it hard to spit in public a thousand times a day.
It's taken this long to eke a profit, but some of the positives are pretty positive. The tea is bottled in Greenville, and again, no additives, preservatives or coloring is used. Unsweetened and reduced-caffeine teas also are being developed. The Charleston Tea Plantation has produced an instant tea for Walmart, called Sam's American Choice Iced Tea Mix. In Japan, you can find American Classic in vending machines, hot or cold.