Into The Orchard

Every sip of Wild Orchard tea reveals the deep flavor of a single-variety tea plant, Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, which is grown on a truly unique farm. Located on the volcanic island of Jeju, South Korea, the farm is lush with tea trees thriving amidst the native wildlife. The tea trees are watered purely by rainfall and flavored by the mist that rises from the surrounding ocean.

The first tea trees were all grown from seeds—not from cuttings—planted more than two decades ago in the farm’s volcanic soil. This caused them to develop extremely deep roots and facilitated nutrient absorption. Furthermore, the trees were left largely untouched, not pruned or commercially harvested, until recent years. They grew wild and became much larger and more robust than those grown on most traditional tea farms. The result is a tea that’s soft on the palate and deep and complex in flavor.

Regenerative Evolution – SIMPLi

“I feel like there’s a real effort to show locals that these old ways, these old skillsets are not things of the past, that there’s a place for them. And I think what, maybe Michael Ham and his team are, are doing softly and gently, but well, is introducing maybe a little bit of the modern world using some technology that doesn’t forsake the old skillsets, that honors the work being put in. For me though, I see the challenge that a place like this has to go through, because there’s a responsibility to the community, and you feel it.”