Porto Formoso Tea Factory is on the north coast of the island of São Miguel, in the Azores archipelago, that there are the only tea plantations for production purposes in Europe. For a long time tea was only used as an ornamental plant, but in the year 1878, and on the initiative of the Micaelense Agricultural Promotion Society, two Chinese came to São Miguel to teach the production transformation of tea. The Porto Formoso Tea Factory, labored between the twenties and the eighties. In 2001 the present owners reopened the factory which was considered of interest for the Industrial Patrimony of the Region. |
(Porto Formoso Tea Factory) |
(Porto Formoso Tea Factory) |
(Porto Formoso Tea Factory) |
Since 2001, the Porto Formoso Tea Factory has been organizing its plantations annually to recreate the traditional tea harvest. The "Harvest Start" takes place on the first Saturday of May, which usually coincides with the first picking of the tea leaf. This event of cultural and tourist activity, unique in the region and in the country, involves more than a hundred actors in the manual harvest of the tea. Porto Formoso Tea Factory with this initiative, intends to make known to the local visitors and tourists, the customs and experiences that are still in the memory of the people who lived at the time when the tea had great economic and social importance, in the north zone of the island of Sao Miguel, Azores. |
(Porto Formoso Tea Factory) |
(Porto Formoso Tea Factory) |
(Porto Formoso Tea Factory) |
The harvest is from April to September, coinciding with a low rainfall season, which results in a slow growth of the shoot and a tea of superior quality.
After picking, the leaves are taken to the factory, where they are transformed into infusion leaves through natural processes. In order to guarantee the quality of origin, Porto Formoso Tea Factory regularly controls production quality. |
Rejseklubben does not organize trips, but should be seen as a source of inspiration for anyone who likes to travel
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