Tea Farm

Tea is one of Kenya’s largest exports worldwide. And Kenyan tea is THE BEST in the world! Every Monday, in Mombasa, the world’s largest “tea auction” takes place. Tasters from all over the world come to purchase Kenyan tea leaves which are found in “blends” of tea. Kenya Teas are famous for their distinct taste and flavour. The high quality tea is dark, blackish in colour, and has a very strong aroma. A small scoop is enough to make a pot of tea!
We traveled to a tea farm last week to sample tea, walk in the fields, and learn about tea production. We sipped iced tea on the lawn and also had a delicious meal with our friends the Weeks (Stephanie is the Elementary School Principal).

The tea farm we visited is called Kiambethu (which means dancing forest). It is about 30 minutes north of our home. Tea grows best at higher elevations and Kiambethu is at 2100m above sea level. We were surprised to learn that tea is grown from seed.

Tea fields are a beautiful tapestry of greens. The newest and softest leaves on top are brighter green than the older leaves near the bottom. Kenyan tea leaves are famous for their brightness, attractive color, brisk flavour, and the texture of fragrant leaves.All of the harvesting of tea is done meticulously by hand. The top 2 tea leaves are picked every 7 - 14 days. The “pekoe” is the smallest, softest bud of the tea leaf and makes the best leaves for a rich flavour. As a result Kenya tea has won international acclaim for its consistent high quality and excellent delightful aroma.There are 57 tea factories in Kenya. Unfortunately this is a hard year for producers. Falling tea prices and drought are making it a hard business. Because of the manual labour required, tea farms employ many Kenyans. But without rain, there is very little growth and, therefore, no work for Kenyans.