Randy Hamasaki, county extension agent for the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Tropical Resources, was upfront with the group of 10 seated around folding tables at the Mealani Research Station in Waimea.
Randy Hamasaki, county extension agent for the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Tropical Resources, was upfront with the group of 10 seated around folding tables at the Mealani Research Station in Waimea.
“We’re going to talk about a lot in seven hours,” he said. It was time for Tea 101.
Over the course of the day, participants learned the basics of tea cultivation, from planting seedlings to testing soil pH. They picked tea leaves from the Mealani field, hand-processed them and finally brewed them to see how they tasted.
Interest in agricultural diversification for Hawaii has been on the rise for years, and CTAHR field trials and research projects help determine which new crops to focus on.
Tea “looks like a very attractive crop,” said CTAHR faculty member Stuart Nakamoto.
The 200-acre Mealani station is mostly used for cattle-related research, such as best practices for raising grass-fed beef and developing varieties of forage. A portion of the land is used for blueberry cultivation. The blueberry crop does well in a greenhouse, Hamasaki said, but contracts a rust virus if planted in the ground.
Tea makes up half an acre of Mealani. The first rows were planted in 1999, with a second group planted in 2004.
The research station allows CTAHR to experiment with different varieties of Camellia sinensis to determine how they adapt (or not adapt) to Hawaii growing conditions.
All true tea — green, black, white and oolong — comes from the same plant. It is the processing that makes for taste distinctions, which in turn are determined by how oxidized the tea leaves get.
“You can grow anywhere in Hawaii,” Nakamoto said. “But whether the harvest is good is another thing.” That’s what the CTAHR work is for: figuring out how to maximize a harvest.
“It does, we think, have potential,” Hamasaki said of Hawaiian-grown tea.
It’s easy for newcomers to get swept up by that potential (Hawaii tea sells for an average of $400 per pound). The CTAHR workshops — there have been about 20 since the first Mealani crop was planted — offer a more complete picture of what goes into producing tea.
“That’s why we want you to experience it,” Nakamoto said. “Let us ground that a little bit.”
“There’s basic things they’ve got to learn, and then they can tweak it and make it their own,” Hamasaki said.
Jennifer Higashino of Hilo said she appreciated the comprehensive nature of the workshop.
“It seems like a really good crop for where I live,” she said. “It’s exciting to think about starting while it’s still kind of new in Hawaii.”
Joshua Silva, a CTAHR junior extension agent, attended the workshop not only so he could learn about tea processing, but also to learn about conducting workshops back on his home island of Kauai. Kauai also is working to diversify its agriculture, he said. Tea is not yet as common there as it is on Hawaii Island, where most tea growers are based.
“It’s great for (CTAHR) to do the experimental part for the growers,” said Jesse Vega of Kapaau. “It helps with the risk.” Vega is a teacher for Vipassana Hawaii, a Buddhist church.
The organization owns a 60-acre parcel that it is considering for tea production, he said.
“It’s all old sugar land,” he said. “We have so much land on the Big Island, it’s nice to see it being used for (other crops).”
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.