book.tascountry - Flipbook - Page 11
The Browns’ tea plantation at Allens Rivulet.
Ingredients ready for blending.
t in tea growing in Tasmania.
They’ve got a yuzu tree with
some freshly 昀氀owering fruits
that Charlotte is currently
experimenting with.
Other specialty blends include
Sparkle Tea, a black tea with dried
Tasmanian pinot grapes from Sailor
Seeks Horse vineyard, and Burning
Berry, a mix of matcha, Tasmanian
strawberry pieces, and Tasmanian
wasabi powder.
Whenever possible, they source
ingredients from within Tasmania
or Australia, ensuring their blends
are not only delicious but locally
inspired.
Pictures: BRONWYN LISSON
Charlotte has taken courses in
tea blending to offer more varieties
of tea and uses ingredients like
bergamot peel, native pepperberry,
and rose petals.
The Browns manage their entire
harvesting process themselves.
They spend a couple of days
each week harvesting and then
processing the leaves.
Their harvest season starts in
October which is done with the
help of various machines and
tools made by Mr Brown himself,
including a modi昀椀ed lawnmower to
trim rows of tea plants.
Processing follows immediately,
whether it’s blanching leaves for
green tea or drying them for black
tea.
Two tea varieties can be found
in their plantation: Yabukita, the
most common tea in Japan, and
Sayamukuri, which makes up most
of their crop as its yields do well in
the region.
The bulk of their tea is sold to
wholesalers who repackage it,
while they also sell directly on their
online store and select local shops.
Tassie-T’s classic teas are their
Huon Green tea and Huon black
Packaged and ready to go ...
Tassie-T’s exclusive blend of
black teas with Tasmanian
pepperberry.
tea. The difference, Mr Brown
explains, lies in the oxidation
process.
“With green tea you don’t want it
to oxidise, it’s the same chemistry
as an apple if you cut an apple and
wait it will go brown – you don’t
want that with green tea you only
want that with black tea.”
Green tea is quickly blanched to
prevent oxidation, preserving its
fresh, vibrant 昀氀avour.
Black tea, on the other hand,
undergoes a rolling and crushing
process to encourage oxidation,
resulting in rich, dark black tea
leaves.
As well as green and black tea
they make white tea made by using
a speci昀椀c high-pressure vacuum/
drying process.
Tassie-T also sells plant cuttings,
hoping to inspire new tea growers
to plant in Tasmania.
For the Browns, selling cuttings
not only helps them to develop their
business but promotes tea growing
in Tasmania adding that the more
tea growers, the better.
The Browns are now in the
process of building a whole new
visitors’ centre, expanding on their
agritourism goals.
The facility will be over the road
from their house and current tea
plantation and will include a system
with a conveyor belt and infrared
radiation to blanch tea leaves, a
method Mr Brown heard to be the
most effective for processing tea
leaves.
Additionally, they are
propagating plants in a glasshouse
to produce more indoor teas with
plans to plant more fruiting trees for
tea blends.
They are aiming to have it
operational by next year.
Overall, the Browns dedication to
tea growing in Tasmania, and their
vision to build a thriving local tea
industry, is evident through their
hard work.
Today, they have not only created
a successful business, but laid the
groundwork for a tea movement in
Tasmania.
TASMANIAN COUNTRY Friday, July 5, 2024 11
