Tea for two

Last week I got the amazing experience of visiting Charleston, South Carolina to explore Bigelow Tea and what makes them so different from everyone else.

When my friend Kristen of Mudpies and Tiaras called me up to invite me to join her on this adventure I was mostly excited about a vacation. Three days, warm weather, nothing to worry about! Who could beat it? Of course I said yes! I was expecting to just "survive" through the tea stuff and enjoy being away and exploring a new city. So, I packed up my carry on bag (forget paying for checking a bag) and began a three day adventure to the south! Not only did I "survive" through the tea stuff, I had the time of my life learning about tea!

The evening we arrived Bigelow had a special event for us at a house right on the bay that is now a museum. The house was the first house built in that area of the city and still has 90% of the homes furniture! It was a really cool experience.

Kristen and I met lots of bloggers, the Bigelow family, and representatives of the company that Kristen blogs for! We had a beautiful view of the ocean, delicious appetizers, and all the tea we could drink of course :) They provided us with bottles of America's tea the entire time we were there, which you can only purchase locally in Charleston. They were so delicious!

The next day we had breakfast and lunch at our sister bed and breakfast which was also right on the ocean. They brought in two historians to give us the history of Charleston and everything it had been through. Did you know that Charleston also had a tea party? Although not as large as the one in Boston it did happen! We even got a tour of the place where they stored tea, and prisoners back in the day!

The best part of Wednesday was the tea tasting! Who would have thought that when tasted properly and side by side, how much tea can be different from one brand to another! Across the board Bigelow was the best! In every flavor it was smooth, fragrant, and delicious. I didn't know I would like tea without sweetner until then! When you taste tea you make an obnoxious slurping sound, and you want to taste it warm and cool, to check the continuity of the flavor. I was so impressed by the Bigelow brand that when I got home I threw away any other tea that we had in the house!

The rest of the day Wednesday was spent on the plantation where America's Tea is grown, harvested, and dried! There are only a few tea plantations in America, which made this a very special event! The Bigelow family saved this plantation from becoming condos 10 years ago, and it has grown ever since! We got a trolly ride around the plantation, showed how to pick and process tea, a bit of relaxing time, and a delicious catered dinner on the veranda at the plantation!



The flavor, quality, and freshness that Bigelow tea provides in each little foil pouch is beyond description when compared with other brands. Bigelow only purchases tea leaves from over 4,000 feet of altitude, which means you are getting the biggest and best quality tea leaf! They even use better leaves that companies who charge you more for their product! Their company strives for sustainability! They recycle, compost, and even ship out their little tea foils to be remade into energy pellets! You can not go wrong by choosing Bigelow tea over whatever brand is your favorite! I promise you that you will not be disappointed!

Cindy Bigelow showed us so much about tea, and it was a pleasure to be with her and her parents all weekend! They are so passionate and genuine about the product they create, and the true quality behind their family name.  It was an amazing experience to be around a family and company with such passion that Kristen and I can never look at tea the same!