Learn About Tea
When we consider what fine teas, wines, coffees, and spirits add to our taste experience, it is no wonder that this beverage so steeped in a rich history is FINALLY getting the recognition that it well deserves! Here at Light of Day Organics, we believe that we are in the midst of a National immersion into the wonderful world of loose leaf tea. We're so glad you found us. Welcome.
TEA BASICS
Tea has so much going for it! From its colorful history, variations in origin, terroir, creative art form, estate production, manufacturing techniques, growing list of health benefits & of course the perfect way it lends itself to reflection and relaxation.
In our opinion, Tea is the perfect beverage for today’s busy world. It is subtle, healthy, sophisticated, and it reminds us that the world can wait until the cup is finished. Please let this be your prompter to nurture yourself today by drinking some delicious Light of Day Organic Teas.
How to correctly prepare different styles of tea:
Click HERE for directions on how to make a delicious cup of tea every time!
Click HERE for Matcha Informational Guide & our legendary smoothie recipe.
Click below on the type of tea your would like to learn more about...
Tea, the beverage, is the second most widely consumed drink in the world, exceeded only by water. In many cases today, as in ancient times, tea is safer to drink than water because it is boiled first, killing any disease-carrying bacteria.
By most historical reports, "tea" (using Camellia sinensis leaves ) was first consumed as a beverage in China, sometime between 2700 B.C and 220 A.D. Tea began to travel as a trade item as early as the fifth century, with some sources indicating Turkish traders bartering for Tea on the Mongolian border.
Tea made its way to Japan late in the sixth century, along with another famous Chinese export: Buddhism. By the end of the sixth century, Buddhist monks were planting Camellia sinensis "Chinensis" Tea plants in Japan. Prior to the devastating Tsunami in March of 2011, and the resulting radiation contamination, 99% of commercially available basket-steamed Green tea came from Japan. There have been many changes to this specialty crop's production as other Tea producing countries rise up to meet the ever growing demand for this miracle of agriculture we call "Tea". We continue to send tidings of love, support and healing to the land and all beings in Japan after this catastrophic event.
All Tea, regardless of its origin, is the Camellia sinensis plant. Left to its own devices, tea plants will grow into a substantial tree (up to 40 feet!). On our farm, a few are allowed to "go wild" (without pruning) for the exclusive purpose of growing seeds. For tea production, it is necessary to train the tea plants form their single stem into "clump" style bushes, and great care is taken to create a shape that lends itself to consistent picking, or “plucking”. This process, called "frame formation", is achieved through pruning and pegging. “Pegging” is the practice of bending some branches down, and pegging them into position after cutting the stem at a 45 degree angle. This flattened area where picking occurs is referred to as the “plucking table.”
Tea is an indigenous plant throughout the forests of Southeast Asia. Tea’s origins lie in an indefinite area to the Southeast of the Tibetan plateau, including Szechuan, Yunnan, Burma, Siam, and Northern India. From these original locations, Tea has spread throughout the world and today is cultivated in areas as diverse as Light of Day Organic Tea Farm here in the Midwest U.S - Traverse City, Michigan to Washington state on the West coast of the U.S, Scotland, and Guatemala in Central America. The small-leafed China plant remains fairly true-bred and has avoided much of the crossbreeding in agriculture. China is considered the birthplace of Tea, and there is vast diversity in leaf style and grade here. Some Chinese provinces which are well known for tea production are: Anhui, Fujian, Yunnan, Zhejiang.
Answers to Common Questions:
We are the exclusive distributor for our packaged teas to keep the cost as low as possible for our customers; we do not offer our tins to resellers. Please purchase on this website or come see us at our seasonal retail tea shop on the farm here in Traverse CIty. Light of Day Organics presently has four High Tunnel Hoop houses, which are dedicated to the growing of perennial Camellia sinensis ("Tea") plants. We produce White, Green, Oolong and Black tea styles, plus many Tisanes (herbal blends that do not contain Tea leaves, proper). Our pristine hand-harvested ingredients are grown at our two Leelanau County USDA Certified Organic and Demeter-certified Biodynamic farms which are inspected annually by third party auditors, (MDA, FDA, MOSA, and Demeter International, respectively). Our on-site private wells (used for irrigation, cleaning, making cups of Tea within our tea shop) and soils are inspected each year for any contaminants (such as coliform bacteria, Nitrates, Fluoride, pesticide residue & heavy metals), and have never tested positive for contaminants. Our living soils are a sandy loam, loaded with earthworms and other welcome beneficial organisms that support our ecosystem.
Advanced Series Tea Classes
If you are interested in participating in a more in-depth education of this remarkable plant, please consider attending one of our lively, educational tea workshop events as we pass down oral traditions about teas and botanicals (see our Events page for the most updated schedule). We would love to get to know you, and invite you to come “cup” (taste & slurping of samples!) Teas from around the globe with us. Please inquire about upcoming workshops by visiting our ” CLASSES” offerings. Reservations required as seating is intentionally limited to keep our classes intimate so that we can “dig deep”.
The Health File
Light of Day’s founder, Angela Macke, is a Registered Nurse and Horticulturalist with advanced education as Certified Holistic Nurse, Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, Certified Biofeedback Technician, Critical Incident Stress Debriefment, Advanced Master Gardener, Landscape architecture & design, and Specialty Tea Institute Graduate. She has been collecting research and various press articles about Tea, human health and the environment for many years. If you would like a copy of her most up-to date health file, please subscribe to our newsletter and it will be emailed to you. Please feel welcomed to send us anything of interest that you should come across in your travels, as we consider education a joyful, life-long fascinating exploration! Thank you for your interest in learning more about this healthy beverage choice.