Azores special: Grab a cuppa at a tea plantation
A trip to a tea plantation is a refreshing way to see more of the Azores, says Cathy Packe
Published: 04 February 2006
If you drive along São Miguel's north coast, towards the eastern side of the island, it is risky to take your eyes off the road as it climbs and dips through the mountains, zigzagging dangerously to left and right. So you can easily miss the neat rows of bushes that plunge down towards the ocean on your left, some 50 hectares of cultivated land that make up the only commercial tea plantations in Europe. Although tea-production is no longer the big industry that it once was in the Azores, the two plantations that have survived are interesting stopping-off points on an island tour.
Gorreana, the older of the two and by far the bigger operation, has been growing tea since 1883, and is one of the original 19th-century Azorean tea producers. According to the time of year, it is possible to have a look at all the different stages of tea production, from picking - a mechanical procedure which takes place during the drier months between April and September - to packing, which is done by a group of local women sitting at tables, shovelling piles of tea leaves into packets. In between are several vital stages: wilting; an hour-long rolling process which starts to crush the leaf; three hours' fermentation; and a 20-minute drying period at a temperature of 100š. All this creates black tea; green tea is produced from the same leaves, but they are steamed early on in the process to stop fermentation.
The seeds from which the original Azorean tea bushes grew are thought to have been brought to São Miguel by a commander of the Portuguese Royal Guards, returning home after a tour of duty in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in the early 19th century. At first, the bushes were grown for their ornamental value; it wasn't until a virus threatened to decimate the orange-growing industry on the islands more than half a century later that experts were brought over from China to introduce the Azoreans to the fine art of tea production. São Miguel, with its rich volcanic soil and temperate climate proved a fertile environment for the bushes. Plantations were established, and 14 factories opened up around the island before the turn of the century.
The Gorreana factory, and the smaller Porto Formoso, about 1.5km away, both produce three varieties of black tea. A single bush can produce leaves for all three. Tea varieties are determined according to where on the bush the leaves are picked from: orange pekoe, the most delicately flavoured of the three, comes from the bud and first shoot; pekoe, a less-flavoured variety, is from the second leaf; and Broken Leaf, the least aromatic of the three, is made from fragments of the remaining leaves.
The factory experience at Gorreana ends up in what appears to be the works canteen, a small area where visitors and workers can help themselves to a cup of tea, before getting back to work or setting off to explore more of the island. Porto Formoso is the better place to savour the drink. The factory produced tea from the 1920s until the 1980s; then, eight years ago, it reopened. A limited amount of tea is made from the bushes grown on the three hectares around the property; there are plans to double the size of the plantation. The current owners are keen to promote the island's industrial heritage. Although facilities are limited compared with Gorreana, a film shown in the visitor centre gives an interesting overview of the tea-producing process. There is also a small museum.
The highlight of any visit is the tea room, a pleasant brick-built area, with an old-fashioned kitchen opening off to one side. It is a bit like a quaint English tea shop, but all the varieties on offer are grown on the island.
Unlike the factory canteen at Gorreana, you will have to pay for your cuppa. If you are tempted to buy, be warned the packets of tea on offer at both factories are more expensive than they are in the local supermarket. But you won't find a fresher cup of tea anywhere else in Europe.
Chá Porto Formoso (00 351 296 442 342) is on the main road between Ribeira Grande and São Brás. It opens 10am-5pm, Monday to Saturday, and entrance is free.
Chá Gorreana (00 351 296 442 349; www.azores.net/gorreana), is 1.5km along the same road just beyond the turning for São Brás. It opens 9am-6pm daily; entrance is free.
VACANT BEAUTIES: THE IMPERIOS OF THE AZORES
Among the various styles of Azorean architecture, a number of buildings stand out. Neat, small and usually detached, they look like tiny cottages, holiday homes, perhaps, or, beach pavilions moved inland.
But despite the neat curtains and letter boxes which many of them have, no one lives here. These impérios are shrines or small chapels, which date from the times of the earliest settlers. There are impérios on every island, but most noticeably on Terceira, where one of the most beautiful is in the village of São Sebastião. Like many others, it is painted with local scenes; here the paintings depict local foods, including a pot of beef casserole called "alcatra".
A similar dish, a beef broth known as the "sopa do Espírito Santo" is eaten to celebrate the festival of the Holy Spirit on the seventh Sunday after Easter. Food is very important during this celebration. Traditionally, the poor of the village were given something to eat, and then the special dishes of the festival were shared with everyone.
The feast of the Holy Spirit is the most important religious festival in the Azores. Specific events vary in different communities, but many of the traditions persist across the islands. The festivities are focused around the impérios, which are run by brotherhoods, groups of men who also take on the responsibility of organising the Holy Spirit festival. One of their main roles is to take care of the ancient village treasures which are paraded through village. The leader of the brotherhood is crowned "imperador", and presides over the events. In most villages there is a church service, fireworks and a procession through the streets to the imperio, often with a brass band. This is followed by a meal of broth, accompanied by a sweet bread, the "massa sovada".
by Independent.co.uk
