CHÁ GORREANA

Gorreana Tea recognized internationally as a "world class" tea is Europe's oldest ,and currently only, remaining Tea plantation. Family owned and operated since 1883, when Ermelinda Gago da Câmara and her son José Honorato opened the factory selling the first production of teas under the Gorreana name.

 

Grown hundreds of miles away from industrial pollution in the lush emerald green hills of the Gorreana estate in the Atlantic island of São Miguel (Azores) without the use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides dyes or preservatives and harvested fresh every April to September with a large celebration at the peak of the annual harvest, Gorreana's single estate organic green & black teas have been in continued production since 1883. A legacy of fine gourmet teas, all handpicked for 130 years, Gorreana's teas have remained a staple in European pantries for over a century.

Indeed, the rare teas that the Gorreana tea estate and plantation have been producing in the Azores have been a European favorite ever since the art of tea cultivation was introduced in the Azores by two Chinese tea experts in September 1874. The culture and passion for tea quickly spread from European houses of Royalty to working classes where the European teas from the Azores were received with great excitement and fanfare all over the world.

Organic Tea

Since 1883 that Gorreana produces exclusively black and green tea. All tea derives from a plant called “Camellia Sinensis” that is a small tree of the Theaceae family. Our tea is totally free from chemicals as herbicides, fungicides, pesticides and conservatives due to the fact that the natural tea plagues do not survive on the islands climate reason why in Gorreana we do not feel the need to utilize any chemicals.

In the countries where there is the rain season there are mosquitoes as well as the tea fly that sting or bite the plants terminal bud and the leaf ends up not developing itself. For this reason the tea plantations that exist in these countries have no other option but to use insecticides. On the other hand, in the countries where there is the dry season there is the problem of the red spider that also as to be fought with insecticides and sometimes even with fungicides due to the development of fungus that attack the tea plant.

As the island of São Miguel as neither the rain or the dry season thus natural tea plagues do not exist here and that allow us not to use any chemicals whatsoever on our plantations. This is one of the major strengths of our tea, i.e, a 100% biological tea since the soil of our plantations is exclusively fertilized with vegetable manure.