American-Grown Tea: Fairhope Tea Plantation in Fairhope, AL

If anybody has the pleasure of living near Mobile, Alabama, or you happen to be passing through, please call Donnie and his wife, the owners and workers of Fairhope Tea Plantation and ask if they are available for a tour!

Donnie accommodated, with only two(shameful)-hours’ notice, two women winging their way across the South with no plans, only ideas of what to do. We were soon greeted with a delicious hot cup made with a blend of their black and green teas.

Fairhope Tea Plantation’s tea is processed on site and available pretty much only in person at the farm. I managed to bring home a half-pound each of black and green teas made with a clonal sinensis variety (how the mother plants were obtained is an interesting story!) along with a literal handful of tea plants pulled from the ground in front of us. Donnie’s inspiration, along with these plants that survived the remainder of our roadtrip and the flight home, could possibly alter my future in a way that I can only dream.

Meeting Donnie with his charming eccentricity, soft drawl and unending wealth of information is something that needs to be experienced without too much preamble. If you do have any questions, I would be happy to answer them! Their website does offer a great look into Donnie and his wife’s operation.