The Maui Tea Farm

A little moment of tea field + hapu'u fern zen wishing all a safe and healthy weekend! mauiteafarm.com

Tea accessories and more locally made and Maui Tea Farm swag! We love the simple pleasure of drinking tea in style, don’t you? Expanded tea shop hours are 9:30am-3:30pm. We’re adding new inventory to our online shop too, and offer free shipping for online orders $75+ for those who can’t quite make it up the mountain! mauiteafarm.com

MMAKI in the Morning Though we like to start most days with an energizing cup of tea (why hello there theine/caffeine !!!), starting our day in the brisk Kula air surrounded by our gorgeous Mmaki plants and a glowing sunrise is, needless to say, invigorating in its own right. Mmaki (Pipturus albidus) a relative of European Nettle (Urtica dioica) can certainly be enjoyed any time of day, including in the morning. Its rich antioxidant content and mild diuretic properties... make it an important native herb used in la’au lapa’au for centuries by knaka maoli (Native Hawaiians). We brew our Mmaki up at our tea shop for over 20 minutes, creating a smooth, nectary brew with a slight natural sweetness imparted by our long steeping. mauiteafarm.com

Our Wisteria tunnel is our magical entryway to our Maui Tea Farm shop and tea tasting picnic tables! Many visitors stop along the way to take photos and selfies inside. Have you? Plan your Maui tea experience today at mauiteafarm.com ! Special deals available for #kamaaina , please direct message for details #mauihawaii #teafarm #farmtours #mauigrown #thingstodoonmaui #teatime #afternoontea #tealover #upcountrymaui #haleakala #luckywelivehawaii

A bird’s eye view Wow! Until now we’ve never quite seen our tea fields like this. There’s something magical about a view from the sky: As magical as admiring the sky from the ground. This makes us reflect upon possibilities that we can envision when we take another point of view... perhaps a little woo-woo but we like it ... https://mauiteafarm.com

Earth Day is April 22 We’re giving a shout out to our abundant and nurturing planetary home! It’s so important to care for every part of the Earth, mauka to makai from the mountains to the ocean. We strive as stewards of this 'ina to replenish what we take from it with mulch and nutrients recycled from our farm’s ecosystem. This reduces our farm’s need for irrigation, improves soil microbiology, deepens our topsoil, and naturally helps with pest management. Our love for the Earth is in our teasfrom the field all the way to your cup. https://mauiteafarm.com

Wow wow wow, what a week! First of all, we’re still giddy about Earth Day, this year feels special in many ways but we’re glad to have planted more indigenous Mmaki plants to commemorate (this is a white Mmaki pictured on the left of Barnabe ). We’re getting our new Maui Tea Farm site next to @skylinehawaii ever closer to opening for online tour bookings! This week we:... - began to design our farm signage for visitors @volcanosigns - signed up for our farm tour booking application with @fareharbor (the ability to book is coming soon on our website!) - talking all things food truck @hifoodcarts - started tea farm swag design with @kaittheambi - and last but not least thanks to @thetigerman_bjj and Mason! continuing to landscape and hedge tea plants to make it all pretty at the farm So yes, it’s been busy! Now we need to follow Barnabé’s life philosophy: just stop and smell the roses (or Koa leaf mulch!) photo @michelledrevlow https://mauiteafarm.com

Happy May Day There’s something about the month of May that makes everyone giddy... longer days, celebrating mom (yep, Mother’s Day is right around the corner), looking ahead to summertime Starting today May Day (also known as Lei Day here in Hawai'i Nei), we’re offering 10% off all teas in our @ponoinfusions tea shop with code MOMLOVESTEA just in time to celebrate all things May ... credit and styling to fabulous mama @tiffany_canonigo_ong and the equally as fabulous @shang_hi_media https://mauiteafarm.com/products/

April Showers Bring May Everything is coming up roses (well maybe not everything... there are agapanthus, camellias, geraniums, lehua blossoms...). Even the koa trees have their cute little blooms. Flowers on our farm are not only beautiful, they attract beneficial insects and pollinators to work their magic. We’ve even once spotted a native 'i'iwi honeycreeper sucking up nectar while hovering over an agapanthus flower. What blooms are you seeing and dreaming of right... now? . We’d love to know! https://mauiteafarm.com

Highlights from last weekend’s May Day tea harvest As you can see, it really was a team effort in this harvest To date, it is actually our biggest single-day harvest yet from our 6 and 7 year old tea bushes. We now have a nice supply of our award-winning Haleakal Black Tea at last building up. So thankful to have such wonderful people helping out https://mauiteafarm.com

First sunset of 2022 took this picture at our original Maui Tea Farm (aka our home farm) and then forgot to post! This first of January evening, we reveled in the beauty of a magical sky and the crisp, cool mountain air, snapped a quick photo and then I put the device down. Felt really good to be present and enjoy the moment looking forward to more of that this weekend! mauiteafarm.com

NEW our Maui Tea Farm branded hoodies are now in stock at our tea shop and going fast!! Stop on by your way up or down Haleakal or before you zip at Skyline Eco Adventures, Maui, Hawaii ! Hoodies available in sizes small - 2XL and are super comfy. Our #teashop hours are Mondays - Saturdays from 9:30 am - 3:30 pm. A hui hou mauiteafarm.com

Tea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness, lightens or refreshes the body, and clears the perceptive faculties. - Lu Yu, The Classic of Tea, written sometime between 760-780 C.E. Happy New Year 2022 ! Wishing all more harmony, awakening, and refreshment for your minds, spirits and bodies this year... oh yes and tea, and lots of #goodtea mauiteafarm.com

2022 is looking bright! We’re hiring part-time retail positions at our tea shop & guides for farm tours. We’re looking for enthusiastic tea lovers to help grow and expand Maui Island’s first tea farm. Tea tasks include: performing retail sales and customer service at our retail tea shop preparing and serving our teas to customers... providing guided farm tours and tea tastings for visiting tea lovers $20 per hour, up to 19 hrs/week Prior retail and customer service experience are a bonus! We do ask that all of our team be fully vaccinated and receive booster shots against COVID-19. If interested, please email us at: [email protected] mauiteafarm.com

Mele KalikimakaMerry Christmaset pour les francophones Joyeux Noël! We hope all are enjoying the season in good company with friends and family. We’re closed this weekend to for our employees and family to enjoy some well deserved R&R. However we’ve restocked our stocking stuffers and will be back open for tea and tours on Monday 12/27 during our normal business hours As a tea farm, the holiday season is the start to our busiest time of year, and we couldn’t think o...f a more cozy, healthy beverage than organic tea and mmaki to toast the end of 2021 with. Cheers to all you tea lovers and looking forward to good health and much joy ahead. mauiteafarm.com

The winter solstice is upon us It’s chilly up here on Haleakal volcano, which makes a cup of hot tea extra delicious at sunrise and sunset. After receiving several rainy days upcountry, it’s also the right time to continue our winter pruning in preparation for next year. The start of winter can be a time to reset, regroup and go inward, that’s one thing I love about the traditionally busy holiday season. The solstice is a good reminder to take a moment to pause, sip a cup of tea, and take a breath of fresh air mauiteafarm.com

Tea is a gift that keeps on giving! With lots of bountiful rainfall, we’ve got a small supply of our 100% Maui grown premium Haleakal Black Tea winter harvest in stock at our Maui Tea Farm shop. If you need a one-of-a-kind gift for the tea lover on your list, come in and see us up on the mountain Monday through Saturday from 9:30am - 3 pm mauiteafarm.com

Which do you prefer Red or Green? Outside of December, these are still some of our favorite colors! It makes us think of red blossomed 'hi'a lehua trees in full bloom in springtime, or of the i'iwi scarlet honeycreeper or the 'apapane flashing in flight through a native forest canopy. Mother Nature can really be so stunning sometimes mauiteafarm.com

Peaceful view of our grounds and tea shop! So thankful that our farm visitor location was unharmed in the recent storm We’re ready this weekend for a few lovely farm tours and a serene view while we sip a cuppa . You’re welcome to come up and find your moment of zen with us on a tour or tea tasting! We’re open for walk-in tea tastings and guided farm visits Monday -Saturday from 9:30 am-3:00 pm, closed Sundays. Check out our tea farm tour schedule online at mauiteafarm.com

The beautiful and the beastly! As a small farm and shop operating off grid high-up on Haleakal volcano, we think a lot about what-if before bad weather hits. Maui County was declared to be in a State of Emergency after this past weekend’s recent storm. South Maui was especially hit hard by significant flooding, fallen trees, storm debris, and downed power lines, and in our Kula community, damage is severe in certain parts here too! As we and our community assess damage..., regroup and begin repairs, we’re thinking about next time. This weekend we were fairly prepared, but still got caught quite off-guard with how severe this storm was (and no it wasn’t a hurricane). In no particular order, here’s some thoughts and takeaways: - Assume it may take much longer than expected to restore normal electricity and fresh water, over preparing sometimes is a good thing - Water : it’s recommended to have 1 gallon per person per day for each person in your household. For bigger 'ohanas or people in exceptionally rural/remote areas (like us!), it may be good to up that estimated water need per person and have as many days’ worth on hand as possible (minimum of 3 days, up to 14 if can!). It is honestly a lot to store, under the house or in a garage are some ideal spots.but you’ll thank yourself when the water is out! - Renewable and Back Up Energy: if you have a solar system with batteries, and/or a gasoline or propane generator for home ensure that everything is working and storing properly on a routine maintenance schedule. - Be judicious with your fuel supply, whatever the source. Sometimes solar PV energy storage generation can be tricky when it’s raining heavily during otherwise normal peak daylight hours. Consider options for backup energy sources for your refrigerator and other essential household appliances, or if you’re helping out other friends or family. - Food: just like water, keeping storage of non-perishable food is important in being prepared for natural disasters year round. This PDF link from FEMA and the American Red Cross is helpful in thinking about planning your food storage and utilization for emergency preparedness: https://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf - We thank goodness maintained cell phone service and access to information and updates at all times! However, should service have been non-existent, walkie-talkies and hand-held radio are super helpful to have ready for old school style communication I welcome others input in comments if there’s something you’d like to share! Helping each other is one thing that kama’ina here in Hawai'i do best mauiteafarm.com

Here comes the again after all ‘tis the season! Knaka maoli Native Hawaiians distinguish Kau as the dry season (think Spring and Summer when it’s ) and Hooilo as the wet season (the present Fall and Winter months). Of course as the climate changes worldwide, the traditional seasonality of wet and dry seasons also shifts here in Hawai'i, sometimes becoming unbalanced with issues of severe drought periods and topsoil run off with heavy rain events. As tea farme...rs who cultivate the 'ina in a fragile ecosystem here on Haleakal volcano, ho'oilo is a welcome season! Our tea and mmaki farming practices are very much focused around fresh water (Wai) as a precious resource And of course farming isn’t just all about the water #WorldSoilDay 2021 is tomorrow December 5! The United Nations World Soil Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil salinization, and encouraging societies to improve soil health. Now that’s definitely something to give thanks for . mauiteafarm.com