On the north coast of São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores, neat rows of tea bushes roll down green hillsides toward the Atlantic. It is a scene more often associated with Sri Lanka or Darjeeling than with Europe, yet tea has been grown here for well over a century. The Azores are home to some of the very few commercial tea plantations in Europe, and a visit offers a gentle, fragrant glimpse into an unexpected chapter of Portuguese history.
How Tea Came to the Azores
In the nineteenth century, São Miguel’s economy depended heavily on oranges, exported in great quantities to Britain. When disease devastated the orange groves, landowners looked for new crops. Tea plants had been introduced to the island earlier in the century, and in the 1870s experts from Macau were brought over to teach local growers how to cultivate and process the leaves. Production flourished for a time, with numerous small factories on the island. Today only a handful continue, preserving methods passed down through generations.
A Natural Way of Growing
The Teas
Azorean production includes both black and green teas. The black teas are graded by the part of the plant and size of the leaf, from the delicate Orange Pekoe, made from the youngest leaves and buds, to the more robust Pekoe and Broken Leaf. Green tea is also produced, lighter and more herbaceous. The flavour is often described as smooth and gentle, with little bitterness, making these teas a pleasure to drink plain. They are lovely souvenirs, packaged with care and carrying a true taste of place.
Visiting the Plantations
The historic tea estates near the village of Maia and Porto Formoso on São Miguel’s north coast welcome visitors. You can walk among the rows of tea bushes, often with sweeping views to the ocean, and step inside the factories to see the old machinery, some of it more than a century old, still in use. Tastings are usually offered at the end of a visit. Combine the experience with a drive along the coast, stopping at viewpoints and small villages, for a perfect half day.
Tea and the Azorean Landscape
Tea is part of a wider island story of fertile volcanic land and inventive farming. Nearby, pineapples are grown in glasshouses, and in the Furnas valley the traditional cozido is slow-cooked underground using the heat of the earth. Pair a tea plantation visit with a soak in the thermal pools of Furnas and a lunch of local produce, and you have a day that captures the generosity, calm and quiet luxury of the Azores.
When to Go
The plantations can be visited year round, but late spring and summer, during the harvest, are the most rewarding times, when the bushes are at their greenest and the factories are busy. Bring a light rain jacket whatever the season. Azorean weather changes quickly, and a passing shower only makes the hills shine more brightly.
