Experience Tea in a New Way

A group gathers on the tea slopes among the rows of Camellia sinensis

Westholme Tea (from Art Farm to Tea Farm to now Westholme Tea Company) was born as a vessel to share tea culture, education, and passionate small-scale organic tea agriculture with our local community and beyond. This is the impetus behind introducing our new Tea Tour Experience.

Many will miss our tearoom and patio service - as will we. However, the shift away from tea service allows us to serve our tea community in new ways, while also remaining true to ways of the past.

Tea refers to Camellia sinensis, the plant that is Indigenous to China from which all tea is made. Camellia sinensis is what grows on the slopes here at Westholme thanks to the unique climate of the Cowichan Valley. All teas (black, green, white, oolong, and so on) are crafted from this one species. It is precise processing of the leaves which result in different teas.

Drinking tea is a universal experience. No matter what type or where you go in the world, tea provides a way to express hospitality and encourages us to take the time to slow down. There is much to learn about, and from, tea - steeped with rich, nuanced history and layers of philosophy. This is easy to forget when most tea is hidden inside a manufactured tea bag. Each tea harvest has a story to tell, and terroir provides a rough translation.

Terroir (tare-wahr) is a word of French origin, for which there is no English equivalent. Commonly associated with wine, it describes how growing a particular plant in a particular region impacts that plant. Although, it is about more than just the region. Terroir encompasses all that create a sense of place – historical to current and cultural to climatological. Terroir is the expression of how soils, minerals, aspect, elevation, local flora and fauna, surrounding terrain, stewardship, and harvesting methods influence the flavours, the appearances and the aromas of tea.

Our Tea Tour guides guests onto our Tea Garden slopes and into the broader culture of tea by sharing authentic experiences of tea terroir, honouring 5,000 years of tea traditions, and offering our own unique perspectives from our journey growing the love of tea.

We invite you to experience tea and nature in new ways through learning about the process of growing, harvesting, blending, and tasting tea grown both in our small-scale garden, as well as tea gardens around the world.

Tasting fresh tea (Camellia sinensis) among the tea plants

Visit our FARM STAND

located by the Providence House roundabout

FEATURING Assorted Greens Plants Local Eggs $5 dozen 1843 Tzouhalem Rd, Duncan I Open Daily 9am - 3pm

Alicia Fall is an employee at Westholme Tea Company, farmer, and ceremonialist in the Cowichan Valley