大象传媒

Few people would think of Dartmoor when they consider the farming story behind their morning brew, but not so for Jo Harper. Five years ago he took a punt and bought 1000 tea plant seeds from an online auction site late one winter night. A disastrous first germination left him and partner Kathryn dusting themselves off and determined to try again, and what has since unfolded brought about the establishment of Dartmoor Estate Tea.

The couple had no experience of farming any type of crop commercially, let alone tea, which it turns out is not so straightforward. Preparing the leaves to make the tea itself is an art form in itself too, as they later discovered. Rachel Lovell joins them as they pluck their first significant harvest, and hears how their journey has taken them from Dartmoor to Nepal, through snow storms, tea ceremonies and meditative picking, to a deep reverence for this extraordinary drink.