You know those McCormick seasonings that you have stashed in your cupboard? The ones that probably should have been tossed and replaced five years ago? Easily half of our spices have the red, white, and blue McCormick label, and our funds help support the desperate research that Mr. William Hall is performing.
All day long, poor Mr. Hall must sit at his desk, teasipping and deciding which flavor, bouquet, and body combine for an ideal blend of tea. Once his palate is exhausted, he pauses to stare out his huge window that overlooks a busy Baltimore pier, where freighters unload cargo from exotic ports.
Nice work if you can get it.
But what, you ask, is even more curious than being a professional teasipper? How about the fact that there is in fact another William Hall currently running the Charleston Tea Plantation–and he is a third-generation tea taster.
If you are one of the many teetotalers among us, unable to visit the trendy wineries and breweries dotting the landscape, rest assured that you can visit the Charleston Tea Plantation instead. Get your sobering beverage fix on.
Per Charleston Living magazine,
The Charleston Tea Plantation has become a tourist attraction, welcoming 75,000 visitors each year to see how tea plants grow and how the tea leaves are harvested and turned into a refreshing glass of iced tea or a warm comforting mug of hot tea.
“I wanted a place to educate people on tea,” Hall said.
Visitors can tour the factory, board a trolley to ride through the acres of historic tea plants and learn all about the rich history of tea in the Lowcountry.
Perhaps, like me, you’d prefer a brimming mug of coffee any morning over some watery hot tea, but the truth is that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. And Mr. Hall, who lives on the farm, is pretty happy about that.
I Don't Get It 
I enjoy tea occasionally. I usually drift toward herb teas, especially mint. I wonder if a pro taster has to watch what he eats? Spicy chiles or curries could effect his taste buds. Couldn’t they?
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That seems like a valid point. I like mint tea. We have several hot teas and chai teas but usually the coffee sounds better.
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I’m an avid tea drinker (who doesn’t drink coffee at all) so I’d love to go to a tea tasting place.
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No coffee and no four legs, Laura? You might be the picture of health!
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Ha ha! I wish but no. My diet is pretty healthy but I’m super-plump regardless. Not a picture of health at all.
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Tea, sigh. I love tea. I’ve visited tea plantations in other countries tasting different varieties. I love coffee and I love tea.
I find my diehard, coffee loving friends, prefer a strong brew of something like Gun Powder (a blend of tea leaves). If you have tasted good tea, not the twaddle passed off in cheap teabags at the grocery store, you might actually enjoy a cup.
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That is possible. I grew up drinking Celestial Seasonings and Sleepytime tea and have had Whole Foods teas, but they still seem to lack much flavor at all. Maybe I need some Gunpowder?
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Gunpowder, while too strong for me, is great for people who like strong coffee. There are more teas and blends of teas than one could drink in a life time, I’m guessing there might be at least one you might like . . . unless you have a tea allergy. 🙂
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No, no allergies. I still drink iced tea every day and hot tea several times a month. I just prefer coffee.
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wow– cool job !
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But I bet he burns his tongue!
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Hahahaha — I hadn’t thought of that. 😀
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Another pleasurable vocation: wine taster.
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