About Red Sun Tea
Hi, we are Anthony Troia and Amelia Stuetzel, owners and founders of Red Sun Tea. We began growing tea 15 years ago as a hobby and a way to make our own tea at home. Our plants did so well that we continued planting until we had a hillside covered in plants. A few years ago we realized we were now harvesting much more tea than we could drink ourselves! It was time to start selling locally grown tea here in Western North Carolina.
We make handcrafted tea. Our tea garden is located just North of Asheville NC on a steep, southwest facing slope. We use sustainable, eco-friendly methods to grow tea. Our tea is picked, rolled and dried throughout the spring and summer every year. No chemicals are used in the growing or processing of the tea. Through years of dedicated effort we have discovered the best practices. Now we can provide you with the highest quality local tea, plants and seeds.
About Tea
Camellia sinensis is the source of all tea. Black, green and white tea are all harvested from the same plant. It is the processing of camellia leaves post harvest that determines the nature of the finished product.
Photo Gallery and More About the Tea Garden
Our Camellias bloom in the fall. The blossoms will turn into next years tea seeds.
A one year old tea seed.
In the fall we collect the tea seeds. They are the size of small hazelnuts. The hulls are removed by hand. The seeds are kept in cold storage over the winter and then planted in pots in the spring. Once they mature enough we will transplant them into the tea garden.
Here is a batch of fresh tea leaves. After being harvested they will be wilted, rolled and dried to make tea.
The tea is pollinated by our apiary of about 50 beehives.
Red Tea – 1 ounce Package
Handcrafted, locally-grown, pesticide-free red tea.