It took me a long time to decide to go to South America. For ages I equated tea with Asia. After all, it is where tea originated, and China and Japan have a history with the plant that goes back more than a thousand years. Then came Africa, an interesting discovery. There is a considerable volume of tea produced on the continent, but if you take the time to look, you can find some remarkable gardens that are well worth the effort. And so to South America. A new challenge. Colombia then Peru. What a surprise to discover such beautiful gardens run by passionate people having a go at making different types of tea: white, green, black, oolong. Then there’s the warm welcome, the joy, and producers’ delight when they realise they might soon be recognised for what they’re doing. On top of that, the farming practices here are remarkable, and tea gardens have not delayed in getting organic certification.