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4 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2015 referred to as a kitchen garden by the larger producers. Of the ten producers that began to experiment with tea in Hawaii in 2001 only half a dozen have stuck with the production but with our success many are watching our pro- gress carefully. Cams role as associate professor of Biology Population and Ecological Genetics at the University of Hawaii has enabled him to focus his attention on the sustainability of tea and its re- lation to Hawaiis ecosystem. Rather than clear-cut the forest he is encour- aging farmers to clear a pathway and then plant tea coffee papaya or other crops in the forest. They have found that tea grown in the partial shade of a forest canopy has better taste and aroma. Cam and Eliah have re-introduced native trees to their farm and have clearly shown that by maintaining the forest along side the tea crop insects and birds are return- ing. This has eliminated the need for pesticides. Today while continuing his teach- ing Cam is mentoring eight farms in Hawaii. Big Island Tea is now being offered in London and New York and Cam and Eliah are exploring the possi- bilities of selling their tea to specialty shops in Toronto and Vancouver. Interest in tea is growing. Cam ex- plains Canada with its British herit- age is a slightly more sophisticated market for tea than the US. He adds The growth of such spe- cialty coffee shops such as Starbucks has helped to stimulate the growth in other specialty beverages like tea. I am hoping that not only our Big Island TeabutallotherteagrowersinHawaii will be able to feed a growing demand for ultra specialty teas. Specialty teas are the fastest growing section of tea. They provide a new experience with aroma and life style. Tea when sipped in a relaxed fashion forces you to slow down. Hawaiian style. Cam and Eliahs website www.bi- gislandtea.com has information on their tea and also provides an inter- esting view of Hawaii and its beauty. By Paul Arculus Focus on Scugog Tea seed and an individual pekoe plant which includes an unopened leaf needle and two leaves. Every step in the production of their black and green tea is done by hand. Cams wife Eliah Halpenny shown here is rolling the tea part of the method of processing and then packaging a Black Tea for distribution. Cam and his wife Eliahs tea farm Kilinoe Forest Kilinoe means misty rain in Hawaiian a native forest habitat in which tea thrives FYI wild tea is a forest sub-canopy tree. They offer group educational tours of Kilinoe Forest followed by cupping Big Island Tea. From Scugog Island to the Big Island of Hawaii Cam still loves to come home to Port Perry for a visit. PHOTOSCOURTESYOFCAMMUIR Tea seed and an PHOTOBYMARYANNFLEMING Aloha continued from page 3