The lush misty hills of the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland are one of Australia's finest agricultural regions. The combination of rich volcanic soils, high altitude and ample rainfall provide the perfect conditions to grow quality teas that rival the best in the world. Tea was first planted in Australia in 1886 by the pioneering Cutten brothers. Their plantation was at Bingil Bay near Mission Beach The plantation was destroyed by an enormous cyclone in 1918. However some of the plants survived and grew wild in the rainforest. In 1958 Dr Alan Maruff, a local GP based in the township of innisfail, purchased a few hundred acres of land in the Nerada Valley and commenced planting tea. The initial plantings were from seed that he had found in the rainforest at Bingal Bay from the original Cutten brothers plantation marking the beginning of Nerada Tea. Today Nerada Tea is harvested, manufactured and packed throughout the year. From tea bush to your cup can take as little as four weeks, abling us to provide y u with a fresh aromatic cup of tea that has its own unique satisfying flavour. We hope you enjoy it. The Camellia Sinensis Plant Nerada Tea is made from the Camellia Sinensis (Chinese Camellia) plant. The tender young leaves are harvested every two-four weeks. Once harvested, the leaves have cool air blown through them to reduce moisture content (withered); cut finely to release the juices (CTC); allowed to oxidise (ferment); dried in a high temperature oven to stop the fermentation process (fired) to make black tea. The tea is then sorted, graded, packed and ready to enjoy.  View more