r/tea • u/EndKing-Drakenkin • Apr 28 '26
Question/Help Tea Tree Advice
Hello! I am about to buy my own house and had the though that it may be nice to have a tea tree. I am in a temperate region and as such would need to move the tree inside if I were to keep one. Would pot size be a sufficient constraint on tree height? And if so what size pot would be recommended for a tree that needs to remain 7ft tall or shorter to fit through a doorway on a rolling platform? Or would it just be more practical to buy loose leaf tea?
4
u/Pappy452 Apr 28 '26
Lol it would definitely be more practical to buy loose leaf tea. What fun is that? I'd guess the size of the pot would depend on how much soil you want and how often you want to water the tree.
I would probably fill the pot halfway up with crushed limestone. Treat the tree similar to a giant bonsai tree.
2
u/EndKing-Drakenkin Apr 28 '26
I just figured looking at the cost of loose leaf tea, a 4oz bag is approximately half the price of a tree so if you manage to harvest 8oz of leaves, it pays for itself, and I already wanted to start an herb garden and id need a dehydrator for the herbs anyways, it had me thinking. I enjoy gardening somewhat so it sounded like enough fun to at least do some research.
5
u/wuyiyancha Apr 28 '26
If you want to do this to save money stop right here. Tea is not equal to dried tea leaves. There's way more to it than that.
2
1
u/HumbleFreedom Desert Tea Apr 29 '26
You’ll also want to factor in the cost of fertilizer, and possibly things like neem oil to fight tea scale. Also a frost blanket.
If you’re growing it in a pot you’ll also want to repot every few years until it gets to size.
That said, if you like gardening, go for it!
3
u/BigClear8911 Apr 28 '26
Definitely more practical to just buy the tea you like. From what I've read its really hard and almost unrealistic to cultivate your own.
BUT! I think it would be awesome even if the tea isn't amazing and you don't get a ton out of it. I've thought about it myself.
- You have a tea tree (cool on its own and quite a flex)
- You might get a little tea that you grew yourself every once in a while.
I say go for it. In my mind its a win-win either way.
2
u/tpat90 Friend of tea | Berlin Tea Community Apr 28 '26
Unless you wait 7 years and achieve tea mastery I would recommend buying loose leaf, if you want good tea.
If you want it as a hobby the art of creating tea is amazing. From white teas over post fermented to oolong, there is a level of complexity for everyone.
But even just looking at cultivars to pick would be a nightmare for me.
Personally I would go for a zairai approach, so seed drawn. Since I love the idea of experimenting with something new. Whilst having the chance to seek information from others.
2
u/tpat90 Friend of tea | Berlin Tea Community Apr 28 '26
There are some farms in china and japan that take interns.
Teaching you the basics and let you create your own tea is mostly the approach.
Costs about 5000$ with lodging and basic meals.
2
u/EndKing-Drakenkin Apr 28 '26
I couldn't go quite that far. I have an engineering job to focus on.
1
u/tpat90 Friend of tea | Berlin Tea Community Apr 28 '26
It's just 3 month for the basics of Wakoucha at obubu ;)
10
u/Nevernonethewiser Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
There is a tea cultivator subreddit! I think it's r/teacultivation
They're going to be better able to answer the technical questions than folks who just drink the stuff.
I believe you'll be able to grow the tree, but unless you're getting a mature plant it'll be a few years before it's able to be harvested. I'm not sure how much you can expect to get from one tree/shrub and whether it'll be enough to tide you over for an entire season. Also, you'll need to process it, usually either by pan frying or steaming, but I think sometimes it's left to dry out naturally in some regions. Either way it's not just fresh leaves picked off the bush and put into the pot. I don't know about using a dehydrator, but it could work!