Tea Chest Hawaii: History and Culture

History and Culture 

At Tea Chest Hawaii, founders Byron and Satomi Goo have built the company around an understanding of tea and a strong connection to Hawaii that continues to grow even after 30 years in business. They work with local growers and explore what can be grown in the islands. They create Hawaii-inspired teas shaped by tastes, cultures, and Hawaii-grown ingredients.

Born in Japan, Satomi’s uncle is a Urasenke tea master and she was required to take tea ceremony as a rite of passage. Byron’s interest in tea began while living in Taiwan. When he returned to Hawaii, the local food scene was changing. The Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement was getting started. People were becoming more curious about food and new flavors. Yet tea remained largely overlooked. “Tea was sold as two colors, green and black,” Byron recalls. “I saw an opportunity to share the love for tea with others.”

Tea Chest Hawaii has since worked with about 30 farms across the state, exploring both Camellia sinensis and other ingredients that can be used to make tea. Working alongside local growers has given Byron and Satomi a close look at what it takes to grow tea in Hawaii. It has also shown them the possibilities that come from Hawaii’s different climates, elevations and growing conditions.

Growing the plant, however, is only the beginning. What happens after the leaf is picked can be just as important. Leaves are withered, rolled, oxidized and dried. Each step changes the tea and helps develop its aroma, flavor and character. For Byron, understanding this process is essential to understanding tea. “70% of a tea’s value comes from processing,” he says.

A‘a Black from Hawaii Island is an example of what can happen when Hawaii-grown leaves meet careful tea making. The tea grows on volcanic land surrounded by native ʻohiʻa forest. Cool, misty mornings give way to afternoons of tropical sunshine. Tea maker Eliah Halpenny handles the leaves by hand, from plucking through processing. The result carries a sense of the place where it was grown. “The bouquet is filled with ʻohiʻa blossoms with notes of dried banana and honey,” Byron says. “The tea is unforgettable.”

Hawaii’s volcanic landscapes and tropical growing conditions give local tea makers something distinctive to work with. But Hawaii’s tea story does not end with Camellia sinensis. Other plants grown in the islands have become part of that story as well.

One of them is mamaki. Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, mamaki grows naturally nowhere else in the world and has a long history of use in Hawaii. Its leaves can be brewed into an herbal tea, offering another way to experience a plant closely connected to the islands. “The fact that mamaki doesn’t grow anywhere else in the world is a God send,” Byron says.

Tea Chest Hawaii works with mamaki grown in the islands and uses it in several ways. Pure Mamaki allows the plant’s character to stand on its own. Mint Mamaki and Jasmine Mamaki pair it with other flavors. Each offers a different expression of an ingredient that is uniquely Hawaiian.

Cacao has opened another path for exploring what can be grown and made in Hawaii. Hawaii is the only U.S. state with commercial cacao production, with cacao now grown on Hawaiʻi Island, Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi. Hawaii-grown cacao has also earned international recognition, helping build awareness of another agricultural crop with potential in the islands.

Tea Chest Hawaii found its own way to be part of that story. During chocolate making, cacao beans are roasted and the nibs are separated from their shells. Those shells can easily be seen as a byproduct of the process. Byron saw something more.

“This was a fun project because our goal was to create new value for cacao shells which are a manufacturing by-product,” Byron says. “We wanted to see if we could put our own unique spin on them. The results are yummy!”

That idea became a collection of teas made with roasted cacao shells. Lilikoi Cacao brings together the richness of cacao and the bright tang of passionfruit. Cacao Colada pairs cacao with pineapple and coconut. The combinations are playful and familiar, bringing flavors associated with Hawaii into a different kind of tea experience.

For Byron and Satomi, those local flavors are about more than developing new products. They are often tied to personal memories and experiences. “One could say my own personal history lives in our products,” Byron says. “In tea making, I’m driven by my memories of how things taste.”

One of those memories comes from Manoa Valley, where Byron grew up. As a child, he biked and played throughout the valley, where lilikoi grew along the Manoa Stream. Picking ripe fruit from the vine became part of his childhood and left him with a particular memory of its flavor.

“There’s a specific tanginess to vine ripened lilikoi that I wanted to capture,” Byron says.

Years later, that memory helped inspire Tea Chest Hawaii’s Passionfruit Iced Tea. Today, it remains the company’s number one selling tea. What began as a childhood memory of fruit growing along a stream became a flavor that Tea Chest could share with people in Hawaii and beyond.

The same curiosity has led Tea Chest Hawaii to explore other fruits and flavors found throughout the islands. Strawberry guava became part of Strawberry Hula. ʻOhelo berry inspired Lava Berry. Poha offered another local flavor to explore. Each tea tells a slightly different story, but they share the same approach. There is an understanding of tea and processing, experience working with growers and an appreciation for the plants and flavors found in Hawaii.

That approach has helped Tea Chest Hawaii continue to evolve for more than three decades. The company began with Byron and Satomi wanting to share their love of tea. Over time, that mission grew to include another question: What can Hawaii bring to tea?

The answer continues to develop. It can be found in tea leaves grown on volcanic slopes, mamaki found only in the Hawaiian Islands and cacao shells given a new purpose. It can also be found in childhood memories of lilikoi picked along the Manoa Stream and in relationships with growers who are discovering what is possible in Hawaii agriculture.

Hawaiian History Month offers a chance to look back at that journey and at the people, plants and places that have shaped it. For Tea Chest Hawaii, history is not only something to remember. Some of it continues to grow in Hawaii’s soil. Some of it lives in personal memories. And sometimes, it can be tasted in the cup — Aloha in A Cup.

Q&A: Tea and Cacao Grown in Hawaii

Is tea grown in Hawaii?

Yes. Camellia sinensis is grown in Hawaii and can be processed into black tea and other styles of true tea. Tea Chest Hawaii has worked with about 30 farms across the state, exploring both tea cultivation and Hawaii-grown ingredients that can be used in tea.

What is Hawaii-grown tea?

Hawaii-grown tea is made from Camellia sinensis cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands. Where the plant grows and what happens to the leaves after they are picked can influence the finished tea. A‘a Black from Hawaii Island is one example of tea grown and handcrafted in Hawaii.

What makes Hawaii-grown tea different?

Hawaii offers volcanic landscapes, tropical growing conditions and a range of elevations and rainfall patterns. These conditions give growers different environments in which to cultivate tea. Processing also plays an important role, with methods such as withering, rolling, oxidation and drying helping develop the tea’s final aroma and flavor.

What is mamaki tea?

Mamaki is an endemic Hawaiian plant whose leaves can be brewed as an herbal tea. Unlike black, green or other true teas, mamaki does not come from Camellia sinensis. Tea Chest Hawaii works with Hawaii-grown mamaki and offers Pure Mamaki as well as blends such as Mint Mamaki and Jasmine Mamaki.

Is mamaki only found in Hawaii?

Mamaki is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, meaning it occurs naturally only in Hawaii. Its connection to the islands and its long history of local use make it a distinctive part of Hawaii’s herbal tea story.

Is cacao grown in Hawaii?

Yes. Cacao is commercially grown in Hawaii, including on Hawaiʻi Island, Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi. Hawaii is the only U.S. state with commercial cacao production.

Is Hawaii known for high-quality cacao?

Hawaii has a small but growing cacao industry, and Hawaii-grown cacao has received international recognition. Cacao from a University of Hawaii field trial was selected among the winners of the 2017 International Cocoa Awards in Paris.

What is cacao tea?

Cacao tea is a brewed drink that uses parts of the cacao plant to provide chocolate aroma and flavor. Tea Chest Hawaii uses roasted cacao shells in several of its teas. The shells are separated from cacao nibs during chocolate making and can be steeped or blended with other tea ingredients.

What does cacao tea taste like?

Roasted cacao shells bring chocolate aroma and flavor to a brewed drink without making it the same as hot chocolate. Tea Chest Hawaii combines cacao with other flavors to create different profiles. Lilikoi Cacao pairs cacao with tangy passionfruit, while Cacao Colada combines cacao with pineapple and coconut.

Is cacao tea the same as hot chocolate?

No. Hot chocolate is generally made with cocoa or chocolate and often includes ingredients such as milk and sugar. Cacao tea is brewed in water using cacao ingredients. Tea Chest Hawaii’s cacao teas use roasted cacao shells to bring chocolate character to the cup.

Does Hawaii produce black tea?

Yes. Camellia sinensis grown in Hawaii can be processed into black tea. A‘a Black is one example. It is grown on Hawaii Island and handcrafted in small batches.

What does Hawaii-grown tea taste like?

There is no single flavor that defines Hawaii-grown tea. Flavor can vary depending on where the plant is grown and how the leaves are processed. Byron describes A‘a Black as having a bouquet of ʻohiʻa blossoms with notes of dried banana and honey.

What teas are inspired by flavors from Hawaii?

Tea Chest Hawaii has developed a number of teas around flavors familiar in the islands. Passionfruit Iced Tea was inspired by Byron Goo’s childhood memories of vine-ripened lilikoi in Manoa. Strawberry Hula draws on strawberry guava, while Lava Berry was inspired by ʻOhelo berry. Tea Chest has also explored poha and created cacao teas that bring together flavors such as cacao, lilikoi, pineapple and coconut.

What Hawaii-grown ingredients can be found in tea?

Hawaii’s tea story extends beyond Camellia sinensis. Tea Chest Hawaii has worked with Hawaii-grown tea, mamaki and locally grown cacao, along with flavors inspired by fruits found throughout the islands. Together, these ingredients offer different ways to experience what Hawaii can bring to the cup.