Dartmoor Estate Tea

31/08/2026

Our tiny tea farm enjoying the relief of cloud cover. The baked brown pathways, grasses and distant fields showing the effects of this summer's relentless blue skies and burning heat from the unfiltered sunshine.
After the fifty days of rain at the beginning of the year we were blessed with a bumper first flush harvest. The plants showing some wisdom by holding back any new growth through the five heatwaves, choosing to hunker down into survival mode through the summer.

Fingers crossed for an autumn harvest. 🌱🍃🙏🍃🌱

Our small batch, 2026 first flush single estate green, black and white teas are still available while stocks last. Hopefully we will pick again to give us enough for our winter sales.

31/08/2026

I think we've made it through. 🌱🌱😳😳🌱🌱
As we approach the autumn months and the temperatures have come down a little, we feel incredibly grateful at last to have had some rain. Only around 20mm and just over the last few days, however after over 2 months without a drop and repeated heat waves, it has allowed us at last, to breath a sigh of relief.
Our tea bushes, the hedgerows, the orchard and woodlands are all still showing obvious signs of stress through heat and drought damage. Yet there is a sense of them all just breathing out and letting down their need fight for survival too.
It has been a real worry for us. Working hard to support and protect what we can and having to let go where we couldn't.
Thank you to everyone, family, friends and followers who has kept us in their thoughts and sent us messages of support. We truly appreciate the tea community who have become our friends over the years. Our thoughts go out to all the farmers, growers, gardens and everyone who has struggled through the extremes and challenges this year's weather has brought so far.

27/08/2026

We are very happy to be 'popping up' at Chagford Farmers Fayre Fayre on Saturday. To all our friends and supporters in Chagford and up on the moors, please do pop In to say hi and to check out the impressive array of local products and producers.
From 10am to 1pm at Endecott House, Chagford

15/08/2026

We are going out on a little adventure as a 'pop-up' stall at the Chagford Farmers Fayre this month. Hope to see you there on Saturday the 29th of August. We'll have this season's white, green and black tea for sale, and some of our young Dartmoor Camellia Sinensis plants available too.

This months market has some exciting pop-up's... Dartmoor Estate Tea will be bringing their 100% homegrown blends and even tea plants for sale! 🫖 Tina Lynam Earthwise Kitchen will be making raw, indulgent chocolates 🍫 plus Daisy Treats On The Trail is back with her amazing cakes, delicious Devon hills honey 🐝 is back and even Teign Valley Venison IS BACK TOO 😮. As well as all your regular favourites... Dartmoor Beef and Lamb, Riverside Plants, Quack Fragrance, Huxbear Vineyard, three acre farm 🌻 something for everyone, bring the whole family 🙌

12/08/2026

🦇Something for all those batty folk out there🦇

We're still looking for volunteers to join our Volunteer Bat Care Helpline!

Every year the National Bat Helpline takes thousands of calls from people who have found grounded and injured bats.

To ensure that as many bats as possible are helped, we need volunteers to answer bat care-related calls during office hours (9.30am-4.30pm).

New volunteers attend an interactive and informative virtual training day before carrying out ‘bat watches’ from the comfort of their home. Volunteers also receive full support from BCT staff throughout the project.

Volunteering on the Volunteer Bat Care Helpline is a very rewarding experience for beginners, experienced bat workers and everyone in between. This opportunity is ideal for those wanting to get involved in conservation from home.

To read more please visit: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/volunteer/helpline

02/08/2026

These precious little jewels are being transported to a new source of food as they have stripped bare the Ragwort stem they were feeding on. Just in time before they turned upon each other for food. The Cinnabar Moth caterpillar (Tyria jacobaeae) will turn cannibalistic if it runs out of food. It's not just about survival of the fittest, but about survival of the species.

Ragwort ( Jacobaea vulgaris ) is a a native wildflower which despite being toxic is the only food of the Cinnabar Moth and also a vital plant for over 200 species of insects.

Although the caterpillar with their clear colour coded warning to birds not to eat them due to their toxicity don't provide for the rest of the food chain, the abundance of other insects feeding from the flowers will.

02/08/2026

During a visit from Devon Wildlife Trust and one of the keen eyed wildlife watchers spotted this luscious green and very juicy looking Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillar (Smerinthus ocellata) despite it's very clever leaf like disguise on a Willow twig.

🌿🐛 What a fabulous specimen ! 🍃💚🍃

02/08/2026

With a blast of colour and on a brighter note.............
( ✨ spider alert for those who don't like them ✨)

I spotted this perfectly disguised Flower Crab Spider, Misumena vatia on a Ragwort flower. I would not have noticed if it wasn't for the collection of unfortunate prey hanging underneath.

The female of the species is able to change colour to adapt to it's surroundings, giving an incredible camouflage and enabling it to ambush it's unsuspecting victims.