Bois Chéri tea plantation and Mauritius rum

Mauritius is not only known for its stunning beaches and nature but also for its rich agricultural heritage. From the Bois Chéri and tea plantations to sugarcane fields, rum and its specific cuisine, Mauritius offers a unique blend of experiences for every traveller.

In this text, we’ll explore the Bois Chéri tea plantation and delve into rum tasting.

A view of the Bois Chéri Tea plantation and the Swan Lake

  Tea route on Mauritius

Visiting Mauritius is not complete without seeing tea and sugar cane plantations. They had a huge impact on Mauritius’ history and development. The best way to know more about it is to follow The Tea Route, also known as La Route du Thé.

The route includes three estates. You can visit one or all of them through organized or private tours, depending on your time and interests. The price of excursions could be from 18 EUR to 284 EUR per person. It depends on the included activities, such as transfer, number of visited places, tea or rum tasting, breakfast or lunch.

The first route stop is Domaine des Aubineaux estate, located in the south-west, close to Curepipe town. You can see a colonial house built in 1872 with antique furniture. Today it is turned into a museum dedicated to the history of Mauritian Tea. Also, there is the garden Le Parc Floral du Domaine des Aubineaux with exotic plants and trees, and La Maison des Essences, a distillery of essential oils.

The second stop is the Bois Chéri tea plantation, and the third is the Saint Aubin estate. 

But first, let’s say something about the tea history…

The Bois Chéri tea plantation and the Swan Lake

A few words about the history of tea

Well, it is believed that the first tea plants were grown in the Province of Assam, in northern India. The Chinese were the first who discover the tea benefits and used it as medicine about 2.700 BC century. Then, tea was commercially recognized and used as a beverage in China and Japan about the 6th century AD.

But in Europe, tea became known a thousand years later. First, it came to Holland in the 16th century with the Dutch East India Company, and then to France and England. In 1833, the East India Company lost its monopoly on Chinese trade and tea production rapidly increased in India. Tea seeds were spread to Ceylon, Java, and Kenya as well.

Mauritius, Bois Cheri Tea: Green, Coconut-Vanilla, Exotic fruits, Moringa

Tea on Mauritius

The priest Rene Francois Galloys first brought a tea plant Camellia sinensis from China to Mauritius in 1765. He gave it to Pierre Poivre, and the first tea plantation was founded in 1892 by the Bour Le Breton Company. It was Bois Chéri, the oldest and biggest tea plantation on the island.

The Guimbeau family (Saint Aubin Group) bought the plantation in 1958. This family is of French native, and they have lived and worked in Mauritius for eight generations. Nowadays the factory produces more than half of Mauritius tea in the 250-hectare area.
The products of Saint Aubin Group are exported to the markets in the EU: France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and Reunion Island.

Bois Chéri Tea Plantation

Le Domaine Bois Chéri is located in the south, on the plateau about 450 m above sea level. It is a few kilometres away from the sacred lake of Grand Bassin (Ganga Talao) and the Hindu temple. 

The road led us through the tea fields and an amazing lush green region. At one moment, we saw a woman, a tea picker in the field. We slowed down, she waved at us, smiled and continued working.

Mauritius Tea Plantation

Mauritius, Road to Bois Chéri tea plantation

Usually, the tour includes a visit to the Tea factory, Tea Museum and Tea tasting, and it lasts approximately 1-2 hours.

Bois Chéri Tea Factory and Museum

 Tea Museum

Inside of the Bois Chéri Tea Museum

First, we visited a small Tea Museum with old machinery used for tea production.

Machines and equipment in the Bois Chéri Museum

Among them is an old train locomotive type F4268 made in 1925 in England. It was used for transport of goods and passengers between Curepipe and Port Louis. The owners of Bois Chéri bought it from the new government in 1968, when Mauritius became independent, and they used it as a boiler.

Locomotive in the Bois Chéri Museum

In the museum, you can see vintage photographs, antique equipment, and various teapot sets.

Teacups in the Bois Chéri Museum

Informative displays tell us the story of the tea’s history, and production process, as well as some facts about the Boston Tea Party, tea bags, and use the of sugar and milk in tea.

Tea Production Process, Bois Chéri

The tea production process in the Bois Chéri factory

The guided tours of the factory run every 30 minutes both in French and in English. During the tour, you can hear the story of the tea-making process.

1. Plucking: Tea leaves are handpicked from the tea plants and put in bags.
2. Withering: The leaves are spread out on racks or trays and left to wither. This process reduces the moisture content.
   

   Tea processing

    

3. Rolling: The withered leaves are rolled to break the cell walls, releasing essential oils and enzymes that are critical for fermentation.
4. Fermentation (Oxidation): For black tea, the rolled leaves are spread out in a cool, humid environment to oxidize. This is where the leaves turn from green to brown and develop their characteristic flavours. Green tea skips this step retaining its green color and more delicate taste.
5. Drying: The oxidized leaves are dried using hot air to halt the oxidation process and remove the remaining moisture. This step ensures the tea can be stored for long periods. The tea is stored for at least three months in a silo to let it mature.
6. Sorting and Grading: The dried tea leaves are sorted and graded according to size and quality. Larger, whole leaves are considered higher quality, while smaller broken leaves are used for tea bags.
7. Flavouring: Usually, various flavours are added to black tea such as exotic fruit, vanilla, bergamot, caramel, etc.
8. Packaging: The sorted tea is packaged in tea bags of 2 grams or different sizes of packages.
   And tea is ready for distribution.
   

   Tea packaging

Bois Chéri  & Tea tasting

The most popular part of the tea tour is tea tasting.
By the way, literally, “Bois Chéri ” in French means “Drink, darling“ 🙂

Road to the Bois Chéri Restaurant

 

Well, tea lovers will certainly enjoy the tea-tasting at Le Chalet du Domaine de Bois Chéri.
It is located about two kilometres from the tea factory, on a small hill, and it overlooks the tea fields and Le Lac des Cygnes – the Swan Lake.

Le Chalet du Domaine de Bois Chéri

 

Bois Chéri estate and Swan Lake

 

The panoramic view from the wooden terrace of Bois Chéri is amazing. Palm trees surround the road, tea fields and lake. Everything is green and peaceful, perfect for enjoying nature and tea flavours. And taking many photos as well 🙂

A view from the Bois Chéri Chalet

Bois Chéri Tea Tasting

 

Tea Tasting in Le Chalet du Domaine de Bois Chéri

Benefits of tea

Do you know that the tea is the second most consumed drink in the world after the water?
And yes, tea has many benefits for our health. Check out some of them.

Bois Chéri Tea Shop

 

What else can you do in Bois Chéri Plantation?

Saint Aubin Estate

After the visit and rum tasting, you can have a Mauritian lunch in the Saint Aubin restaurant.

Saunt Aubin Rum and Gin

Sugarcane and Rum production

Mauritius Sugarcane Field

For centuries, sugarcane has been very important for the Mauritius’ economy. The Dutch brought it in the 17th century, and sugarcane cultivation expanded under French and British colonial rule.

Today, you can see sugarcane fields all around the island. In 1860, there were even 296 sugar mills.

Britannia Sugar Factory closed in 2002

Place du Moulin Bel Ombre ,closed the old factory

Due to various political and social changes, and several strong cyclones destroying sugar production, today only three mills are operating. They are  Terra, Omnicane and Alteo. But even now, sugar production remains a key industry of Mauritius with 2,452,653 tonnes produced in 2023.

Rum production

Sugarcane is harvested between June and December. The stalks are cut by hand or machine and transported to mills for processing.

At the mills, the sugarcane is crushed to extract the juice. Then, the juice is clarified, evaporated, and crystallized to produce raw sugar. The by-products (molasses and bagasse) are also used in various ways.

Traditional rum is made from the first cane juice. Usually, it is aged in oak barrels for 2 or 3 years or even longer.

If you have time, visit L’Aventure du Sucre. It is a former sugar factory located in the north, in Pamplemousses, close to the Botanical Garden. Today it is turned into a museum, where you can see exhibits of the history and evolution of the sugarcane. And you can taste various types of Mauritius rum, as well.

The most popular distilleries on the island are Rhumerie de Chamarel, Saint Aubin, and New Grove.
You can visit them on private or organized tours, which include rum tasting as well.

Rum by Rhumerie de Chamarel

Types of rum

Mauritius is famous for a rum of excellent quality. Each distillery offers its unique blends and flavours, from traditional to premium varieties.
Rum comes in various types, such as white rum, dark rum, spiced rum, and aged rum.

On our way to the Black River Gorge, we stopped for a quick rum degustation. And of course, we were delighted with the wide range of rum flavours! So we tasted several various rums made in Mauritius and they were fantastic.

Rum tasting

But, the most interesting was a bottle of rum with an inserted Dodo glass bird! This premium bottle of rum costs about 120 $.

Mauritius Rum and Dodo Glass Bird

Also, we tasted the Port Louis Toffee Liqueur, which has a rich and sweet English toffee chocolate flavour. It was so delicious that we had to buy it!

Port Louis Toffee Liqueur & Cocktail made at home

There you can find many various types of rum from different producers with a wide range of prices, as well as many other products and souvenirs from Mauritius.
Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of this luxury shop. But I know that it is very close to the “Pride of the Island” shop with fantastic handcrafted ship models and souvenirs, located in the south (Royal Road, Curepipe town).

Mauritius Rum Shop

The Bois Chéri tea and Mauritian rum

Bois Chéri tea plantation, colonial estates and rum distilleries represent Mauritius’s rich agricultural heritage.

Visiting these places was a great experience, and we had a great time. These excursions are an integral part of our travels. We remember them fondly and with a smile on our faces. Well, we can always learn something new during the trips and that is priceless.

Close to the Bois Chéri on the south of the island, there are more interesting places. Check some of them.