A sip of São Miguel

Most of us think of the Azores as a place of marvellous natural experiences, the deep blue sea, the abundance of flowers, and the numerous cows dotted across the fields. Many are aware of the wonderful seafood — and maybe also the crisp Verdelho wine from Pico with that glorious mineral profile (yum). The tea plantations have some fame, but few people realise that the Azorean art of making high-quality, local refreshments does not stop there. São Miguel has a recognisable tradition of small-scale, fruit-driven liquor production, closely tied to what grows well on the island. The passion fruit liqueur ‘Licor de Maracujá’ is a classic from São Miguel and is a testament to how the island grows excellent tropical fruits thanks to the mild, humid climate. Locals have long used passion fruit to make a sweet, aromatic liqueur that’s commonly served as a digestif or offered to guests at home.

In commercial production the liquers are now made with many more fruits and herbs, like pineapple, fig and anise. The factory Fábrica de Licores Eduardo Ferreira & Filhos, which produces the brand Mulher de Capote in Ribeira Grande, offers visitors a guided tour, including a presentation on the factory and manufacturing process, concluding with a tasting. And it’s worth a stop. The company draws on knowledge dating back to 1936 and works to preserve the region’s cultural and gastronomic heritage. And they must be doing something right, as their passion fruit liqueur is the most awarded Portuguese liqueur in history with 6 gold medals in international competitions.

Tea on the brain

But local food and beverages are not only influenced by culture and crops, history and natural incidents can also have a say in what is produced and consumed at a certain place. In the 19th century, the cultivation of oranges was a significant economic activity in the Azores, particularly on São Miguel and Terceira. The production was crucial for the economic development of the islands, but at the end of the century, a disease took a big hit on the orange groves and the production declined radically. That meant the Azoreans had to think of new crops to grow. As the islands were already trading with merchants from all over the world, the tea plant had also arrived, and as it turned out, the northern coast of São Miguel offered an ideal climate for growing it. After a while the miniral-rich soils would support a whopping 14 tea plantations. Today, only two producers remain, and they are in fact the only commercial tea plantations in Europe: Porto Formoso and Gorreana Tea. The latter is the oldest tea factory still in operation in Europe, and it has remained in the same family since 1883.

“The founder was a visionary. He grew the tea organically and they still do today. He built a dam for water, generating electricity for the tea factory. He had a sustainable mindset before it even was a trend,” food and drinks consultant, João Couto, tells me over a tea tasting. We are sitting at the tea plantation’s café, overlooking rows and rows of Camellia Sinensis tea plants, the Atlantic forming a blue line in the background.

“We used to do only black and green tea, but now we have about 50-something different tea products. In a scientific project with the local university, we created a tea much richer in L-Theanine, which is an amino acid that promotes cognitive functions and exists only in the leaves of the tea plant and in a rare variety of mushrooms,” Couto explains and continues:

“Compared to teas from other origins, Gorreana teas already have a higher level of L-Theanine, but in this specific tea, it is around 70% higher than in other Gorreana teas. This tea actually slows down the ageing of the brain, reduces anxiety and stress, improves sleep quality and vascular function.”

And who doesn’t want that? The Gorreana Tea Factory is open to visitors, and entry is free. You can start with a walk in the beautiful terraced fields and afterwards see how the tea is produced on site, from the rooms where the leaves are dried and oxidised to processes of shrivelling and rolling. There is also a museum with old machines, and of course, you need to end with a tasting!

Putting the craft in Azorean beer

But the history of São Miguel’s beverage production is far from written, just look at São Miguel’s blooming new craft beer scene. A shared dream of opening a craft brewery led Canadian Tara McLean and Portuguese Edmundo Estrela to take an Atlantic leap of faith, when they moved to São Miguel and shortly after founded the Azores Brewing Company in 2024. Inspired by and made on-site in the archipelago, their craft beer has already become the best-selling in the Azores. McLean has a background as a chemist, which came in handy when she started experimenting with beer brewing. She is now one of the very few female head brewers in the world.

“I’m a big fan of beer, and when we moved here, there were no good craft beer options. With the help of Edmundo, who is an engineer, I started making beer at home from scratch. We got good feedback from tastings, and by 2020, we thought, OK, we have the recipes, the know-how — let’s do this,” McLean shares from their beer garden in Ribeiro Grande (think less pretzels and lederhosen, more colourful murals, a see-through iglo, food trucks and the odd horse or two grazing across the street).

“We wanted to be very clearly based in our geography — it is central to our identity that we are an Azorean brand. So, our logo, beer names, and imagery are themed around the island and the ocean,” McLean explains. Titles like Lighthouse’s Azorean Wheat nod to a local lighthouse and the islands’ nautical history, while North Coast Amber Ale pays homage to the locals here. And these have welcomed the brewery, which also supports the local culture. At the bar, locals and visitors alike come for a tasting of what’s on tap, or even for a tour of the brewery (pre-booking necessary).

Not only refreshing on warm summer days, but the beers are also actually seasonal, mainly made using Portuguese produce. One of the summer seasonals in 2025 was a pineapple–strawberry sour: “There’s no other sour on the market here, for example. So, we’re always looking to do something fresh, do something different, and use local products, when possible,” McLean shares. She emphasises that while the beer has a unique character, it’s also balanced and approachable: “We only choose the highest-quality raw materials, and for us that’s really, really important, because it directly translates to the quality of the beer.”

And while all the refreshments of São Miguel are tasty, it’s also worth considering that by choosing a drink made here, you are directly contributing to the local economy, through jobs, taxes, and suppliers, thereby positively impacting the community. All there is left to say now is: Drink responsibly — and até já!