The sage harvest continues in the fields of Bombastus-Werke in Freital after a three-week break in the rain. This year, eight hectares of sage are being harvested for tea production, the company announced. Around 2,800 kilograms of fresh tea are expected per hectare. Depending on the degree of moisture, around 650 kilograms of dried tea remains after drying and winnowing.
Harvesting by hand
While a harvesting tractor is usually used, the highest quality grade is still harvested by hand. According to the company, 1,700 25-gram packs of "Sage shoot tip tea hand harvest" were sold via pharmacies and the online store in 2024, which is 1.6 percent of the 103,200 packs of sage tea sold in total.
This year, the weather didn't really cooperate. After three days of harvesting in the first half of July, it had to pause due to the rainy weather, it was said. "For the desired high content of essential oils, the sage plant needs dry and sunny weather just before harvesting," explains field manager Daniel Lehmann.
