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Oolong Teas

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  • Partly fermented teas of the “Camellia Sinensis” species, withered in the sun, dried and sold and consumed either in curled form or rolled to little granules
  • Degree of fermentation varies between 8% and 85%, depending on species, cultivation and processing method
  • Aroma varies between a sweet/fruity honey-like aroma and a green/fresh bouquet aroma, depending on species, cultivation and processing method
    Origin: China (Fujian Province, Wuji Mountains)
  • Further diffusion to: Japan, Taiwan, Korea (Guandong) and in recent years Northern Thailand
  • Name origins from Chinese: „O-liong“, also „Qingcha“
  • Popular due to its low coffeine and health benefits: control of obesity, lowers the cholesterol levels, improves skin and bone structure as well as teeth, antioxidant (removes free radicals; cancer prevention), efficient in the treatment of chronical diseases like heart, skin and inflammatory disorders and diabetes.
  • The tea plants for the cultivation in Thailand were originally brought in from Taiwan’s Alisha region, worldwide famous for its Formosa Oolong and Green Teas.

Click here to buy Oolong Teas from Northern Thailand

Green Teas

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  • Non-fermented teas of the ”Camellia Sinensis” species. A short heating up, roasting or steaming after the withering prevents the freshly harvested leaves to fermenting. Therefore, almost all of the substances contained in the fresh leave are being preserved.
  • Traded and consumed either in curled form or rolled to granules.
  • Flat geen leaves, jade-green leaves, aromatic scent, clear and yellow in the infusion
  • Stimulating and refreshing effects (mainly due to its caffeine content)
  • The regular consumption of Green Teas has preventive properties in regard to cancer and cardiovascular diseases, lowers the risk for caries and has a soothing effect on stomach and intestinal tract. These health benefits arise from the high levels of catechins, amino acids (esp. Theanin), the vitamins A, B and B2 and the micronutritients calcium, potassium, phosphoric acid, magnesium, copper , zinc, carotine and fluor.
  • Origin: China
  • Further diffusion to: Japan, Taiwan, Korea (Guangdong) and in recent years Northern Thailand
  • Amongst others, Thailand produces the famous Chinese Lung Ching or „Longjing“ tea, in English “Dragonwell Tea”, or often simply “Dragon Tea”.
  • The tea plants for the cultivation in Thailand were originally brought in from Taiwan’s Alisha region, worldwide famous for its Formosa Oolong and Green Teas.

Click here to buy Green Teas from Northern Thailand

Siam Teas offers Green Tea from Northern Thailand in 2 variations: a standard quality in form of loose leaves, and a premium selection in form of rolled leaves.

 

Naturally scented Oolong Teas and Green Teas

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Northern Thailand produces a range of naturally scented Oolong and Green Teas. The scent comes from mixing the tea leaves with natural scenting agents like Jasmin, Thai Jasmin Rice oder Ginseng roots, each with its own complex and sensitive procedure. At this, teas are procuced that bear the unique taste and scent of their aromatic agents and enjoy great popularity especially amongst tea newcomers.

Click here to buy Scented Teas from Northern Thailand

Black Tea – A Thailand Novelty

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While Green Teas and Oolong Teas from Thailand have been known for a whail, the Doi Mae Salong cultivation region has now responded to the international demand for Black Tea. Due to the millenium-old expertise the Chinese in tea cultivation and processing, the Chinese community of Doi Mae Salong has succeeded procubacing a black tea that easily lives up even to the highest expectations a passionate black tea drinker could possibly have.

Currently, there are 2 different kinds of Black Tea available, one in the form of loose leaves, based on a “standard” Oolong tea, the other one being the Premium Choice based on the precious “No.12” species, coming in form of classic tea bag at 3 gram of Black Tea each or as rolled leaves, by choice.

Safflower Tea

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General:

Safflower, also called false saffron, is a plant belonging to the Aster family. Its natural area of occurrence extends across the countries of Asia and Europe, as well as North America and Australia. Safflower is a fast growing, thistle-like, year-long herbaceous plant that grows to a height of between 60cm and 1.30m.

History:
In Egypt, safflower (English: Safflower) was already used to dye fabrics around 3500 BC. The oil gained from the seeds was used in the antiquity for the manufacturing of ointments. In the 13th century, the Romans brought the safflower to Central Europe, where the flowers were used for coloring foods, but also for medicinal purposes. About the beginning of the 20th century, the plant was almost completely replaced as a dye color donor by synthetic agents. Since the end of the 20th Century, the oil obtained from safflower enjoys increasing popularity as a cooking oil, due to its high content of polyunsaturated linoleic acid and vitamin E.

Modern non-medicinal use:

  • The petals are, due to their colors (the red coloring agent carthamin and the yellow coloring agent carthamidin are often rererred to as “saffron-substitute”. While the visual effect can hardly be distinguished from that of genuine saffron, the safflower, in contrast to the aromatic saffron, as a food additive is nearly tasteless.
  • The plant is used as an ornamental garden plant and as cut or dried flower.
  • The flower-leaves yield a very tasty tea with a fruity-sweet flavor.

Medical use of safflower tea:

  • Safflower is well known in the Asian, especially the Chinese traditional medicine, where the petals are infused as a tea. Clinical studies have shown effects on leukemia, hepatitis and migraines, besides other conditions.
  • The safflower flowers have a stimulating effect on the heart and circulation. They also possess antipyretic and analgesic features, and they are said to have aphrodisiac properties. In Thailand, in this context, a tea called “Love Potion No. 1” is offered, whose main component are the flowers of the safflower.
  • In European folk medicine, safflower flowers are known as a treatment of menstrual and climacteric conditions, indigestion, jaundice and measles, wounds, inflammation and joint pain.
  • Although safflower tea is generally regarded as a “soft medicine” without undesirable side effects, and for example administered in Russia to babies for flatulence, the consumption is not recommended during pregnancy.

Pu’er Tea (Doi Wawee)

General:
Pu’er, Pu’erh or Puer tea, is a tea resulting from a post-fermentation process, obtained through a processing method developed during China’s imperial age in the province of Yunnan. Today, Pu’er tea is also manufactured in other tea producing Asian countries, such as since recently in Northern Thailand. Post-fermentation in this case means a processing, at which the tea leaves, after being dried and rolled to streaks, undergo a microbiotic fermentation process. Because of the dark, reddish color of the leaves as well as the readily brewed tea drink, Pu’er tea is often referred to as “dark tea”.

Pu’erh is available in form of loose tea leaves or in compressed form (for example: bricks). Principally , two different kinds of Pu’er tea can be distincted: “raw” Pu’er Tea (sheng) and “ripened” Pu’er tea.

Processing:
The base material of all Pu’er tea variations is the so-called Maocha, a non-oxidized green tea that is obtained form a large-leaved Camellia Sinsensis species as can be found in southern Yunnan, Burma and northern Thailand. The “raw” (sheng) type of Maocha goes through a natural fermentation process due to environmental influences, while for the “ripened” (shou) type this process is accelerated by means of a specific processing method that was only introduced in the early 1970s.

  • Maocha: The freshly picked tea leaves are first spread out to wither and dry in the sun. Then they roasted, traditionally in are in a large Chinese wok in order to stop the enzymatic fermentation process. The roasted tea leaves are finally rolled into streaks, which are once again dried in the sun.
  • Raw Pu’er tea: The Maocha is subjected to a secondary oxidation and fermentation process, which may require several years, until the desired result is achieved.
  • Ripened Pu’er tea: The fermentation process is accelerated by storing the tea leaves under controlled warm/humid conditions, while under constant re-piling, turning around and moistening, thereby promoting the formation and activity of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi), pretty much the same way as with the composting of biodegradable materials. This process usually takes between 6 months and one year.

Pressing:
The dried Maocha is portioned and the weighed portions lightly steamed in order to achieve a more cohesive consistency. In the old times, the resulting units were then pressed with a hand press, in ancient times a stone press, until the lever press prevailed soon after being introduced, and now increasingly with hydraulic presses, in various forms such as cakes or bricks, as is the case with our Pu ‘Er Tea from Doi Wawee. Often when pressing a motive is coined in, which can include the manufacturer’s logo and / or the date of pressing or the ripening period.

Doi Wawee, Northern Thailand, produces, as it is commonl for producers in Yunnan now as well, both forms of Pu’er teas, raw and mature Pu’er, the raw Pu’er is subjected to a natural maturation process manufacturer of 5 years .

Shan Tea

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What we call ShanTea is a tea harvested, processed and savoured since centuries on the area of nowadays Northern Thailand by various local ethnic groups like the Shan people or the different hill tribes migrated from China. It is a large-leaved subspecies of Camellia Sinensis that grows wild in form of trees in the area’s higher altitudes. The inhabitants of mountain villages once a year cut the trees back to a maximum height of about 2 meters to promote the development of tea leave sprouts and keep those within reach from the ground. After the harvesting and drying, the fermentation process of the tea leaves is disrupted and hence the tea left in green or slightly fermented condition. The mountain people themselves like their tea most after another processing step, the roasting of the tea leaves on a charcoal fire, giving the tea a smoky flavor.

For detailed information about our Shan Tea and our refugee aid project “Project Shan Tea” please visit our pages/articles

Project ShanTea

and

Pang Kham: Tea Village in No-Man’s Land

To buy tea from Northern Thailandclick here for Siam Tea Shop

1 Response

  1. Peter

    Hello
    My name is Peter.

    Like yours website. Very nice story of thai teas.

    I’m living on Thailand and have customers of tea on foreign countries. Can You send me photo of teas as this website on resolution more 800 x 800 pixels and price of all teas. If You send me it – I can sale this teas and buy from Yours company. Thanks

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