✍️ Where It All Began
My personal journey with tea from Doi Pu Muen began with a few rather unassuming sample packets that a friend brought back from Northern Thailand in the summer of 2022.
He had stopped in a hotel in Fang on his way to Myanmar, where the owner had given him several tea samples for a tea merchant friend of his in Germany. From him, I also learned that the tea came from her family’s garden on Doi Pu Muen.
Among the samples were a black tea, a green tea, a sheng, and a wild white tea.
From the very first tasting, it became clear that not all of these teas were equally convincing. Two, however, stood out immediately: the sheng, and above all, the wild white tea.
Both teas came from a rare variety of Camellia sinensis. This variety combines genetic traits of large-leaf Assam tea trees with those of so-called purple cultivars – a combination still found in wild populations in the forests of Northern Thailand’s highlands.
The white tea, in particular, proved remarkable. Not only in terms of taste, but also in the quality of its plucking and processing. It was a tea of striking clarity, freshness, and elegance – and unlike anything I had encountered before.
That was the moment my interest was truly sparked.
Nearly two years later, in July 2024, another trip to Thailand finally gave me the opportunity to follow the trail of tea from Doi Pu Muen – and to trace it back to its source.
✍️ The Phumanee Lahu Home Hotel in Fang
On July 25, 2024, I finally arrived at the Phumanee Lahu Home Hotel together with my son and an old friend. It was he who had brought me those tea samples two years earlier.
The hotel is run by Jirawan “Yok” Jaikor – the very person who produces the teas that had first sparked my interest.
From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed warmly by Yok. There was an openness and kindness in her manner that made it immediately clear we were not simply guests at a hotel. We were being welcomed into a world deeply connected to her family’s history and to the culture of the Lahu.
Yok is the daughter of Jafa Chaikor, the last great leader of the Red Lahu in Northern Thailand. This heritage is not only reflected in her personal story, but is present throughout the entire house.
At the Phumanee Lahu Home Hotel, this history is tangible. Photographs and panels on the walls tell of the Lahu’s origins in this region, of migration, political upheaval, and profound change – and of the important role Yok’s family has played in it.
✍️ The Story of Doi Pu Muen and the Jaikor Family
The roots of this story go back to the late 19th century.
Around 1880, Saenkor, a leader of the Red Lahu at the time, led his people from the mountainous regions of present-day Myanmar into the highlands of Northern Thailand. They settled in the area of Doi Pha Hom Pok. There, they founded the village that would become the home of Yok’s family.
And it is from there, from the forests of nearby Doi Pu Muen, that the wild white tea originates – the very tea that brought us here.
One of Saenkor’s sons was Pu Muen, born Tangtao. He would later become a defining figure in the region’s history. To this day, Doi Pu Muen bears his name.
In the 1950s, Pu Muen supported the Thai royal family in its efforts to counter communist groups advancing from the north.
After his death in 1969, his second son-in-law, Jafa Chaikor – Yok’s father – became his successor. In the late 1960s, Jafa played a key role as an ally of the Thai monarchy. He was closely involved in efforts to replace opium cultivation in Northern Thailand with alternative sources of income.
Under his leadership, the transition to tea and coffee cultivation began.
This shift, however, did not come without conflict. In 1983, Jafa Chaikor was assassinated. The attack was carried out by a villager who had suffered economically from the decline of opium cultivation.
Today, Yok continues this story in her own way. She is deeply committed to the well-being of her community. Among other things, she works to develop tea cultivation in her family’s home village on Doi Pha Hom Pok – the very place we would visit the following day.
✍️ The Ride To Doi Pa Hom Pok
The next morning, we set out together with Yok and one of her hotel staff for their home village at Doi Pha Hom Pok.
What had looked like a fairly manageable distance on the map soon turned into a journey of a very different kind. With every kilometer, the road grew narrower. It became rougher. And eventually, it was hardly recognizable as a road at all.
Deep ruts, carved out by the rain, cut across the track. Potholes dictated our pace. Again and again, the terrain forced us into slow and careful maneuvers.
During the rainy season, the route becomes a serious challenge. Without experience and local knowledge, it is nearly impossible to navigate.
As we made our way deeper into the mountains, the forest closed in around us. The greenery grew denser. The air was warm and humid. The constant sounds of the tropical rainforest accompanied us and made it clear just how remote this part of Northern Thailand really is.
What we experienced was more than just a drive. It was a journey to a place no one arrives at by chance.
A place without mobile reception. Without internet. A place that has only had electricity for a few years.
And a place where – perhaps because of all this – time itself seems to have stood still.
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✍️ The Village of the Red Lahu – A Place of Living History
Eventually, we reached Yok’s home village. It is the place where the story of the Red Lahu in Thailand began. And where it continues to unfold, generation after generation.
The village is shaped almost entirely by traditional wooden and bamboo houses. There is only one exception. A small church, built by Christian missionaries, stands at its center. It is clearly maintained and still in use.
At the same time, it is evident that the traditional Lahu belief system remains deeply rooted in everyday life. Nature spirits and ancestral rituals still play a central role.
The two belief systems exist side by side. Not in opposition, but as part of a lived reality that has developed over generations.
At an elevation of around 1,300 meters, the village offers a breathtaking view. From here, the land stretches out into the plains and towards distant mountain ranges on the horizon.
The houses are arranged along narrow, softened paths. They run through the village like natural connections between the individual homes. The ground is soft and, in places, slippery. It still bears the traces of recent rainfall.
Much of the village appears simple and functional. It reflects the conditions of life in a remote mountain community.
At the same time, change is clearly underway. The older generation continues to live a traditional life in the village. Many of the younger people, however, have left. Like Yok, they have moved to the cities in search of better income opportunities and access to modern infrastructure.
This shift comes at a cost. Language and cultural traditions are gradually being lost. It is a process that is characteristic of many hill tribe communities in Northern Thailand.
✍️ The Tea School at Doi Pu Muen – A Place of Tea in the Middle of Nowhere
After an exuberant welcome from relatives and neighbors, Yok leads us to a place that is clearly very close to her heart. It is her tea school – the Doi Pu Muen Tea Learning Center.
The building, established on Yok’s initiative, is located slightly apart from the village’s simple houses. It stands in the middle of the village’s tea garden, which was also created through her efforts.
Built from wood and bamboo, it is both simple and inviting. Its design follows a clear idea: to create a place where visitors can approach tea in its natural environment.
During the rainy season, such a visit is not without its challenges. Still, it is easy to imagine that the concept works well in the drier and cooler months. The combination of natural beauty and cultural distinctiveness has a strong appeal – even beyond the tea itself.
Inside the tea school, everything needed for the traditional, ritual preparation of tea in the Chinese style is in place. The focus is not on refined aesthetics, but on practical functionality. It is an approach that fits seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
Together with a member of the Phumanee Lahu Home Hotel staff, who also comes from this village and accompanies us on this visit, Yok begins to prepare a tea session.
In a remarkably short time, everything is ready. In less than half an hour, a full setup for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony takes shape on a long table prepared for this purpose. The process is supported by the simple but functional infrastructure of a small adjoining kitchen.
We are served several teas for tasting. The selection is very similar to the samples I had first encountered a few years earlier.
Once again, two of them stand out. The wild Mao Cha – and, even more so, the wild white tea from the surrounding forests.
As we taste the teas, a deeper understanding begins to emerge. It becomes clear how closely they are connected to this place. The connection feels almost tangible – perhaps even something more.
✍️ The Tea Garden – Between Nature and Cultivated Landscape
The care of this garden is kept to a minimum. Grass around the tea bushes is cut at regular intervals. Beyond that, there is very little human intervention in the natural growth processes.
There is, however, one important exception. Each year, the plants are carefully pruned by hand. This encourages stronger branching. It promotes the development of young buds. At the same time, it prevents the plants from growing too tall and turning into trees that would be difficult to harvest.
When we visited the garden, the grass had just been cut. This opened up the view of the individual plants. It also made the garden’s “free-style” structure especially visible.
This restrained approach to cultivation creates a sense of balance. The tea plants do not grow in isolation. Instead, they are part of a diverse ecological system in which they can thrive.
And yet, as our visit continued, it became clear that the true uniqueness of the teas that had brought me here does not lie in this garden.
Their origin is found in the surrounding forests. For generations, the Lahu have harvested wild tea trees there.
It is these wild-picked teas that open up an entirely different dimension. Above all, the white tea and the Mao Cha stand out in their individuality and expressive character.
These are also the teas that eventually found their way into the Siam Tee Shop:
👉 Doi Pu Muen Spring Wild White Tea
👉 Doi Pu Muen Spring Ye-Sheng Wild Tea
A Note
Visiting the wild tea trees deep in the forests of Doi Pu Muen was not part of our plan under the given circumstances.
The tropical forests are dense and difficult to access. Even under favorable conditions, reaching these areas requires a high level of physical endurance. The villagers are used to this environment. For outsiders, however, it presents a very different kind of challenge.
During the rainy season – the time of our visit – these conditions become even more demanding. The humidity is high. The heat is constant. The paths are soft and often difficult to navigate. Every step requires effort.
Considering all this, and not least my own age, it seemed the more sensible decision to leave this part of the tea’s origin untouched.
Instead, after the tasting, I chose to spend some time walking through the tea garden. I took a closer look at the plants of different ages.
It was a quiet moment. One in which many of the impressions from earlier in the day seemed to settle and come together.
Not long after, it was time to say goodbye to Yok’s home village – and with it, to a place whose quiet remoteness and almost otherworldly sense of timelessness would linger long in the memory.
✍️ The Tea Factory – Craft Between Tradition and Gradual Change
On our way back from the village towards Fang, we made a stop after about half an hour. Our destination was a tea factory called “Ban Den Luang Social Enterprise,” located just outside the town.
There is a simple reason why the processing facilities are not located directly in the village. In the 1980s and 1990s, when tea cultivation in this region was actively promoted, there was no electricity in the remote mountain villages.
As a result, machinery could only be operated in more accessible locations. This was especially true for the rolling machines used in tea processing.
Today, the situation has changed. Electricity is now generated in the village itself. This includes the use of solar power – a technology that played no role when tea cultivation was first developed here.
Facilities such as the Drying Dome can now be operated on site. This opens up new possibilities for processing.
The tea factory itself turns out to be a rather inconspicuous building. At first glance, it gives little indication of the wide range of processing techniques hidden inside.
Once inside, however, a surprisingly broad spectrum of equipment reveals itself. There is the oversized wok, typical of many tea-producing regions, where leaves are heated and rolled by hand.
Alongside it, there are numerous mechanical devices. These allow for the production of green tea, oolong, and black tea, as well as Mao Cha and white tea.
Among them are an electrically powered rolling machine for larger batches of leaves. There is also a device used to compress leaf bundles for so-called ball-type oolongs.
Another element is the traditional combination of a charcoal-fired chamber and a basket structure above it. This setup is used for roasting and refining tea.
Some of the equipment shows its age. Yet this is also part of the place’s charm.
It is likely that much of this equipment arrived here as part of development programs. These programs promoted tea cultivation and processing in Northern Thailand as a sustainable alternative to opium production.
✍️ The Drying Dome – Modern Drying Under Simple Conditions
In contrast to some of the aging processing equipment, a much more recent installation plays a central role in the production of my two favorite wild teas from Doi Pu Muen: the so-called Drying Dome.
It is the key element in the processes that determine the quality of these teas. The semi-transparent structure uses incoming sunlight to create a controlled microclimate inside. Heat and air circulation are carefully balanced.
Integrated fans support this process. They allow for precise control of temperature and humidity. These conditions are essential, especially for the gentle drying of white tea and Mao Cha.
Along the inner walls of the dome, long tables are arranged. Freshly picked leaves are spread out across their surfaces.
What takes place here is both simple and highly effective. The leaves dry slowly and under controlled conditions. This allows the tea to develop its character in a careful and natural way.
Seen alongside the older processing equipment, the Drying Dome reveals something more. It shows how new approaches have found their place within an existing structure.
✍️ Farewell to Doi Pu Muen
At the end of a day that had been both eventful and demanding, we returned to the Phumanee Lahu Home Hotel.
We spent the evening – as one might expect – over several pots of tea, together with Yok and her husband. We sat in the spacious restaurant and lobby area of the house.
Our conversations returned once more to the teas themselves. But they also turned to the future. We spoke about the possibilities of further developing Ahpa Tea and supporting the village.
It was one of those evenings in which impressions, experiences, and thoughts come together in a special way. An evening that lingers in the memory.
The next morning, it was time to say goodbye. It was a farewell with mixed emotions.
As powerful as this place had been, our journey was not yet over. It led us onward – to Doi Mae Salong, the center of tea cultivation in Northern Thailand.