Thailand Green Tea

At the end of the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party in 1949,  thousands and thousands of KMT soldiers and their families retreated from mainland China to Taiwan while some evacuated  from Yunnan Province to Burma and Northern Thailand, where opium fields dotted the landscape.   Half a century on, commercial tea plantations established by the former Yunnan soldiers and Chinese immigrants have replaced poppy cultivation as the cash crop.

This green tea is made by Choui Fong (Green Peak) Tea Co., in Chiang Rai area of Northern Thailand.   It was produced from the type of tea trees that are usually used for Assam black teas.   Surprisingly, such big and bold leaves brew a pale and plain tea.   The tea's flavor profile is different from that of Chinese or Japanese green teas.  This tea is not for making Thai iced tea, which uses a special blend of spices, black tea and sometimes food coloring.

Thailand Choui Fong

Type:  Green     Producing Country: Thailand   Preparation:  85°C 3 Min

Dry Leaf:  The large twisted olive green leaves have the aromas of stewed fruits and strawberries.
Wet Leaf:  The large leaves are strongly vegetal.
Liquor:      The tea is pale yellow in color.   It is lightly floral, earthy and astringent.  It is unique but not very memorable.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5