Welcome to the tea section! - the different kinds and their qualities

Just like with the plant range, it is mainly teas that have unique qualities in one way or another that will be brought into the shop: these teas may come from tea trees that are either several hundred years old, 20 meters tall, or have been cultivated by an ethnic people in the area. Or in other ways have an interesting history. Sometimes all of these.

As you may already know, Trädgårdsdags has a strong connection to tea cultivation in Sweden. Tea in general is an interest that has personally been with me for some time. Perhaps most deeply ingrained in my interests and as part of everyday life after a trip in 2019 to the northern Burmese mountain regions – where one was continuously served tea from a large pot while sitting and reading on a chair out in the fresh mountain air.

While there, I visited the Hmong people in Xieng Khouang who produce tea from wild tea trees on Mount Phou San, the Phu Noi people who have a 400-year-old tea plantation on the vast slopes of Phongsali, and the Yao people who cultivate tea from wild tea trees up to 20 meters tall near the border with China. At each visit, one learned about both their culture and the ancient tea culture. The visits usually consisted of first visiting their magnificent, sometimes deeply hidden in the jungle, tea plantations. Then one would return and sit down together to drink their various teas, harvested from different seasons and years – and of course talk about how we proceed to bring their teas to Sweden. Often there were overnight stays and excursions in their areas the following day. It is worth mentioning that these are not guided tours for the public, but research done independently and communication with the local people that made these experiences possible. The people are often friendly, and although some may be shy, there is always someone open and welcoming to ensure you have a good stay in their village. Hence, there were also some excursions and invitations beyond the teas.

After this rewarding trip in Laos, I went over to northern Thailand to visit the tea plantations there, which consist of a special kind of tea bush with sought-after qualities before it was time for the next destination in another country. The well-known highland Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, known for its vast tea plantations which were started by the British and later expanded by other actors. This area has been on the map for a long time, so it was fun to finally get there. Once there, it was important to visit the most established actors, both with a long history in the mountain area, to decide which supplier produced the best teas. The answer was Cameron Valley Tea, which has a wide range of premium-class teas that both taste very good (& a lot) and have an interesting history. Now in December 2024, we received the first batch of their teas in Sweden and thus became their first distributor outside their own country – I believe their teas can be a hit on the European market!

The teas we have brought in from Laos are so-called Pu'er teas. These are teas produced in the classic Yunnan way where the teas begin a short fermentation before being heated in a large wood-fired pan to slow down the fermentation and then allowed to dry slowly before finally being pressed into compact classic tea cakes. These tea cakes then have the property of improving with time the longer they are stored, developing new, more complete and complex flavors, somewhat like wines. Like wines, aged Pu'er cakes also increase in value over time. Because the tea cakes are in a slowly ongoing fermentation process, which earlier in the process was strongly slowed down by heating in the pan, the teas slowly develop a rounder and more defined taste over time. Generally, the bitterness disappears, and notes such as sweetness and fruitiness become clearer the longer they are stored.

Pu'er tea is often very potent due to its compact form – especially when it comes from ancient trees, which have a broader nutrient profile. This results in Pu'er teas being able to be brewed 10-15 times on the same leaves. The taste usually develops with each brewing, normally the bitterness disappears and other flavors such as sweetness and fruitiness come forward, somewhat like the aging process itself.

The Pu'er teas sold in the shop come partly from a 400-year-old tea plantation managed by the Phu Noi people on the slopes of Phongsali's mountains, and partly from the Yao people's 20-meter-high wild tea trees growing near the border with China. All teas are harvested and produced in the traditional way.

The teas from northern Thailand are top-quality Oolong teas. Oolong is a tea that is partially oxidized, meaning it is allowed to dry slowly in contact with oxygen until it develops the desired taste, color, and aroma. Oolong teas can be oxidized to a degree ranging from 8-85%. Oolong teas are thus a kind of middle ground between green and black tea in terms of oxidation. Oolong teas are usually light and clear in color and have a fresh taste like green tea, but often have a more complex and deep flavor profile formed by the oxidation and heating process the tea has undergone.

Oolong teas are often tightly pressed into small pearls, which intensifies the flavor and when brewed causes the taste to be released slowly. Oolong teas are usually brewed 4-5 times on the same leaves. With each brewing, the taste usually develops, where sweetness and for example floral notes can come forward after a few brews.

The particular oolong tea we sell comes from the northernmost mountain regions of Thailand where a skilled producer with a long history grows a tea variety with unique qualities, which makes the finished teas have a roundness and floral sweetness that is hard to find elsewhere. The tea variety is called Ruan Zhi, also known as Oolong No. 17, and is a variety with extra soft stems developed at a trial station in Taiwan in a project started by the previous Thai king Rama IX. The variety is unique and can only be found growing in northern Thailand's mountain areas, which turned out to be the perfect climate for the variety. Today, five different mountain areas in the northern sphere are involved in tea cultivation thanks to King Rama IX's project. As a supplier for the teas in the shop, I have chosen the producer who shows the greatest skill in classic Taiwanese tea production, is the most established, and simply has the best tasting teas – that is Choui Fong who stands out especially.