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Tea
Story and Photos by Coffee t&i Thailand

Wawee Tea

Doi Wawee Tea Community

Nestled amidst the mountains of Chiang rai is Wawee Mountain or
Doi Wawee and its charming community with a close relationship with
tea. Tea is common drink in every house in the community, and you’ll
be greeted with “would you like some tea?” every time you visit. For the
people on Doi Wawee, tea is an everyday drink, their income, and their
culture.

The Journey to Quality Tea
Wawee Tea Estate, Chiang rai, is famous for its Oolong tea, but Doi
Wawee doesn’t just produce Oolong tea, it also has the largest Assam tea
plantation area in Thailand. In this edition of CTI, we talked to Wilai-
Pitakwawee, the representative of Doi Wawee tea farmers, about the
story and background of this amazing mountain.
“In the past, the forest was filled with local tea trees villagers grew to
produce fermented tea or Mieng. The community grew larger and Mieng
production became the main profession. Later, Kuomintang soldiers migrated
to this region and brought with them their knowledge in tea. This led to the
production of dry tea or Pu - erh tea,” Wilai explained. As for Doi Wawee’s
famous Oolong tea, it began from the passion of Winich Pitakwawee, the

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