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manufactured. Oolong has its own pro-
cessing technique while Assam has another
which yields different aroma and taste.”

Income from the Ground
Wawee Tea isn’t only grown on
the estate. The plantation also buys tea
leaves from local farmers who has a small
plantation and doesn’t have the process-
ing facility. However, the outsourced teas
have to pass the standard of Wawee Tea
which include tea tree care standard as
well. “We help local farmers earn extra
income and help improve the community’s
living standard. Local villagers don’t have
to find jobs in the city and they can live
happily with their families.”

The Pride of Tea Producer
“We are proud to produce quality tea
for consumers. We thank the tea field that
provide us the quality tea which Chinese
merchants come all the way to buy and
take it back to China. We are proud to be
promoting tea culture in Thailand. Tea
is an amazing drink because it has many
health benefits, including cancer prevention
and cholesterol reduction. It’s near impos-
sible to find a local who died from cancer
in Doi Wawee since almost everyone here
drinks tea.” This is the pride that doesn’t
just live in the heart of Wilai, but all tea
farmers in Doi Wawee. They are a small
group of people who wants everyone to
be healthy and spread the charming tea
culture across Thailand and the world.
owner of Wawee Tea Estate. He fell in when grown in different region. Good taste
love with Oolong tea and wanted to grow is also built from good care, temperature,
it in Thailand, but Taiwan still forbade and the sun and wind directions. On the
any export of tea sapling at the time. In other hand, wild tea or Assam tea is natu-
order to get around this, Pinich asked rally grown on Doi Wawee. The tea has
his friend to hide a sapling in his shirt been here for a long time, even before men
pocket and travel to Thailand, and the settled here,” Wilai said.
small sapling in the pocket was the
beginning of the first Oolong tea plan- Attention to Harvesting Detail
tation in Thailand.
Wawee Tea is serious about organic
Earning the title of “the first Oolong tea. Every process from harvesting to
tea plantation in Thailand” wasn’t an easy manufacturing is chemical - free. The
task. Many trial and error experiments harvesting technique for Oolong and
were, with many successes and countless Assam tea is different due to the tea
failures. “It’s a long road to where we are nature. “Soft stem Oolong tea trees are
now. There were a lot of experiments done, grown in a long line for easy harvest while
but we couldn’t get our tea to taste like wild tea or Assam tea trees are tall and
Taiwanese tea, even though we had help require a ladder to harvest. Harvesting
from professors. We cannot copy crops even must be done promptly because tea leaves
if we use the same tree. My dad realized mature very quickly even if you left it for
that the growing condition, the climate, the a day. With this condition, 50 - 60 workers
sun, and the wind are keys to the taste, so he are needed for each harvesting day. Once
tried different tea growing areas and settled the tea is harvested, the leaves are loosely
here. The tea grown here has similar aroma, packed in a sack to prevent the heat from Special Thanks
taste, and colour to Taiwanese tea. It’s clear affecting the tea taste and colour. The tea Wilai Pitakwawee
that the same plant yields different results is then carried to the factory to dry and Wawee Tea
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