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opened to tourism in 1997 and offers a wide
array of exceptional and unspoiled scenic
landscapes. One of the poorest countries in
the world, Laos is attracting many projects
to create infrastructure and to alleviate rural
poverty.
The northern province of Phong-
saly, which shares a border with Yunnan
and Vietnam, owns a real treasure of large
ancient tea tree forests, which are now
starting to be taken care of in cooperation
with some Western companies. Rishi Tea,
based in Milwaukee, Wisc., USA, set up trade
links with a tea village, and Tea Pilgrims
Ltd., located in Moscow, Russia, established
a small but full-fledged tea production on
the Boloven high plateau in 2011.

There is an abundance of fertile land in Thailand—perfect for growing fine Thai Wulong teas.

Thailand: Ample Fertile Land
Thailand, a hereditary monarchy, or Milky Wulong. Some Western importers
which has never been under foreign rule, have also discovered this new premium tea
stretches from the middle of the Indochina source, such as Siam Tee, located in Non-
peninsula down to the Gulf of Thailand and nweiler, Germany, and there is room for
Malaysia. Its northern hills join the golden many others.
triangle, formed together with Myanmar, There is a wide range of mountainous
Laos and China. With a population of 66.7 areas with huge rain forests, which extends
million living on the kingdom’s 514,000km, from Assam, in India to China’s Yunnan
there is abundance of fertile land, with rice province, across the north of Myanmar and
farming the biggest crop. Laos, reaching into northern Thailand and
There are no statistics yet available crossing into northern Vietnam. The tea
for this unusual venture of commercial tea plant settled here a long time ago, and has
The majority of tea in Southeast Asia is grown growing by soldiers: the refugees from Chi- been picked and processed exclusively by
by small holder farmers. ang Kai-Shek’s “lost army,” who could not the local ethnic minorities.
Photo courtesy of Barbara Dufrêne go back to Communist China, were finally With political stability restored,
allowed to settle in northern Thailand in the Southeastern regions of the Asian con-
According to Alexander Zhiryakov, 1971. In order to gain subsistence without tinent– Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and
the founder of Tea Pilgrim, there is consid- further involvement with the opium market, Thailand–are gradually becoming explored
erable potential for high quality teas in this approximately 1,000 remaining soldiers and and made accessible. The teas and herbs
area. The local minorities customarily pick their families decided to start growing fine from such places are fully organic. When
the huge old trees from spring to autumn teas. Assistance was provided to them by processed for demanding palates, these teas
and in addition to this exceptional stock, Chiang Kai-Shek’s government in Taiwan. will rapidly find enthusiastic customers in
new saplings have been planted which start The Taiwan Tea Research Institute offered the West.
to yield good leaf. Zhiryakov estimates the plant material and expertise to the military
Phongsaly province current annual produc- settlers, allowing them to build up a com-
tion volume at around 450 mt, of which pletely new tea area around Doi Mae Salong,
a main share goes to China as “no name” in Thailand’s northern most province of
export sales. It is the high leaf quality and Chiang Rai. The soldiers were gradually
the completely unspoiled environment that joined by locals, and all were given some
prompted his decision to set up his factory financial support beginning in the 1980s.
on the Boloven plateau, to bring in new Per a decision by the Royal Princess, King
manufacturing equipment and a master tea Bhumibol Adulyadej’s mother, with the
maker from Abkhazia. His output in 2014 objective to offer an alternative to poppy
was 8,600kg, partly from old trees and growing.
partly from recent saplings. The forecast Today, the many fine Thai Wulong
for 2015 amounts to 20,000kg. Whilst the teas, which are grown in similar soil, climate
crop is still small, expansion is planned and and altitude as their cousins in Taiwan’s Barbara Dufrêne is the former
trade links with Russia, the USA and Europe central mountain range, are very much Secretary General of the European
have been established, tempting keen tea sought after in China and Taiwan. Amongst Tea Committee and editor of La
lovers to taste these little known fragrant the most renowned the TTES #17, Ruan Zhi Nouvelle Presse du Thé. She may be
and unusual origin teas. or Jade Pearl and the TTES # 12 Jin Xuan, reached at: b-dufrêne@orange.fr.

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