Pu Muen Assamica Black

Pu Muen Assamica Black is an organic ‘Cha Doi Dam’ assamica black tea from Pu Muen Mountain in Chiang Mai Province. Large twisted leaves produce a complex yet balanced liquor. The smooth fruity profile has notes of plums and figs with a mineral and savoury edge.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 3-4 minutes

£1.90£6.50

(10-50g)

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Origin:Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Elevation:Doi Pumuen, 1,100m
Cultivar:Camellia sinensis var. assamica
Harvest time:April 2021
Sourcing:Specialist Thai Wholesaler

Description

Pu Muen Assamica Black is a fully organic black tea from Pu Muen Mountain in northern Thailand. It is made from plantation-grown endemic assamica tea plants. This yields a complex tea that has a smooth character full of fruity flavours that are nicely balanced with a more savoury and mineral aftertaste. We also refer to this tea as Cha Doi Dam, which means mountain black tea. This current batch is from April 2021 harvest. We also sell a green version of this tea.

This Pu Muen Assamica Black tea is grown at an altitude of approximately 1,100 metres at Doi Pu Muen, near Fang in Chiang Mai Province. The tea plantation is close to the border with Myanmar and is surrounded by Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park. It was planted by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the 1970’s in order to better the lives of hill tribes by providing and supporting sustainable agriculture. The plantation was created to replace poppy fields that previously sustained many hill tribes in northern Thailand.

Many tea growers in Thailand tend to favour imported Taiwanese cultivars. So it is a little more unusual to see a plantation that instead opted to grow endemic assamica tea plants. This choice results in a tea that is quite a bit different to other plantation-grown Thai teas. The noticeably larger assamica leaves produce a character that is closer to teas from Yunnan Province in China or Assam in India. The tea plants are left to grow semi-wild on this plantation, allowing them to grow into larger trees. The plantation also employs organic methods and has full organic certification.

This Pu Muen Assamica Black tea comes in large, twisted and lightly rolled leaves that are dark in colour, with some lighter silver and gold colours on the tips. It produces an amber liquor with a malty and mineral aroma. The main smooth flavours are definitely fruity with notes of prunes, plums, figs and cherries. The flavours are not overly sweet but also lack in tannins and astringency. The aftertaste makes things even more interesting, providing a savoury edge with some salty notes. The flavours remind us of salted sour plums you can find in countries in Asia!

We suggest brewing at 90°C for 3-4 minutes according to your taste. It can be brewed around 2+ times depending on your taste preferences.

This Pu Muen Assamica Black tea was first featured in our July 2020 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.