| Healthful Teas Grown on a Heavenly Mountain | |||||||||||||||||||||
| UPDATE : 14 January 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
A tea plantation located near the town of Mae Chan in Chiang Rai province is opening its doors to the public, who can now enjoy a refreshing taste during a tour of its charming site and surroundings. Voyage of discovery When Rutjaporn Sri-on returned to the kingdom from the United States a few years ago, she was surprised to find that Thai people had really gotten a taste for flavored green tea. Rutjaporn’s interest led her to conduct some research, during which she discovered the healthful properties found in tea, if consumed naturally and without artificial flavorings. Inspired by the magical qualities of camellia sinensis (the tea plant), Rutjaporn decided to start growing tea on an ideal plot of land at Doi Sawan, which means “ Heavenly Mountain ”. The next step was identifying suitable varieties of tea to match Chiang Rai’s climate, along with a strictly organic farming method. Rutjaporn was able to eventually successfully produce high quality tea leaves, which are packed and now available on sale at a tea shop within the plantation’s grounds.
Unfortunately, Thais don’t seem too keen on “pure” tea, probably since they don’t like the bitter taste of tannin. Rather, they tend to opt for flavored teas, which aren’t as beneficial for your health. Since they owned a huge tract of land in Mae Chan’s rolling terrain, Rutjaporn and her husband decided to promote the consumption of “pure” tea as a way to encourage healthfulness. To do this, they set aside a plot of land on which they would grow “chemical free” tea. During our visit to the plantation’s store, we had the opportunity to sample two varieties of tea – Oolong no 12 and Oolong no 17. While Oolong no 12 is light, fragrant and gentle, Oolong no 17 is stronger, fragrant and has a sweet aftertaste. The store also sells jasmine-scented tea and green tea. Zen-like aspirations Rutjaporn told us the name Cen Tea came about due to its similarity to the sound of the word “Zen”, which reflects purity and simplicity. This reflects the owners’ desire to promote the consumption of pure tea. Rutjaporn explained that she is not looking towards rapid expansion, and she currently operates just the single store. While we have covered the tea and the tea tasting experience at the plantation, some people are keen to see a bit more or spend a bit more time on the site. Fortunately, Rutjaporn and her husband have opened the plantation to those who may be interested in spending the night there. Using a converted farm truck, we headed away from the store uphill along a dirt track. Ahead of us was the majestic Doi Sawan, standing tall in a veil of mist. Gradually the truck reached higher ground until it reached terraces of tea plants.
Rutjaporn explained that the different Oolong varieties (12 and 17) can easily be distinguished from one another by the leaves. Oolong no 12 has broad leaves while no 17 has short and narrow leaves. Next, Rutjaporn gave us a demonstration of how to pick the young leaves. Harvesting is usually carried out during a 45-50-day cycle, she said. The best time for harvesting the crop is during the rainy season since plants produce an abundance of leaves during that time. While the tea plantation only covers about 200 rai, the couple actually own 500 rai of land. The other 300 rai is currently being leased out to other farmers, who have gone on to grow soybean, vegetables and rice. “Tea can’t compete with the popularity of coffee in Thailand these days. You’ll see tons of coffee shops but hardly anywhere selling tea,” she said. Moreover, she said chilled drinks tended to be more popular in Thailand due to its tropical climate. One thing Rutjaporn clearly does feel is important is the purity of the tea from her plants. “To really make the most of drinking tea, you should really drink it in its purest form and avoid artificial flavors,” she said.
For further information or to make a reservation, please call Cen Tea on Tel: +66 (0)89 660 4189. Accommodation options Cen Tea has a three-bedroom house available for rent or for those who love the great outdoors, tents are available on-site. The best time to stay at the plantation is during the months of November to February. Transport connections Air: Thai Airways International, Orient Thai Airlines, and Air Asia fly daily from Bangkok to Chiang Rai. The flight takes about one hour and 15 minutes. Rail: While there is no direct train to Chiang Rai, you can connect via bus from Lampang or Chiang Mai. For information on trains to Lampang or Chiang Mai, contact the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) information hotline on Tel: +66 (0)2 220 4444. Bus: Both air-conditioned and non-aircon buses depart regularly from Bangkok ’s Northern Bus Terminal on Kamphaengphet 2 Road. The trip takes about 11 hours. Car: Drive North on Highway 32 until you reach Nakhon Sawan. Here take Highway 117 until you reach Phitsanulok. Take Highway 11 to Lampang and then Highway 1 up to Chiang Rai. |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Healthful Teas Grown on a Heavenly Mountain
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am thankful to this blog giving unique and helpful knowledge about this topic, I read your blog now share great information here. This blog increse my knowledge source .
ReplyDeleteหลอด ไฟ