PROFILE: FRESH, HERBAL, MINERALS, RESIDUAL GREENNESS

ORIGIN: Y TY, LAO CAI, VIETNAM

HARVEST: APRIL 2025

The 2025 vintage Forest Genie is beginning its transition from young sheng-style tea with rounded qualities. Elements of youthful grassy greenness remain but most have started to fade allowing the freshness of the tea to stand out. The aroma again evokes the forest but without the obvious dampness of older versions. For such a young tea there is an unexpected sweetness fighting to break free from competing tannic qualities. It’s a fascinating balance. The most prominent flavour notes for now are herbs and minerals which are often the default at this stage of development. It’s going to be interesting to see how this develops in later years.

The origin of this tea is the Y Ty commune of Bat Xat district in Lao Cai. Produced in a close-knit Red Dao community whose families live either side of the Vietnam/ China border, separated by the narrow Lung Po stream.

Wild trees spread deep into the ancient forest in Y Ti at altitudes of 2,000 metres and above. Harvested leaves are collected and taken to the village where they are gently pan-dried, rolled and left in the sun to dry in small batches by an artisan tea-maker.