PROFILE: HONEY, FLORAL, VANILLA, RIPE GRAINS, NUTS

ORIGIN: MOC CHAU, SON LA, VIETNAM

HARVEST: JULY 2023

Two Sisters is a stunning Gui Fei style 'partially bug bitten' oolong tea made from harvested leaves of the Thanh Tam (Qingxin) cultivar.   The 2023 tea is more floral than fruity and boasts a charming vanilla perfume. The tea liquor has an excellent body with a sweetness that sparkles in the mouth before caressing and warming the throat. You might also pick out the scent of ripened grains and a little nuttiness in this surprisingly complex tea. 

Two Sisters comprise a standard pluck of bud and up to three leaves but contains a high proportion of leaves that have been attacked by Leafhopper insects (or Jassids). The Leafhoppers suck sap from the leaves, rather than actually biting, and in response the leaves release compounds that have an effect on the flavour volatiles produced.   Two Sisters can only be produced during the summer months and is approximately 30% oxidised.

Two Sisters is one of the teas produced on a 33 hectare farm on the rolling Moc Chau plateau at an altitude between 1100 and 1200 metres . The farm employees 65 people and can produce a total of 10 tonnes of finished tea each year. In addition to tea, Moc Chau is also well known for dairy farming and the growing of plums, apricots and various types of flowers, including orchids.