PROFILE: GREEN VEGETABLES, CITRUS, SPICE, HERBS, MEDICINAL, EXCELLENT MOUTHFEEL

ORIGIN: SIN CHAI,DIEN BIEN, VIETNAM

HARVEST: MAY 2026

It’s a welcome return in 2026 for Mountain Genie dark tea from Sin Chai commune of Tua Chua district which lies between the Black River and the towering Hoang Lien Son mountain range to the west.

The initial aroma of Mountain Genie is fresh green vegetables. Early brews are pastel yellow in colour offering a crisp, gentle lemon fragrance above sweet and spicy undertones. The mouthfeel is delightful as the tea ripples and flows around the throat. The typical young sheng bitterness is remarkably quiet, especially during the initial steeps. Later brews reveal more of a herby/ medicinal character reminiscent of liquorice or star anise. This is a refreshing, easy to drink tea.

Dien Bien has a unique climate compared to other wild tea areas. A longer, dryer spring season but summers that are much wetter. Combined with a rocky soil it dictates the overall character of the tea.

H’Mong families are the custodians of the wild tea trees that grow in the forests of Sin Chai. It is they who trek into the mountains and gather the leaves for processing. Tea undergoes a short wither, is stirred in the pan for 20 – 30 minutes, hand rolled and left to dry in the sun.