Ha Giang
Ancient wild-tree Shan Tuyet — thick downy buds with a sweet, mineral, honeyed, distinctly wild cup.
Hà Giang, Vietnam's northernmost province, is the heart of the country's ancient Shan Tuyet ("snow on the mountain") tea. In its cloud-wrapped highlands at 600-1,600m, wild and semi-wild tea trees — many decades to over 300 years old — are tended by Hmong and Dao communities, their young buds thick with the white down that gives the tea its name. Highland Shan Tuyet was recorded being served in royal ceremonies as far back as the 11th-century Ly dynasty.
Grown with big day-night temperature swings and almost no intervention, the leaf is exceptionally rich in polyphenols and L-theanine, giving a sweet, mineral, honeyed cup with a wild character. It is made as green, white and black tea, and Hà Giang Shan Tuyet received a Geographical Indication in 2017 as Vietnam's flagship specialty leaf.
Signature teas
- Shan Tuyet ancient-tree tea (green, black, white)
Tea types produced
Cultivars grown
- Shan Tuyet
Processing focus
Harvest seasons
- Spring (March-April)
- Summer
Flavor signature
Notable producers & areas
- Hoang Su Phi
- Lung Phin
- Dong Van plateau
Brands carrying Ha Giang tea
Brands in our directory that carry tea types this origin produces. Direct-sourcing brands shown first.