Camellia sinensis var. assamica ★★★★☆

Shan Tuyet

Also known as: Snow Shan · Che Shan Tuyet

Ancient high-mountain Vietnamese tea — thick, downy buds with a sweet, mineral, wild character.

Species
var. assamica
Lineage
Heirloom
Country
Vietnam
Year
Traditional
Leaf size
Very-large
Cup quality
4/5

Shan Tuyet ("snow shan") is a large-leaf Vietnamese tea from ancient trees, many of them centuries old, growing wild and semi-wild above 1,200m in the cloud-wrapped mountains of northern Vietnam (Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Son La). Some groves are recognised as Vietnamese heritage trees.

The young leaves and buds are thick and heavily coated in white down — the 'snow' of the name. Grown with huge day-night temperature swings and almost no intervention, the leaf is exceptionally rich in polyphenols, catechins and L-theanine, giving a sweet, mineral, honeyed cup with a distinctly wild character. It is made as green, white and black tea and is Vietnam's flagship specialty leaf.

Heirloom
Traditional cultivar predating modern selection programs.
Lineage data & sources
Founder / landrace population — this descends from regional seed-grown or wild tea rather than two named parents, so no specific parentage is claimed.
Sources: hatvala.com

Teas produced

GreenBlack

Flavor signature

HoneyMineralFloralThickWild

Growing regions

Origins where Shan Tuyet grows

Brands likely carrying Shan Tuyet

Direct-sourcing operations with focus areas that align with this cultivar's typical growing regions.

Related cultivars

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