Did you know that tea is the second most popular drink after water?
I always wanted to learn about tea, about the way it is harvested and prepared. And Northern Thailand gave me this opportunity.
The origins of tea in Thailand probably go back well over 1000 years, in the far North of the country.
Chiang Mai has one of the best tea areas in the country, so I made some research and I found out about Araksa Tea Garden, which is one of Thailand’s oldest tea plantations.
Due to the height of the farm, the quality of soil and water, the land is ideal for planting tea.
Araksa Tea Garden is one of the fewer ecological and chemical-free tea plantations.
If you want to plan a visit, you have to book one of their tours available mornings and afternoons.
We booked a morning session and we were eager to enjoy the beautiful landscape, to take part in tea harvesting and preparation and of course to enjoy a cup of tea.
We left our hotel in Chiang Mai about 8:00 and we drove for about 1.5 hours for our 10:00 meeting.
We arrived earlier, so we got some time to enjoy the beautiful plantation, the birds and the peaceful scenery. The place was absolutely gorgeous!
Then we were welcomed by Charlie and Bowie who greeted us and made our tour fun and educational.
First, we went to the lush tea plantation and learned how to pluck tea leaves from resident tea pluckers. They explained how to choose the best ones from the shrubs.
Each of us had a basket on our back and a chance to do some harvesting.
We were so bad tea pluckers!
Then we learned about the tea growing process and watched how the leaves are processed by hand in a traditional way.
We learned how black tea, green tea and white tea are made.
Did you know that the three main teas – white, green and black – all come from the same plant? The difference is the number and type of leaves.
When the tea leaves roasting was complete, we enjoyed a cup of tea and delicious Thai snacks.
This was an amazing experience!
If you want to book a tour:
Website: http://www.asian-oasis.com
Email: warungkna@asian-oasis.com
Activity Sessions starts at 10:00 and 14:00 on a joint basis only.
Duration of Activity: Approximately 1.30 hours
The admission fee 550 baht/pers (pick up transfers to the garden and return are not included)
