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Thaïlande, février 2006, thé oolong, Doi Mae Salong
Thailand, February 2006, oolong tea, Doi Mae Salong

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Photos prises avec un Konica Minolta Dimage A2.
Photos taken with a Konica Minolta Dimage A2.

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Citation - Quote

Il arrive que la photo la plus simple soit la plus difficile à obtenir.
Sometimes the simplest picture are the hardest to get.
Neil Leifer

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About oolong tea and Doi Mae Salong

"Among the more recent Yunnanese Chinese arrivals came in 1961 as refugees from communism. After fighting a futile rear guard action from Burma since 1949, they moved on to Thailand. As soldiers of the defeated Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang, fleeing their homeland into Burma and Thailand was preferable to "liberation" at the hands of Mao's Red Army. Here they settled into two major mountain strongholds, the largest being Doi Mae Salong in Chiang Rai province. In Doi Mae Salong, this "Lost Army" adapted well. They planted fruit trees, such as pear and plum, which flourish in the temperate mountain climate, not unlike their native Yunnan. They also planted tea. Later, with assistance from Taiwanese experts, they continually upgraded their tea gardens with high-quality hybrids that are used to produce what many connoisseurs consider the ultimate in Chinese tea, oolong tea. Oolong means "black dragon" in Chinese. It has a subtle floral aroma, a complex taste, and an agreeable after taste.

A serpentine main road winds through Mae Salong, quite precipitous at times. The Chinese character scrolls around the doorways of the Yunnanese style homes, old men with wispy beards smoking tobacco in immense water pipes and the crisp climate can transport the visitor to a different world. Adding to the uniqueness of the setting, Akha ladies, with their distinctive silver head-dresses and copious jewellery pass through the town on the way to and from their own nearby village. Located up the hill from the mosque (a substantial minority of the local population are Chinese Muslims) lies the granite tomb of General Tuan Shi-wen, who led the KMT 5th army here in 1961. Behind his final resting-place sway pine trees, below spread rows of well cultivated tea shrubs.

Mae Salong prides itself on the cultivation of several hybrid species of Camellia sinensis, the species of tea plant grown in China. These hybrids were developed in Taiwan especially to produce fine quality oolong tea. Oolong refers to a processing technique wherein the tea leaves are only slightly oxidised, placing it between green tea that is not oxidised, and black tea, which is fully oxidised. The creation of a fine oolong tea, however, requires much more than a simple modification of the drying process. The shrubs require intensive cultivation, and the harvest, which occurs about every eight weeks, depending on the season and the weather, must all be done by hand. Only the whole fresh top leaves are collected. The steaming or "withering" the leaves, allowing them to oxidise slightly, rolling them into small balls, and finally drying them completely, is more art than science, and must be overseen by an experienced artisan. Teas of this quality fetch hundreds of dollars per kilo in Taiwan and the west, making the teas of Doi Mae Salong, while not cheap, extremely good value.

The best oolong teas available in Mae Salong are known as Number 12 and Number 17, which refer to the hybrid species imported from Taiwan. Number 17, which is also known as gan awn, meaning soft stem in Thai, is considered preferable by connoisseurs, and has a price to match. Other than Oolongs, several interesting teas are available, including green and a local speciality called cha naam peung (honey tea), which has an interesting fruit like taste."

Excerpt from "The Black Dragon of the Golden Triangle", by Peter Holmshaw, CPAmedia (2001): http://www.cpamedia.com/culture/golden_triangle_tea

 

About oolong tea craftmanship

"The production of delicious oolong tea requires time-honored tradition and outstanding craftsmanship. Tea leaves are picked on the morning of a clear day. They should be picked in units consisting of one bud and three leaves and exposed to the sun. This is the first stage. The second stage is to dry them indoors to promote fermentation. The most crucial part in the production of oolong tea is when to stop fermentation. As oolong tea is fermented to some extent, it is called semi-fermented tea. Experience is required to identify the best time to stop the fermentation, which is when the leaves are 30% red and 70% green. After this, they are rubbed repeatedly to generate good flavor, aroma, and texture. Then they are dried using charcoal. At the final stage, a tea master grades the quality according to the flavor and characteristics of each batch."

Excerpt from "The world of oolong tea": http://www.oolongtea.org/e/welcome/06.html

Read also:
Distinctly Yunnan
Doi Mae Salong in Chiang Rai is tea country,
the legacy of Chinese who found refuge in this distant dale
Bangkok Post, Thursday December 14, 2006
Thanin Weeradet

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1-Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
1 - Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

2 - Plantations de thé oolong (n°12 à gauche et n° 17 à droite) Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
2 - Oolong tea plantations (n° 12 on the left and n° 17 on the right) Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

3- Plantation de thé oolong n° 17 et jarres de sauce de soja, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
3 - Oolong tea plantation (n° 17) and jars of soy sauce, Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

4- Plantation de thé oolong n° 17, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
4 - Oolong tea plantation (n° 17), Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

5- Premier séchage d'une récolte de thé oolong n° 12, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
5 - First drying of the harvest of n°12 oolong tea, Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

6 - Premier séchage d'une récolte de thé oolong n° 12, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
6 - First drying of the harvest of n°12 oolong tea, Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

7 - Plantation de thé oolong n°12, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
7 - Oolong tea plantation (n° 12), Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

8 - Akha récoltant le thé dans une plantation de oolong n°12, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
8 - Akha harvesting tea in an oolong plantation (n° 12), Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

9 - Akha récoltant le thé dans une plantation de oolong n°12, Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai.
9 - Akha harvesting tea in an oolong plantation (n° 12), Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province.

 

 

10 - Thé n°17 de Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai, prêt à infuser.
10 - N°17 oolong tea from Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province, ready to brew.

 

 

11 - Thé n°17 de Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai, prêt à infuser.
11 - N°17 oolong tea from Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province, ready to brew.

 

 

12 - Thé n°17 de Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai, prêt à infuser.
12 - N°17 oolong tea from Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province, ready to brew.

 

 

13 - Thé n°17 de Doi Mae Salong, province de Chiang Rai, prêt à infuser.
13 - N°17 oolong tea from Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai province, ready to brew.

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