Green

Southeast Asian & Himalayan

A geographically diverse group outside the three major green traditions, united by elevation growing and by offering terroir that the Chinese and Japanese families cannot supply. Vietnam's Shan Tuyet greens come from ancient wild trees in the northern highlands with a mineral wildness absent from lowland-grown styles; Vietnamese lotus-scented green tea is a distinct scented tradition. Nepal's Ilam greens from Himalayan foothills bring a clean brightness that sits close to Darjeeling green in character. These are worth tracking when origin diversity matters more than stylistic range.

teabert, the tealytics teapot, keeper of the kettle

These high-grown greens from Vietnam and Nepal offer terroir the big green traditions cannot, wild-tree minerality and Himalayan brightness, so reach for them when the place is the point. Nobody has built a famous brand on these yet, so for now you pay for the place rather than the name, a rare arrangement in tea and a very pleasant one.

Styles in this family

Shan Tuyet Green (Vietnam)

Shan Tuyet means snow mountain, and the name points to the thick white down on the buds of the old, high-altitude tea trees of northern Vietnam that produce it.…

Thai Nguyen (Tan Cuong)

Tan Cuong is the premier tea commune of Thai Nguyen, the province north of Hanoi that produces Vietnam's most prestigious domestic green tea. This is everyday…

Lotus Green (Scented, Vietnam)

Vietnamese lotus tea (tra sen) is green tea scented with the fragrance of lotus flowers, one of the most labor-intensive and prized teas in Vietnamese culture.…

Nepali Green (Ilam)

Nepali green tea comes mostly from Ilam in the far east of Nepal, a high Himalayan district that shares a ridge and a growing climate with neighboring…

How it's made

The steps overlap in practice; this is a reading order, not a set of separate stages.