Gawin x Nari | 02 The Wild Side Of Thai
In the mountains of Northern Thailand, tea trees grow among forests so old that no one remembers how the tea trees got there. After studying tea making in Taiwan, Gawin, a Swedish-Thai tea practitioner, returned to his roots to explore these forests and connect with other tea makers who are reimagining Thai tea: not as a commodity, but as care for the forest and appreciation of tea.
In this session, he shares teas from wild and community-tended gardens, and reflections on what it means to cultivate not only tea, but also how to cultivate a Thai tea culture.
In the mountains of Northern Thailand, tea trees grow quietly among ancient forests. They are so old that no one remembers who planted them, or if anyone ever did. Their leaves were once fermented and chewed as mieng, a traditional snack that offered both flavor and alertness, before their leaves were made into tea.
Returning from Taiwan, where I studied the art of tea making, I set out to explore the forests in Northern Thailand where tea trees grow wild. I met with villagers and local tea makers who have been experimenting with processing methods, prioritizing quality while also preserving the forest that sustains them. These tea makers are in the minority. They cannot race against the mass demand that values quantity over sustainability.
In Thailand, we grow tea, but we don’t quite appreciate it. So, what would it mean to cultivate not only the plant, but also the culture of tea? And how might “Thai tea” make its own mark in the world, beyond the sweet milky versions that people often imagine? In this session, I share teas from wild and community-tended forests in Northern Thailand, alongside reflections on what it means to make tea, ‘Thai’.
FROM THE WILD FOREST OF VIENG PA PAO (Fully hand-processed)
- WHITE TEA ชาขาว
- GREEN TEA ชาเขียว
- BLACK TEA ชาแดง