The Ta oolong tea is the only oolong variety in Vietnam that truly originated from our country. In Vietnamese, ‘ta’ means “our” or “us” which usually used to express anything that has Vietnam origin. And the Ta tea cultivar has been with our people for thousand of years.
Taiwanese tea producers have invested a many of oolong tea plantations in Vietnam since early 1990s. In those days, they also brought some of their newly developed oolong varieties such as Jin Xuan (Golden Tiger Lily), Si Ji Chun (Four Seasons) and Cu Yu (Jade Pearl) into Vietnam and grew those varieties in their plantations. These tea cultivars are developed to have higher production, high insect resistance and more adaptable to new conditions. While the Ta cultivar has lower production and insect resistance, it was soon replaced by the new cultivars even by Vietnamese oolong tea farmers.
Fortunately, the tea hasn’t extinct yet. Our Ta oolong comes from a small garden in Lam Ha, a high land district that has every ideal conditions for growing oolong tea. There are only a few of these gardens left in the region and we do try our best to preserve those. And it’s not all about preserving history, the tea is truly amazing that worth the effort! It has strong rainforest orchid aroma, taste sweet and mellow, and long lasting sweet aftertaste and flavour.