OVERVIEW
WHAT IT TEACHES
- Old forest tea is rare. Its value comes from its story and its quality, not from volume.
- Our tea comes from wild Assam trees, about 10 to 50 years old, growing under the forest canopy at our coffee farm in Doi Saket.
- White, green and black tea all come from the same plant. The difference is how the leaf is processed.
- Our black tea is finished within 48 hours of picking, in a processing room we built on the farm in 2019.
- As a general rule, 4 to 5 kg of fresh leaf makes 1 kg of finished tea.
- Our forest trees almost certainly belong to northern Thailand's miang tradition of fermented, chewed tea leaf.
STEP I
GROW
In a tropical climate, with problems and fixes recorded season by season.
STEP II
PROCESS
In a tropical climate, with problems and fixes recorded season by season.
STEP III
MAKE
In a tropical climate, with problems and fixes recorded season by season.
STEP IV
PACKAGE & PRICE
In a tropical climate, with problems and fixes recorded season by season.
STEP V
SELL
In a tropical climate, with problems and fixes recorded season by season.
ALL VOLUMES
THE FOUNDATION SERIES
Practical handbooks written from our own records, including what worked, what failed and what each step is worth. Published in Thai and English, and revised after every season.
VOL. 1
TROPICAL VITICULTURE
การปลูกองุ่นเขตร้อน
Coming soon
VOL. 2
CACAO & CHOCOLATE
โกโก้และช็อกโกแลต
Coming soon
VOL. 3
COFFEE
กาแฟ
Coming soon
VOL. 4
TEA
ชา
Coming soon
VOL. 5
CURED
MEATS
เนื้อแปรรูป
Coming soon
VOL. 6
CHEESE
ชีส
Coming soon
VOL. 7
ICE CREAM & YOGURT
ไอศกรีมและโยเกิร์ต
Coming soon
Our handbooks are for learning. You are welcome to use their methods on your own farm. Please credit the Skugga Mae On Agricultural Learning Center when you quote or share them.
INSIDE THE HANDBOOK
CONTENTS
COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the difference between white, green and black tea?
They come from the same plant. White tea is the young bud, barely processed. Green tea is heated soon after picking to stop it changing. Black tea is rolled and left to oxidise before drying.
What is miang?
Miang is fermented tea leaf that is chewed rather than drunk, a northern Thai tradition. Mae Kampong in Mae On was settled by miang farmers from Doi Saket.
How should I brew Skugga tea?
Most leaf teas: water at 80°C for 3 minutes. Blends with roots or bark: 100°C for 5 minutes.
How much fresh leaf makes 1 kg of tea?
About 4 to 5 kg of fresh leaf, as a general rule. We are measuring our own ratio batch by batch.
Can I use these methods on my own farm?
Yes. Our handbooks are for learning. Please credit the Skugga Mae On Agricultural Learning Center when you quote or share them.
- Foundations. Why tea, and how it fits the Skugga model.
- The raw material. The Assam tea plant and its leaf.
- Where it comes from. Forest tea at Doi Saket and the miang tradition.
- The process. Withering, fixing, rolling and drying for each tea.
- Protecting quality. Sorting, storage and records.
- The finished product. Our teas, blends and how to brew them.
- From farm to market. Packing, pricing and selling.
- Operations. The processing room and its machines.
- The research agenda. What we are testing next.
WHAT WE'RE TESTING NEXT
Count and map our forest tea trees
Measure yield and the fresh-to-finished leaf ratio
Keep a process record for every batch
Write down exactly how our Silver Needle is made
Trial an oolong-style tea from our leaf
Work out the value ladder for tea
Develop estate blends from what grows on the farm
Record older people's memories of miang on our land
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION