Free U.S. Shipping On Orders Over $100

Our Teas & Sourcing Approach

AYT Lao Cai Tea Forests

Our Sourcing Approach

Our teas are selected based on these core values (but not limited to):

  1. the tea's exceptional flavor and aroma
  2. preserving traditional tea practices
  3. excellent raw material to start with (ie. fresh tea leaves)
  4. how the tea can add to the narrative of Vietnamese tea and tea culture
  5. the amount of care and skill that goes into harvesting to processing

What's the deal with organic tea?

The term organic is a complicated one in general, particularly in the case of tea. Organic farming doesn't equal delicious tea and delicious tea isn't always made organically. 

Obtaining an organic certification is extremely cost prohibitive for the small producers that make our teas. While we understand the importance of organic farming and a label to reflect that practice, the path to get there isn't so linear for tea.

A majority of our teas are harvested from tea trees growing wild, naturally in biodynamic forests of the northernmost, mountainous regions in Viet Nam. The tree's broad leaves and deep roots give wild teas an added depth not typically found in farm grown teas. These trees are also free from any human intervention other than harvesting and teas are produced using traditional methods, naturally making these teas organic.