Teas / green / Ha Giang Shan Tuyet (Snow Mountain Green)

Ha Giang Shan Tuyet (Snow Mountain Green)
🇻🇳 Vietnam

Ha Giang Shan Tuyet (Snow Mountain Green)

pan-fired · ancient-tree

Ha Giang Shan Tuyet ("Snow Mountain") is the canonical Vietnamese ancient-tree green tea — picked by hand from wild and semi-wild Camellia sinensis var. assamica trees in the Hoang Lien Son mountains of northern Vietnam. The buds carry a soft white pekoe fuzz that gives the leaf its "snow" name. Pan-firing in the Vietnamese style produces a thicker-bodied, more mineral cup than the equivalent steam-fixed Japanese material; the cultivar's assamica genetics put it closer in body to Yunnan greens than to Zhejiang or Anhui ones. In 2022, 1,324 ancient Shan Tuyet trees in Ha Giang were officially recognised as Vietnam Heritage Trees.

Quick facts

Region
Ha Giang
Harvest year
2025
Harvest season
spring
Elevation
1500 m
Cultivation
ancient-tree
Cultivars
Shan Tuyet (Snow Mountain)

Brewing

Leaf
4.0 g / 100 ml
Water
85°C
Rinse
no
Gongfu steeps (s)
25, 35, 50, 75, 100
Western (min)
2.5

Tolerates hotter water than typical Chinese delicate greens because of the assamica-type leaf — closer to a Yunnan green in body. Holds 4-5 infusions; the fuzzy buds give the cup a distinctive cloudy bloom.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
forest, sweet hay, faint stone fruit, mineral
Flavor
thick, sweet, mineral, structured
Mouthfeel
thick, oily
Finish
long, sweet, slightly cooling

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