Baolam Dalat Top Fancy Oolong

Communications to Vietnam can sometimes be a little complex and so finding the provenance of this excellent quality tea has not been the easiest of processes. However, we have kindly been sent some images of the factory, its workers and management team which we append at the bottom.

This Baolam Dalat Top Fancy Oolong Tea is on a par with any of the fine fancy oolong teas from China or Taiwan. The tightness of the leaf roll and the beautiful colour of the pellets imply the great care that has obviously been taken in this teas plucking and manufacture.

The factory is situated in Lam Dong province and although the factory is at 900m the planted are of this estate extends all the way to 1600 metres. It is located approximately 250km from Ho Chi Minh which is about a 4 or 5 hour drive by car.

The family-owned factory employs many people from the village of Baolam, and the majority of people in the area are Buddhists. It has 60 full-time workers which can expand to as many as 120 depending on the amount of leaf intake that the factory has. As we are sure you know, Vietnam is a former communist country and this means that management and workers share a good relationship. There is no dignity of labour and staff / worker / management all sit and eat together at lunch-time, which is very different to many European countries.

I am delighted to support Baolam Dalat as I love the ethos in their factory and after tasting the initial sample I was sent, had no hesitation in listing it on Northern Tea Merchants website. If you enjoy drinking Tie Guan Yin then this tea will be equally enjoyable to you. I actually took the remains of the sample hoe to enjoy myself and I am drinking a cup of it as I write this description. It is slightly cheaper in price than Tie Guan Yin but in my opinion, slightly better quality.