Grandpa Muen' Tea by Tiara WeShare
A Royal Forest Legacy: The Heritage of Grandpa Muen's Tea
Tea for Peace. A Gift of Health, Friendship & Connection.
Wild-Harvested from Ancient Forests. Power and Peace Within.
Grandpa Muen's Tea is named after Pu Muen ("Grandfather Muen"), a respected Lahu community leader whose vision helped transform the future of his community in the highlands of northern Thailand.
Following the introduction of tea cultivation through a royal initiative of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great (King Rama IX) in 1970, Grandpa Muen encouraged local families to cultivate tea and build sustainable livelihoods. Under his leadership, the community gradually transitioned away from opium cultivation while helping protect the surrounding forests and watershed ecosystems.
Today, the mountain is known as Doi Pu Muen ("Grandpa Muen Mountain"), and the tea continues to honour his legacy of stewardship, community resilience, and care for nature.
From Community Heritage to the World
Grown beneath ancient forest canopies in the highlands of Chiang Mai, Grandpa Muen's Tea reflects generations of community knowledge and sustainable living. Tiara WeShare works alongside the Doi Pu Muen Tea Community Enterprise to share this unique forest tea and its story with wider audiences, creating opportunities that support cultural heritage, sustainable livelihoods, and meaningful cultural exchange.
Our Ethical Commitment & Packaging
Ethical Community Support: We champion ethical and sustainable practices, ensuring that every purchase directly supports the Doi Pu Muen tea community.
Tradition-Inspired Packaging: Our packaging pays tribute to ancestral heritage, featuring designs inspired by the vibrant textures and patterns of traditional Lahu woven textiles.
Community Impact: With every purchase of Grandpa Muen’s Tea by Tiara WeShare, you help support education, nutrition, and community well-being initiatives.
Brewing Guide
Ingredients: 100% Wild-Harvested Assam Black Tea Leaves
Preparation: Steep 1 sachet in 220 ml of hot water for 3 - 5 minutes and enjoy.
Taste and Recognition
Tasting Notes & Character: A smooth, full-bodied black tea with a naturally rich aroma, reflecting the unique character and rich ecosystem of the highland forests of Doi Pu Muen.
Quality & Certification: Recognized as a 5-Star OTOP Product Champion, with official Thai FDA Registration No. 50-2-08158-2-0001. Organic certification renewal is currently underway.
Sustainable Craftsmanship: Crafted responsibly using clean energy and sustainable production and packaging practices.
Global Recognition: Proudly featured as a welcome drink and official gift at APEC, sharing the rich heritage of Thai forest tea with international leaders and delegates.
From Mountain to Your Cup
The Journey of Grandpa Muen's Tea
High in the mountains of Chiang Mai, approximately 1,300 metres above sea level, the Doi Pu Muen community is home to a long-standing tradition of Assam tea cultivation.
A Lahu highland community in Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, Doi Pu Muen is home to approximately 110 households. Tea is an important part of local livelihoods, with knowledge of cultivation, harvesting, and processing closely connected to community life.
Surrounded by highland forests and watershed areas, Doi Pu Muen is a place where tea, nature, and community remain deeply connected.
The Tea Journey
From fresh tea leaves to finished black tea, each stage combines community knowledge, careful processing, and appropriate technology.
1. Harvesting
Fresh Assam tea shoots are carefully harvested from the tea-growing areas of Doi Pu Muen. The journey begins with the leaves and the people who have cared for the tea-growing landscape over generations.
2. Withering
Freshly harvested leaves are brought to the community processing facility and allowed to wither, reducing moisture and preparing the tea for further processing.
3. Rolling
The leaves are rolled to release their natural characteristics and begin the transformation that gives black tea its distinctive qualities.
4. Fermentation
Through controlled fermentation, the tea develops its rich colour, aroma, and flavour.
5. Drying
The tea is carefully dried to complete the process and preserve its quality before packaging.
From Fresh Leaves to Finished Tea
20 kg → 4 kg
Approximately 20 kilograms of fresh tea leaves are required to produce 4 kilograms of finished black tea. This transformation reflects not only the natural reduction in moisture, but also the time, knowledge, labour, and care invested by the community at every stage.
Powered by Clean Energy
To support tea production in its remote highland setting, the Doi Pu Muen community has adopted renewable energy solutions.
The community's processing system combines small-scale hydropower, solar energy, and battery storage. These technologies help provide reliable energy for tea processing while reducing pressure on shared community electricity resources.
From fresh leaves to the finished product, clean energy supports the journey of tea from mountain to your cup.
Community at a Glance
A Lahu highland community in Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, where tea, forests, culture, and community life remain closely connected.
• Location: Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand
• Population: Approximately 250 people across around 110 households
• Elevation: Approximately 1,300 metres above sea level
• Climate: A cool mountain climate with misty mornings and refreshing temperatures, particularly during the cooler months
• Main Livelihoods: Assam tea cultivation, agriculture, and community-based tourism
• Culture: Lahu traditions, music, dance, food, and community knowledge
• Tea Heritage: Assam tea has been part of community life for generations
• Community Enterprise: Tea cultivation, processing, homestays, and cultural experiences
• Clean Energy: Renewable energy supports community tea processing and sustainable development
A Living Heritage
Tea at Doi Pu Muen is more than an agricultural product.
It is part of a living landscape and a community way of life, connecting the mountain, the people, their knowledge, and the products they create.
Since 2021, Tiara WeShare has worked alongside the community to create opportunities, strengthen livelihoods, and support a better quality of life. Today, their tea has travelled beyond the mountain, reaching new audiences across Thailand and around the world.
For the community, seeing their tea shared with the world is a source of pride, hope, and possibility.
Tiara WeShare remains committed to walking alongside the community and supporting its journey into the future.
From the mountain to your cup, every leaf carries a story.
The Stories of Grandpa Muen’s Tea
A Tiara WeShare Story Collection
High in the mountains of Northern Thailand, tea carries more than flavour. Within every leaf are memories of leadership and transformation, generations of community knowledge, and a living relationship between people and the forest.
Through five interconnected stories, discover Doi Pu Muen through the people who shaped the mountain, the tea that sustains community life, and the ideas carrying its living heritage into the future.
This story collection was independently researched and curated by Tiara WeShare, drawing on publicly available Thai-language sources and our firsthand experience working alongside the Doi Pu Muen community.
From the High Mountains of Chiang Mai: Tea, Community and Heritage
Explore the Lahu Culture and Way of Life
Experience the arts, culture, and everyday life of the Doi Pu Muen community, while supporting sustainable products, community-based tourism, and the people who keep these traditions alive.
Support Grandpa Muen's Tea
Bring the taste of wild Assam tea and the story of Doi Pu Muen into your home. Grandpa Muen’s Tea by Tiara WeShare is available at ICONSIAM, Pordee Health Shop, and Thailand Post Mart.
Every cup of Grandpa Muen's Tea carries the story of a community, a landscape, and a living cultural heritage from northern Thailand.
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