It has added a tea plantation experience at the Araksa Tea Plantation in Chiang Mai, located near Lisu Lodge. One of the oldest tea plantations in Thailand, the land here is ideal for tea planting because of the air, its high elevation, the soil and water quality. Assam tea plants have been grown here for at least 40 years.
Asian Oasis has stopped offering elephant tours after reports surfaced about elephants near its Lisu Lodge in Chiang Mai being overworked and ill-treated.
Said Chananya Phataraprasit, executive director and owner of Asian Oasis, in her blog, “We question the morality of exploiting humble creatures like this in order to please
unsuspecting tourists, and provide an income for their owners.
“We are grateful for the overwhelming positive support we have received from tour operators and tourists. It is true that our action alone will not stop the exploitation, but
we hope it will spark a new way of thinking.”
It certainly has sparked new ideas at the company known for creating unique, authentic experiences with its products such as the Mekhala, Suwan Macha and Lanjia Lodge.
It has added a tea plantation experience at the Araksa Tea Plantation in Chiang Mai, located near Lisu Lodge. One of the oldest tea plantations in Thailand, the land here is ideal for tea planting because of the air, its high elevation, the soil and water quality. Assam tea plants have been grown here for at least 40 years.
The plantation, which was neglected for the last 15 years, was recently taken over by a new owner who has committed to cultivating and producing organic tea.
The new tea plantation tour helps guests understand cultural preservation, sustainable agriculture and healthy living, including a hands-on tea growing experience.
A tea specialist explains the different methods of tea growing process from the beginning. Guests will learn how to choose and pluck tea leaves. This also includes a demonstration of a traditional tea roasting process, practised by tea farmers throughout Asia in ancient
time.
It involves roasting freshly plucked tea leaves in a hot iron wok, and hand kneading them to remove excess water. They are then roasted again in the hot wok. This process is
repeated until the tea leaves are dry and reach the perfect roasting level. As the farmer kneads and roasts the leaves, he will discard low quality leaves and stems, leaving only
the best quality tea leaves.
Roasted Green Tea has about 60% less caffeine than regular green tea. It is ideal for hot and cold drinks. Guests can then sample the hand-roasted green tea in the tea house.