Throughout northern Thailand there are many old, abandoned tea plantations that have been left to grow wild from centuries past. Known locally by the Thais as “Assam tea,” these trees are part of an ancient tea journey that traces its roots back to the 11th and 12th Centuries. It is thought that the Bulang and Dai ethnic peoples were the pioneers of tea in this region and both groups planted tea seeds wherever they migrated. In more modern times, ethnic Han Chinese from Yunnan settled in the region and became stewards of the ancient tea tree forests and plantations. They began to produce tea in Doi Wawee according to Yunnan Pu’er tea practices and traditions. At this time, the village of Doi Wawee is glorified by tea lovers and is known as,  茶房 or “the village of tea.”