How to read THEN tea names

A name such as U2-2014 Cao Bồ may look like a code. Read it in parts and it tells you three things: how the tea was made, the year it entered storage and where the leaves came from.

U tells you about the method

U0 is raw tea, made without pile fermentation. U1, U2 and U3 are ripe teas, with the number indicating the number of pile-fermentation rounds. U2-2014 has had two rounds; U3-1998 has had three.

The U code is not a quality score. On its own, it does not tell you what a tea will taste like or whether you will enjoy it. We describe those qualities separately on each tea’s page.

What the year means

The year in the name is when the finished tea entered storage. In U2-2014, that year is 2014. It is not the harvest year or the age of the tea trees.

If you would like to learn more about a particular batch, ask us for its batch code and how it has been kept.

The place name tells you where the tea comes from

Cao Bồ is the origin in this example. THEN’s teas come from Vietnam’s highland regions, including Cao Bồ (Hà Giang), Bắc Hà (Lào Cai), Tà Xùa (Sơn La) and other tea-growing areas. Check the origin given for the particular tea you choose.

Check the size you will receive

The same tea may be available as a whole cake or already broken into smaller pouches. Each product page states the size, included packaging and corresponding price.

Once you understand the name, you can explore the tea’s flavour and how to brew it.