Anyone know a good place to buy puer tea in Chiang Mai for home use? I'm also interested in buying some of that jasmine tea rolled into tiny balls. Also, japanese tea like genmaicha or gunpowder tea. Thanks for your help.

Oddly enought, there's a really good store for tea at the airport in the domestic wing on the ground floor. I think it's called Choke Jaroen. They do carry the jasmine tea rolled up in balls and the puer tea. I don't think they carry Japanese tea but I'm not sure. It's actually an outlet for one of the premier growers of tea in Mae Salong. But I think they get their puer tea from China.

Sorry but what is puer tea?

a tea drinking friend of mine who lived with us last year, used to go to Warorot Market to the main tea stall (whatever, wherever that is) and get puer tea... he was a highly respected connoisseur of the stuff and he liked what he found there... give it a try...

Puer Tea is explained here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-erh_tea

I would only add that the process can be applied to just about any group of tea leaves... my other pal, noted tea expert David Hoffman,

took some wild Akha tea i brought him (from above Chiang Rai) and made excellent Puer Tea back in California from it.

The people at Tianzi on Kamphaeng Din near the Imperial Mae Ping sell it. Tianzi is macrobiotic and the owners are from China - the food is good n clean and they've got a nice garden setting to dine in. Make a nice trip of it when you go by. Cheers !

Local teas are really hit and miss--mainly miss. I'd suggest ordering from Yunnan Sourcing, (website of the same name) run by Scott Wilson, an ethical dealer who has lived in Yunnan (the source of Puer) for years and really knows his teas. Excellent quality, small quantities available, good pricing, and reasonable shipping from Kunming to CM-- only takes a few days. I've never had it hit with duty at this end.

Thanks for the website. Which of these would you recommend? http://yunnansourcing.com/en/6634494-pu-erh_tea

Thanks for the website. Which of these would you recommend? http://yunnansourcing.com/en/6634494-pu-erh_tea

I'd go with their "house brand" (Yunnan Sourcing on the menu). Scott goes to the independent growers and chooses the best quality and value teas he finds.

Facebook: Pu-erh Chiang Mai

The people at Tianzi on Kamphaeng Din near the Imperial Mae Ping sell it. Tianzi is macrobiotic and the owners are from China - the food is good n clean and they've got a nice garden setting to dine in. Make a nice trip of it when you go by. Cheers !

It's an excellent place to be and to eat good healthy food. But the teas there are expensive, especially the pu-erh teas. Probably means the quality is good though.