Green Tea for Mint Tea: Madina, BOM and Pekoe from Vietnam

In short: For mint tea, sample Goo Farm's Madina first: a tight, gunpowder-style roll loading about 25 tons per 40HC. BOM is the lowest-priced per kilogram (USD 1.00–1.26 FOB Hai Phong) but loads 14 tons; Pekoe suits buyers who want a green leaf and glass.

In a Moroccan home, mint tea is made the same way every afternoon: a spoonful of rolled green tea rinsed with boiling water, a fistful of fresh spearmint, plenty of sugar, and a long pour from a raised pot so that a little foam sits on every glass. Further south, in Nouakchott, Dakar or Bamako, the tea is stronger and darker, boiled on charcoal, poured back and forth between pot and glass until it froths, and served in three rounds. Across this belt of North and West Africa, green tea for mint tea is a daily staple bought by the container, and the people who buy it know exactly what they want. This article explains what that is, which Vietnamese green tea grades to sample, how to test them the way the market brews, and how the container math works out.

What mint tea buyers judge

A tea that tastes fine in a Western teacup can fail completely in a pot of mint tea. Sugar, mint and long brewing hide delicacy and expose weakness. Experienced buyers look at six things:

1. Strength. The tea has to stay a tea after a lot of sugar and a handful of mint. A weak leaf turns into sweet mint water.
2. A clean bitterness. Some bitterness is expected and wanted; it balances the sugar. Harsh, dusty bitterness is not.
3. The look of the leaf. Tightly rolled pellets or neatly twisted leaf, even in size, with few stalks. The leaf is often sold loose or in clear packs, and customers judge it by eye.
4. Little dust. Dust and broken pieces make the glass cloudy and the brew harsh, and they are the first thing a buyer checks at the bottom of the sack.
5. Color and foam. A clear liquor and a light foam on the poured glass are signs of a good tea in many homes.
6. Consistency. Packers in these markets sell under their own brand, and their customers notice a change from one container to the next.

For decades, the reference teas have been Chinese gunpowder, rolled into small pellets, and chunmee, twisted into a curved "eyebrow" shape. Any other origin is judged against them.

Vietnamese green tea for mint tea: grades to sample

Prices are the indicative FOB Hai Phong ranges on our list in October 2026, per kilogram for one 40HC; they are not an offer, and the current figures are on our Vietnam tea prices page.

Madina is the grade in our range that comes closest to gunpowder. Its leaf is rolled tight into firm, compact pieces, and it is the one to sample first if your customers buy pellets.

BOM is made from big, young leaves rolled into loose curls and small balls, more open than gunpowder. It gives a strong, clearly bitter cup at the lowest price per kilogram in the group, which suits markets that brew long and add a lot of sugar. Our BOM green tea guide shows the grade in detail.

Pekoe and OP are whole-leaf alternatives: Pekoe when your customers want green in both the dry leaf and the glass, OP when a yellow liquor is acceptable. OPA, with its larger, more open leaf, suits loose-leaf packs where size sells.

Test green tea for mint tea the way the market brews

Do not judge mint tea grades in a teacup. Make mint tea, side by side, with the tea you buy today as the control.

1. Measure. Use the same weight of each tea in identical pots, about 8 to 12 grams for a pot of 500 to 750 ml, as a typical home recipe would.
2. Rinse. Pour a little boiling water over the leaf, swirl and discard it, as many households do. Note how much color and dust come off in the rinse.
3. Brew. Fill with boiling water and steep for three to five minutes; for a West African style test, boil the pot briefly on the stove instead.
4. Add mint and sugar. Use the same amounts in every pot, and plenty of both.
5. Pour high. Pour into a glass from a height, return it to the pot twice, then serve. Look at the color and the foam.
6. Taste three rounds. Where tea is served in three rounds, the third glass from the same leaf tells you how much strength the tea really has.
7. Open the leaf. Look at the infused leaf: whole leaf or fragments, evenly green or patchy.

A grade that keeps its strength and color through the third round, with a clear liquor and a clean bitterness, is a grade worth a container.

The container math

Mint tea markets are price-sensitive, and many of them are a long sea voyage from Vietnam, so freight weighs heavily on landed cost. Leaf shape decides how many tons fit in a container:

Madina has the highest starting price per kilogram in this group, but its tight roll puts about 25 tons in a 40HC, against 14 tons of BOM or OPA, so it carries the least freight per kilogram. BOM is the cheapest tea per kilogram but the bulkiest. On a long, expensive route, compare the two on landed cost per kilogram at your port, and per glass if you sell to packers who think that way.

Packing for hot, humid routes

Green tea loses color and freshness faster than black tea when it is warm and damp. For long voyages through the tropics we suggest woven PP bags with a PE inner liner, kraft paper sacks with a liner on pallets, or export cartons for whole leaf that must not break; vacuum aluminum bags inside cartons give the longest shelf life. For packers who sell under their own brand, we print bulk bags with your design or fill retail boxes, zip bags and tins. All options are on our packing and loading page.

Where the tea comes from

Our green tea is made in our own factories in Phu Tho and Yen Bai, northern Vietnam: the fresh leaf is heated soon after plucking to stop oxidation, then rolled, dried and sorted into grades. The Yen Bai factory is ISO 22000:2018 certified by Vinacontrol, certificate No. 31905-FSV. Our African markets include Chad, Egypt and Nigeria, and we export to more than 30 countries in all. Recent SGS and Eurofins pesticide residue reports on samples of our dried green tea are published on our website, and SGS or Dai Viet Control inspection and Eurofins tests can be arranged for your own shipment.

For every whole-leaf, broken and fine grade we make, read our guide to Vietnamese green tea grades.

Frequently asked questions

Which green tea is used for Moroccan mint tea? Traditionally Chinese gunpowder green tea, rolled into small pellets. Among our grades, Madina is the closest to gunpowder; BOM and Pekoe are worth sampling for a stronger or greener cup.

Is Madina the same as gunpowder tea? It is a gunpowder-style green tea: whole leaf rolled tightly into firm pieces. Compare it with your current gunpowder in a pot of mint tea before you decide.

Why does leaf shape change the price per container? Tightly rolled leaf packs densely. A 40HC holds about 25 tons of Madina but only about 14 tons of BOM, so freight per kilogram is much lower for Madina.

Which grade should I try first for a strong mint tea? BOM and Madina: BOM for a strong, clearly bitter cup at the lowest price per kilogram, Madina for a full body and the gunpowder look. Test both in your own recipe.

Do you pack mint tea under our brand? Yes. We print bulk bags with your brand and pack retail boxes, zip bags and tins.

What is the minimum order? There is none; the price depends on the quantity. For a full container, we confirm the tons per container for your packing before you order.

Request mint tea samples

Tell us your market, how your customers brew and the tea you buy today, and we will send Madina, BOM and Pekoe samples with specification sheets and a quotation. Contact us, or browse every grade in our green tea range. Our factories produce about 7,000 tons of tea a year, and our team brings more than 40 years of experience in tea.

Sources

• FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea, Current global market situation and emerging issues, 24th Session, 2022: green tea demand and imports in North and West Africa.
• ISO, ISO 11287:2011 Green tea: Definition and basic requirements, confirmed 2021.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam, Vietnamese tea industry establishes a new global standing: Vietnam's green tea output and export markets.
• Vinacontrol CE, certificate lookup for ISO 22000:2018 certificate No. 31905-FSV, accessed October 2026.