The road to Mong Vang village has been paved with smooth concrete. Along both sides of the road are shaded trees, and the Mong people have opened homestays to welcome guests. Going to Ta Xua, visitors can admire the majestic mountains and also have the opportunity to drink Shan Tuyet tea. In Mong Vang village, Mr. Khu's family is considered the oldest tea-growing household in the commune. Not only does he preserve and protect the ancient tea trees, but 50 years ago, his family planted a whole hill of tea. Now these tea trees are as tall as the roof, bringing in a considerable income.

Preserving the traditional tea roasting profession

Mr. Khu's house is located deep in the Ta Xua valley. From the commune center, you have to go through several kilometers of forest road to reach Mr. Khu's farm. He and his wife live on the farm to grow crops and raise livestock. He also has a tea roasting workshop here. Surrounding the sturdy wooden house is a pine forest. This pine forest is over 30 years old. Now the pine forest is a source of firewood for tea roasting. Several decades ago, Mr. Khu's family knew how to plant forests and tea to green the barren hills. Now the forest has paid his family a worthy reward.

As soon as we entered the farm, we saw Mr. Khu arranging the tea products that had just been roasted. Mr. Khu was a hospitable person. He enthusiastically invited guests into his house, lit the stove, boiled water, and brewed Shan Tuyet tea to serve them. Just looking at the way he washed the dishes and cherished each tea leaf was enough to see how much he valued the products of his homeland. In the middle of the cold winter, sitting by the fire listening to Mr. Khu talk about the ancient tea trees in Ta Xua was really interesting. The fragrant aroma of tea mixed with the scent of the forest made all the fatigue after the long journey in us disappear.

For the past several decades, Mr. Mua A Khu in Mong Vang village, Ta Xua commune, Bac Yen district, Son La province
has worked hard to grow and maintain the profession of drying Shan Tuyet tea. Photo: Nguyen Vinh.

Sipping a cup of famous fragrant tea, Mr. Khu shared that in the past, in the forest of Ta Xua, there were many tea trees tens of meters high, with roots as big as a person's embrace. The elders knew how to pick tea to drink and dry tea. However, in those years, the economy was not yet developed, so tea sales were not as much as they are now. Mr. Khu's father was a famous tea roaster in Ta Xua. Every time the tea season came, his whole family was infused with the fragrant aroma of tea.

Winter comes and Mr. Khu has finished picking the last batch of tea of ​​the year. In the most solemn place of the house, Mr. Khu keeps many tea products there. Each tea package is carefully packaged. Currently, there are only a few kilos that Mr. Khu has not sold out.

Mr. Khu said: "As soon as I dry tea, customers come and buy it all. The selling price is from 1.5 million VND to 2 million VND per kilogram - equivalent to one ton of corn. Every year I dry about 100 kg of dry tea, earning nearly 200 million VND."

Each kilogram of Shan Tuyet tea is sold by Mr. Khu for between 1.5 million and 2 million VND. Photo: Nguyen Vinh.

According to Mr. Khu, Ta Xua is making two types of Shan Tuyet tea called Bach Tra May and Hoang Tra May. To have a pot of delicious and premium Shan Tuyet tea, a very unique processing method is required. For tea roasters, each step requires meticulous attention. The processing method is very special, all types of tea are classified when picked, then dried, dried through heat technology, and then packaged. As for the type of tea pressed into cakes, when picked and brought home, it is also dried and then heated to ripen the tea. During this process, the tea cakes continue to ferment, the tea's internal properties change, and the mineral content in the tea becomes richer. The tea cakes can be stored for decades, similar to Chinese Pu'er tea, the longer they are stored, the more valuable they become. Customers buy them to display, and then drink them gradually without losing their scent, but still have the full aroma, sweetness, and water color.

Shan Tuyet tea hill in the sea of ​​clouds

Mr. Khu's family's tea hill is located about 2km from the farm. It's early winter but the cold has already come, making the tea hill shrouded in mist. From the main road, you have to walk about 200m to reach the ancient tea hill. While walking, Mr. Khu shared that this tea hill was planted by his ancestors 50 years ago. Many trees have roots as big as house pillars, tens of meters high. Harvesting ancient tea trees is extremely hard work. Each day, a person can only pick 6 to 8kg of fresh leaves. Each tea tree is covered with moss and mold, the trunk and branches are bare and appear among the clouds and mountains. In winter, the tea trees also "hibernate", and only in spring do they flourish.

"My family picks tea three times a year. Each time we get about half a ton of fresh tea. Every 6kg of fresh tea will produce 1kg of dry tea," said Mr. Khu.

Ta Xua tea trees grow at an altitude of 1,400m above sea level, living in the middle of the wind and mist, and have a long life span, so the quality of the tea is much more delicious than other regions. Anyone who has ever enjoyed Ta Xua tea will surely not forget the fragrant and sweet taste of mountain tea. For decades of growing tea, Mr. Khu's family only weeded, while the tea trees absorbed nutrients from the high mountains to nourish themselves. Thanks to that, Ta Xua tea is considered clean tea.

For decades, Mr. Khu’s family has cherished this tea hill like a treasure in their home. Every year, the tea hill brings his family a large income. Just like Mr. Khu’s family, tea trees bring a large income to many households here.

"Many other households in Mong Vang village also take good care of the tea hills. This is an advantage that few areas have. Ta Xua also received the good news that its tea products were recognized as OCOP products. Thanks to that, the aroma of Ta Xua tea is spreading further and further," Mr. Khu shared.

Mr. Mua A Khu next to an ancient Shan Tuyet tea tree. Photo: Nguyen Vinh.

Ta Xua commune has about 300 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea trees, of which about 40 hectares are ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees with nearly 3,000 trees concentrated in Be village, aged from 100 to 300 years. The remaining more than 250 hectares of tea under 100 years old are grown in Ta Xua, Mong Vang and Chung Chinh villages.

"Now the commune is mobilizing people in the villages to preserve and take good care of the ancient tea trees. This is a valuable asset that Ta Xua still retains. Besides the ancient tea gardens, many households have planted more tea in neighboring areas. Currently, there are many businesses in the commune interested in Ta Xua ancient tea. They have also invested in processing technology and promoted Ta Xua tea products. This is also an opportunity to help people eliminate hunger, reduce poverty and get rich from tea trees," said Mr. Mua A Ho, Chairman of Ta Xua Commune People's Committee.

According to: trangtraiviet.danviet.vn