The road to Mong Vang village has been paved smoothly with concrete. Trees line both sides of the road, and the Mong people have started homestays to welcome tourists. In Ta Xua, visitors can admire the majestic mountain scenery 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 have they preserved and protected the ancient tea trees, but 50 years ago, his family planted an entire hillside of tea plants. Now, these tea plants are as tall as the roofs of houses, providing a considerable income.

Preserving the traditional tea processing craft.

Mr. Khu's house is located deep in the Ta Xua valley. From the commune center, one has to travel several kilometers through the forest to reach Mr. Khu's farm. He and his wife live on the farm to cultivate crops and raise livestock. Their tea processing workshop is also located there. Surrounding the sturdy wooden house is a shady pine forest, over 30 years old. Now, the pine forest provides firewood for the tea processing. Decades ago, Mr. Khu's family learned to plant trees and tea to green the barren hills. Now, the forest has rewarded them handsomely.

Upon arriving at the farm, we saw Mr. Khu rearranging the freshly roasted tea leaves. Mr. Khu was a hospitable man. He warmly invited us into his house, then lit a fire, boiled water, and brewed Shan Tuyet tea for us. Just watching how he washed the dishes and carefully handled each tea leaf showed how much he cherished the products of his homeland. In the bitter cold of winter, sitting by the fire and listening to Mr. Khu talk about the ancient tea trees in Ta Xua was truly delightful. The fragrant aroma of the tea, mingled with the scent of the forest, dispelled all our fatigue from the long journey.

For decades, Mr. Mua A Khu has lived in Mong Vang village, Ta Xua commune, Bac Yen district, Son La province.
They have put a lot of effort into cultivating and preserving the Shan Tuyet tea processing technique. Photo: Nguyen Vinh.

Sipping on a cup of the famous fragrant tea, Mr. Khu shared that in the past, the forests of Ta Xua had many tea trees tens of meters tall, with trunks so thick that it would take a person to hug them. The elders knew how to harvest the tea leaves for drinking and to dry them. However, in those years, the economy wasn't as developed, so tea sales weren't as widespread as they are now. Mr. Khu's father was a renowned tea roaster in Ta Xua. Every tea season, his whole family would be enveloped in the intoxicating aroma of tea.

With the arrival of winter, Mr. Khu has finished harvesting the last batch of tea for the year. In the most prominent place in his house, he keeps many tea products. Each tea package is carefully sealed. Currently, Mr. Khu only has a few kilograms left to sell.

Mr. Khu said: "Wherever I roast the tea, customers come and buy it all. The selling price ranges from 1.5 million to 2 million VND per kilogram – equivalent to one ton of corn. Each year I roast about 100 kg of dried tea, earning nearly 200 million VND."

Mr. Khu sells each kilogram of Shan Tuyet tea for between 1.5 million and 2 million VND. Photo: Nguyen Vinh.

According to Mr. Khu, Ta Xua produces two types of Shan Tuyet tea: White Cloud Tea and Yellow Cloud Tea. To obtain a delicious and high-quality cup of Shan Tuyet tea requires a very unique processing method. For tea makers, each step is meticulously performed. The processing method is very special: after harvesting, the tea leaves are sorted, then dried using heat-drying technology, and then packaged. For tea pressed into cakes, after harvesting, they are also dried and then heated to ripen. During this process, the tea cakes continue to ferment, the tea's internal composition changes, and the mineral content becomes even richer. These tea cakes can be stored for decades, similar to Pu-erh tea from China; the longer they are stored, the more valuable they become. Customers buy them for display and later drink them gradually without losing their aroma, sweetness, and color.

Shan Tuyet tea hills amidst a sea of ​​clouds

Mr. Khu's family tea plantation is located about 2km from the farm. Even though it's only the beginning of winter, the cold has already enveloped the tea hills in mist. It's about a 200m walk from the main road to reach the ancient tea plantation. As they walked, Mr. Khu shared that the tea trees were planted by his ancestors 50 years ago. Many of the trees have trunks as thick as house pillars and are tens of meters tall. Harvesting the ancient tea leaves is incredibly hard work. Each person can only pick 6 to 8kg of fresh leaves per day. Each tea plant is covered in moss, its gnarled trunk and branches standing out against the surrounding clouds and mountains. In winter, the tea plants also "hibernate," only sprouting new leaves in spring.

"My family harvests tea three times a year. Each time we get about half a ton of fresh tea leaves. Six kilograms of fresh tea leaves yield one kilogram of dried tea," Mr. Khu said.

Ta Xua tea plants grow at an altitude of 1400m above sea level, thriving amidst mist and wind, and possessing a long lifespan, resulting in tea of ​​superior quality and aroma compared to other regions. Anyone who has tasted Ta Xua tea once will surely never forget its fragrant and subtly sweet mountain flavor. For decades, Mr. Khu's family has only weeded the tea plants, allowing them to absorb nutrients from the high mountains to nourish themselves. Thanks to this, Ta Xua tea is considered a clean, organic tea.

For decades, Mr. Khu's family has cherished this tea hill as a precious treasure. Every year, the tea hill brings his family a substantial income. Like Mr. Khu's family, tea cultivation provides a significant source of income for many households in the area.

"Many other households in Mong Vang village also take very good care of their tea hills. This is an advantage that few regions have. Ta Xua also received good news that its tea products have been recognized as OCOP products. Thanks to this, 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 approximately 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 trees under 100 years old are planted in Ta Xua, Mong Vang, and Chung Chinh villages.

"Currently, 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, many businesses in the commune are interested in Ta Xua's ancient tea. They have also invested in processing technology and promoted Ta Xua tea products. This is also an opportunity to help people alleviate poverty and get rich from tea cultivation," shared Mr. Mua A Ho, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ta Xua commune.

Source: trangtraiviet.danviet.vn