Suối Giàng is a highland commune in Van Chan district, Yen Bai province, located at an altitude of nearly 1,400m. It is compared to Sa Pa, Tam Dao, and Da Lat due to its fresh and cool climate all year round. When coming to Suoi Giang, visitors will have the opportunity to admire and enjoy the special tea called Shan Tuyet, made from centuries-old tea trees.
Among the ancient Shan tea trees here, the number 003 tea tree, about 500 years old, of Mr. Nguyen Quang Hoang (Suoi Giang commune) is considered the most beautiful tea tree in the region. The tree has a wide canopy and grows evenly.
The layers of moss and soil covering the roots of the trees enhance the ancient beauty of the tea trees. Mr. Sống A Páo – the person in charge of taking care of the 500-year-old Shan tea tree mentioned that the products from this ancient tea tree are priced at about 2.5 million VND/kg for white tea. The lowest price is 350,000 VND/kg for common green tea. Every day, Mr. Pao always checks the tree trunk for pests. In addition, he will remove most of the tea leaves to concentrate nutrients for the buds.
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“Taking care of the trees is not too complicated or laborious because we do not use any chemicals or fertilizers, mainly checking for pests, the rest is up to the natural growth of the trees in this climate,” Mr. Pao shared.
According to Mr. Pao, this tea tree harvests three times a year, with a yield of 10kg of fresh tea each time. When the time for harvesting comes, Mr. Pao erects a scaffolding around the tree to pick the tea leaves, avoiding affecting the tree canopy. “In a year, Shan tea is harvested three times. The older the tea tree, the more precious it is, the more white snow there is, the stronger the medicinal properties. Therefore, when harvesting, it is necessary to gently pick each bud to protect the white snow layer on top,” Mr. Pao said.
Mr. Pao further revealed that after harvesting, the fresh tea leaves will be sorted and processed into various types of tea including white tea, black tea, and green tea… Among them, white tea is the rarest type, made from the “shrimp” tea bud (a single, white snow-colored bud), with an extremely limited quantity. Then comes black tea (1 shrimp, 2 leaves), green tea (1 shrimp, 3 leaves)… the value decreases accordingly.
According to local residents, the Shan tea buds are grayish white, covered with a layer of white powder like snow, which is skillfully processed by the Mông people. To pick the young tea buds, the pickers sometimes have to climb high branches. With the high altitude of Suoi Giang, there is usually no sun in winter, and in the morning of summer, the tea buds are also covered with dew, making it difficult to pick.
The Shan ancient tea plantation area attracts a large number of tourists to admire and take photos. According to statistics, the area of Shan tea in Suoi Giang commune is 393ha, of which the ancient tea trees over 300 years old cover 293ha, and the remaining 100ha are newly planted by local people.
