Experience the Essence of Shan Tuyet Tea in Ha Giang
One unusual kind cultivated in Ha Giang’s steep terrain is Shan Tuyet tea. Not only do residents love it, but tea drinkers all around have taken notice of it. This MOTOGO Tours article delves into the origins, characteristics of this tea, making it a must-try for anyone visiting Ha Giang.
Overview of Shan Tuyet Tea from Ha Giang
Shan Tuyet sounds like “snow on the mountain.” Often at heights hundreds of meters above sea level, this tea is grown on great mountain tops. Affected by the alpine environment, Shan Tuyet’s delicate blooms feature a thin covering of white, snow-like fluff.
Shan Tuyet tea is primarily grown in elevated terrains such as Bac Kan, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, and Thai Nguyen. Among these, Shan Tuyet from Ha Giang is esteemed for its exceptional quality and exquisite flavor. Currently, Ha Giang’s Shan Tuyet tea has found its way to numerous markets in Europe, Asia, and America.
Considered as a premium drink, this tea is among Ha Giang’s best offerings and a great gift. In 2019, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented Shan Tuyet tea to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as a representation of Vietnam’s culinary heritage during his visit to the country.
With a total cultivation area over 12,000 hectares, Shan Tuyet tea thrives in areas such Lung Phin (Dong Van), Tay Con Linh (Hoang Su Phi), Cao Bo, and Thuong Son (Vi Xuyen). Ha Giang currently has more than 1,600 ancient Shan Tuyet trees, known as Vietnam’s heritage trees, which are vital in maintaining the gene pool of this famous tea variant.
Origin of Shan Tuyet Tea from Ha Giang
Ha Giang’s Shan Tuyet tea is an old varietal with a hundreds of years of background. Nobody can really pinpoint the age or source of this special tea nowadays. Later gathered and used by local people, the Shan Tuyet trees grow mixed among other forest flora.
Shan Tuyet tea also entwines with a Mac dynasty historical story. When Mac Dang Dung, the early 16th-century Mac dynasty founder in Vietnam, first tried this tea, he was much taken by its brilliant yellow colour and unique flavour. Mac Dang Dung told his servants to fetch him a sword and a pot of Shan Tuyet gleaned from the Tay Con Linh highlands as he neared death. As a result, this tea is sometimes lovingly called “Mac tea” in following generations.
The Unique Characteristics of Shan Tuyet Tea
Revered as the “best tea in Vietnam,” Ha Giang Shan Tuyet tea commands some of the highest prices in the market today. To acquire just 1 kilogram of dried Shan Tuyet, you’ll need to shell out at least 600,000 VND. Higher-quality varieties range from 1,500,000 VND to 2,500,000 VND per kilogram, with some exceptional types nearing 4,000,000 VND per kilogram.
The Unique Flavor of Ha Giang Shan Tuyet Tea
Shan Tuyet tea distinguishes itself in that the flavour of the buds gets richer as the tea plants get older. Together with the unusual highland soil and temperature, the ancient Shan Tuyet trees in Ha Giang—some aged between 200 and 700 years—create a really rare taste sensation.
Three basic characteristics of great tea—a fragrant scent, a powerful flavour, and a clear infusion—are covered in Ha Giang Shan Tuyet It smells naturally, distinctively like the mountains of the Northeast. Anyone who has tasted even one drink of this tea will always recall its unassuming, clean taste.
During a tea ceremony at Uncle Ho’s stilt house in 2017 General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong invited General Secretary Xi Jinping of China to savour Ha Giang Shan Tuyet tea. This occasion confirmed even more the remarkable quality and great taste of Ha Giang Shan Tuyet tea.
A “Clean” Tea Grown Naturally
Shan Tuyet tea grows naturally in mountainous areas ranging from 800 to 2,000 meters above sea level without any human intervention or cultivation. Ha Giang tea’s leaves are always safe, clean, free of pesticides, fertilisers, or herbicides.
Local residents just cut the grass around the tea plants so they may grow naturally without extra care or watering. They climb the trees or utilise ladders to choose the freshest tea buds for processing when harvest is time. There are no additions used during preparation; the tea is roasted and dried totally by hand. This tea is therefore considered as a 100% organic, pure, natural product.
Wonderful Health Benefits
Often ranked among Ha Giang’s well-known “miracle drugs,” Shan Tuyet tea is much sought after by visitors to Ha Giang and has several health advantages. Amino acids, antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids abound in this tea in helpful concentrations.
Shan Tuyet tea can greatly lower the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, triglycerides, and cardiovascular diseases. Consuming this tea for 12 weeks can drop LDL/HDL plasma ratios by 17%, cut triglyceride levels by up to 36%, and lower blood sugar levels by 18%, according a study.
Especially in the elderly, this tea also enhances lifetime and slows down ageing process. Children’s cavities can be quite easily avoided by routinely using tea as a mouth rinse. Moreover, skincare aficionados might make a nouraging face mask out of the leftover tea leaves.
What Types of Shan Tuyet Tea Does Ha Giang Offer?
Based on the final result, Shan Tuyet tea—known for its great quality—can be divided into three main varieties: White, Green, and Black tea. Though each variety has different colours and tastes, all three retain the true essence of this tea from Ha Giang.
White Tea
Carefully chosen from the young buds of tea bushes covered with exquisite white hairs and straight leaves is white tea. Early spring is the best time to get White Tea buds of quality. Still, it should be gathered just on dry, sunny days and not during rain or cold mist. This kind of tea is unique and highly prized since of the small harvesting window.
The tea buds naturally dry by wind after harvest to stop oxidation for roughly three to four days, therefore attaining the appropriate moisture content of about 10%. The nutritional value and the natural colour of the tea buds are preserved in part by this natural drying process. White tea brewed has a faint yellow colour that reminds one of diluted honey.
Black Tea
One kilogramme of Shan Tuyet Black Tea costs between 1,800,000 and 2,200,000 VND. One-bud, one-leaf tea buds—with curled brown-red leaves dusted with white flecks—are used to create this type. Its whole fermentation process produces a distinct flavour character.
Shan Tuyet tea buds progressively turn from green to reddish-brown via fermentation, drying, and fried cooking. Eliminating the astringency results in a sweet aftertaste that stays in the tongue. Red Tea is thus rather friendly and inviting to ladies as well as to children.
Green Tea
Usually ranging between 800,000 and 1,200,000 VND per kilogramme, Shan Tuyet Green Tea is more reasonably priced than White and Red Teas. Made from one-bud, two-leaf buds, this tea sometimes shows white flecks on the tips.
Shan Tuyet Green Tea smells like fresh young sticky rice mixed with a little sweet flowery fragrance. For those who appreciate classic tea flavours that strike a mix of astringency and sweetness, its vivid yellow colour and first mild astringency followed by rich sweetness appeal.
The Process of Creating Premium Shan Tuyet Tea
Harvesting Shan Tuyet Tea
There are three to four tea harvesting seasons spread over the year. The first harvest, occurring between late February and April, yields the highest quality buds. The second, from May to June, is when production peaks, and a third harvest may occur in October to November, depending on the weather, with a possible additional harvest in August.
Tea buds are best picked in the morning to ensure maximum freshness. As a result, local people often rise at dawn to head into the mountains for tea harvesting. Typically, they carry bamboo baskets on their backs for collecting tea, facilitating easier movement and collection.
Processing Shan Tuyet Tea
The local ethnic groups still drink tea traditionally nowadays. The tea is laid out to wither after harvesting, therefore lowering moisture content and improving the flexibility of the buds. This reduces the possibility of buds breaking or becoming crushed in next processing phases.
After the harvest, tea must be roasted within six hours. On non-sunny days, heat is used to facilitate the withering process. The tea is placed in iron pans or bamboo tubes over an open flame. This step requires considerable experience to maintain the correct temperature.
The tea advances to the fried and rolling stage once it has wilted and acquired about 10% moisture content. Here the processor softly rolls the leaves to separate them as the tea is evenly stirred in a big pan. Until the leaves are dry and crispy, this fried and rolling cycle is kept constant.
Before being stored, the Shan tea batch is lastly sieved to eliminate any waste. Often placed in bamboo tubes, sealed at both ends, and left on the kitchen shelf for three to five days, a process known as aroma fermentation, helps to improve the scent of the tea. This produces a tea with a stronger and more noticeable aroma, which naturally commands greater money.
Where to Buy Shan Tuyet Tea in Ha Giang?
When it thinks to purchasing this tea, you choose guided tours like Ha Giang Loop Tours. They will provide a few great options that ensure you get the best quality tea while also supporting local communities in Ha Giang.
At Family Homes
Stop by local households to buy tea when visiting significant Shan tea-growing sites in Ha Giang such Tay Con Linh, Ta Phin, and Cao Bo. Most households in these areas make tea, hence Shan Tuyet tea is easily available. Purchasing straight from homes helps to allay worries about low-quality or counterfeit goods as the costs are really modest.
At Shan Tuyet Tea Shops
There are businesses specialised in selling this tea in the centres of districts such Hoang Su Phi, Vi Xuyen, and Dong Van. The most of these are cooperatives; a small number are run privately. Shan Tuyet tea kinds abound here, ranging in price from somewhat cheap to premium. Among credible Shan Tuyet stores are Ha Tuyen, Chiến Hảo, and Hà Chung.
At Local Markets
Convenient locations for reasonably priced Shan Tuyet tea include the Ha Giang local markets. Markets such Hoang Su Phi, Yen Minh, and Meo Vac have Shan tea sold on multiple booths. Still, this tea sold in neighbourhood markets is sometimes wrapped in plastic bags without any particular label. To prevent buying stale tea, one must thus thoroughly review the quality before making a purchase.
Shan Tuyet tea reflects Ha Giang’s rich cultural legacy more than it does merely a drink. Anyone visiting the area should definitely try it for its distinctive taste character, health advantages, and strong customs. Thus, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a cup of this wonderful tea when you discover yourself in the amazing mountains of Ha Giang.
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