Bạt Ngàn Tây Côn Lĩnh

Leaving behind the majestic and beautiful Chiêu Lầu Thi peak, we spent over half a day traveling to reach Tây Côn Lĩnh. Guiding us was Phạm Thị Nhung, the director of the Quang Bình tea factory. Despite her youth, Nhung had a deep love for the land of Hà Giang and a passion for wild tea trees. According to Nhung, the Quang Bình tea factory is surveying the precious tea regions and specialties of Hà Giang.

Situated on the upper reaches of the Chảy River, one of the oldest granite mountain ranges in Vietnam, Tây Côn Lĩnh has an age of over 500 million years, witnessing geological changes and human development. With an elevation of 2418m, the summit of Tây Côn Lĩnh is renowned as the roof of Northeast Vietnam. Surrounding the mountain are ancient primeval forests, untouched by human presence in many places.

Tây Côn Lĩnh has long been the habitat of wild tea, particularly in areas with altitudes ranging from 800 to 1000m above sea level. Scientific studies indicate that the snow-like fuzz on tea buds is produced due to harsh weather conditions and the temperature fluctuations between day and night. Tea plants develop this fuzz to enhance photosynthesis, resulting in an increased content of Polyphenols in tea. This group of compounds is characterized by a high concentration of tannins and catechins. Therefore, the tea from this region, known as shan tea, is rich in flavor, sweet, and can be brewed for several weeks.

With high-quality ancient tea trees, the tea buds in this region are usually harvested and immediately processed in the hillside villages nestled along the mountain’s slopes. This meticulous processing ensures that the green tea of Tây Côn Lĩnh maintains its natural and diverse fragrance, enriched by the characteristics of each area and village.

Tham Vè According to the local residents of Tham Vè, the entire village has approximately 200 hectares of wild tea, growing at altitudes between 800 and 1100m, with around 1000 trees scattered across the hills, intermingled with cinnamon and herb gardens, as well as terraced fields of the Dao people.

The ancient tea trees in this area have small leaves, dark green buds slightly tinged with pink, elongated branches, and sturdy, low trunks. The trees are not concentrated in one area but rather spread widely among the forest and other plant species over a large area. This distribution makes harvesting challenging.

For generations, the Dao people have been harvesting these ancient tea trees, using them for daily consumption and increasing their income. Due to human intervention over the years, the tea plants now have low, sprawling branches resembling an outstretched hand. The traditional harvesting methods of the Dao people, without using fertilizers or pesticides, help the tea buds retain their full flavor and quality.

For the locals in this area, the specialty processed from the oldest tea trees is called “chè mây.” The tea trees, spanning centuries, have weathered countless days, welcoming the sun. The aroma of the wind and the mist from the clouds blend into the taste of the tea buds.

Bó Đướt Crossing the undulating mountain ranges through remote and winding roads, we reached the northernmost region of Thượng Sơn commune. Along the way, amidst ancient virgin forests, we observed the silhouette of ancient tea trees. These solitary tea trees, standing side by side for centuries, have created the Thượng Sơn wild tea region.

Thượng Sơn comprises 12 villages, but the tea forests in Bó Đướt and Đán Khao stand out both in quantity and quality.

The Bó Đướt tea forest, growing along the mountain slopes, intertwines with the gray limestone cliffs, featuring small tea leaves and buds, dark green in color. These trees are spaced about 4 to 5 meters apart, with robust trunks, winding branches, and broad, vigorous canopies. The tea forest spreads from the mountaintop to both sides of the slope, extending down to the mountain base.

Although the average altitude is only between 500 and 600m, the Bó Đướt shan snow tea still possesses a unique flavor – a subtle bitterness and a sweet aftertaste, attributed to the less sunny weather and high humidity.

Đán Khao From Bó Đướt, our group traversed on motorcycles, overcoming muddy slopes, to reach Đán Khao. This region hosts tea forests at an altitude of 1500 to 1700m, existing amidst the mountain clouds, filled with the sweet aroma of tea leaves and the delicate fuzz of snow.

By then, the sky had already darkened, and the vehicles slowly ascended consecutive slopes, stretching upwards as if trying to penetrate the thick clouds enveloping them. It was truly a challenging route, crossing numerous waterfalls, day and night cascading down to erode the standing mountain walls; crossing dangerous landslide areas, where the sound of rolling stones from the mountain above sometimes made everyone shudder.

We arrived at Mr. Ngấn’s house, an artisan tea maker of the Cờ Lau ethnic group, over 50 years old, living in seclusion in the Hà Giang mountainous region. From a distance, the fragrance of tea being roasted and steamed emanated from the house nestled amidst the ancient forest. In the small but clean house, under the dim electric light, Mr. Ngấn and his children were crafting the first batches of tea for the night. Amidst the incessant rotation of the tea-roasting machines, Mr. Ngấn, a tall and sturdy man, poured for us

cups of fragrant green tea meticulously made from the spring harvest.

Green tea, indeed, is a distinctive feature of the people in Đán Khao, as well as the Hà Giang tea regions in general. Through the fermentation process, green tea retains the full aroma of the mountain forest in each tea bud. Taking full advantage of the unique flavors originating from the weather and soil around the Tây Côn Lĩnh summit, the tea has a characteristic yellow color, reminiscent of honey, with a refreshing and aromatic sweetness hidden behind a gentle initial bitterness.

Sharing with us, Mr. Ngấn recounted that he had 20 years of experience in tea making. He had previously worked in large tea factories in Hà Giang, owned by Chinese employers. However, due to various disagreements and sometimes being deceived and unpaid by the owners, he quit his job out of frustration. He even considered giving up tea-making altogether.

Nevertheless, his love for tea and his homeland provided him with the motivation to open a small workshop, purchasing tea from the local residents and processing it into high-quality products.

Shan Tuyết Through Mr. Ngấn’s story, we gained further insight into the journey of a delicious cup of tea, where artisans sometimes sacrifice so much passion, endure bitterness and pain, almost reaching the point of giving up their passion. Yet, it is the young tea buds and the flavors of the mountain forest that provide the artisans with the motivation to continue.

In the small house amid the ceaselessly rotating tea-roasting machines and below the vast mountain forest shrouded in darkness, we sipped on carefully crafted tea under the experienced hands