Scent of Shan Tuyet tea in the cold season

BHG - The coming days of winter seem to gently touch people's hearts with the dry cold and misty mist.

In that weather, the Shan Tuyet tea hills at the foot of the Tay Con Linh mountain range, in Lung Vai Village, Phuong Do Commune (Ha Giang City) stand quietly wearing a dark green coat, hiding many wonders of the earth and sky.

The tea in winter is different from other seasons because the leaves are nurtured under a thick layer of frost by the patient hands of the tea makers. On the high hillsides, ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees stretch out one after another, like soft waves spreading evenly throughout the forest.

The tea leaves in winter are not as plump and green as in spring and summer, however, they are sturdy and imbued with a dark green colour, carrying within them a deeper and more intense flavour. Perhaps because the tea has gone through cold days and endured the harshness of the earth and sky, the tongue of the person enjoying it is left with an unforgettably pure sweet and bitter taste.

In the chilly weather of the morning, the tea buds are still covered with night dew, the sunlight has gradually spread across the tea fields.

The nature of tea plants in winter is usually slower to grow, if the weather is too cold, they can fall into a state of "hibernation". However, it seems that all the dew drops of heaven and earth have accumulated, combined with the dry sunlight, making the taste of the winter tea richer and more fragrant.

The tea in winter is different from other seasons because the leaves are nurtured under a thick layer of frost by the persistent hands of the tea maker.

In the winter, tea pickers must wake up very early, when the sun has not yet risen. Their hands quickly pluck each young tea bud that has just opened; the dew drops still on the leaves gently fall, breaking into small sparkling rays of light in the dawn.

Their calloused but skilful hands seem to be too familiar with the tough winter tea buds, as well as the lingering scent of the night dew.

A cup of winter tea, when sipped, is not only an elegant drink but also a story of the land, the people, and the strong attachment to the homeland's land and sky.

NGUYEN YEM