Bustling mountain climbing to pick tea in Ma Do

Every spring, people of Xuan Loc commune, Song Cau town ( Phu Yen ) flock to the mountains on Cu Mong peak to pick Ma Do tea.

Ma Do tea is a wild tea variety so the quantity is very limited, exploited seasonally so the price is high - Photo: NGOC CHUNG

This is a type of green tea that grows naturally on mountain peaks 500 - 700m above sea level, on the mountain peaks bordering Phu Yen and Binh Dinh provinces.

Mr. Tu Van Muoi (Xuan Loc commune) said that his family has spent decades climbing mountains to pick Ma Do tea, a wild tea variety that grows naturally on high mountain ranges, so the quantity is not much. On average, a professional tea picker can only pick about 1 - 4 kg of fresh tea per day (4 kg of fresh tea makes 1 kg of dry tea), while an amateur can only pick half.

"The tea is still hibernating now and will only be picked after Tet. Since the quantity picked is not much, when a customer orders, I will collect enough quantity and call back," Mr. Muoi said, adding that the price of dry tea is around 3 million VND/kg but if you want to buy it, you have to order a month in advance.

According to Mr. Muoi, after picking Ma Do tea, the young tea buds will be torn into small pieces, spread out to dry and then crushed and rubbed until the tea buds are crushed, then brewed for 3-4 hours. The tea is dried in the sun until it is ripe and has a fragrant smell. The entire process of drying, roasting, and packaging is done by hand by the family.

The difference of Ma Do tea is that the dry tea leaves are black, when brewed they turn black and then gradually fade to pink. When drinking, the tea has a slightly astringent taste with a sweet aftertaste, and a very distinctive aroma.

Ms. Tran Thi Loan (Long Thanh village, Xuan Loc commune) said that there are very few natural tea trees left, and when the season comes, many people have to climb the mountain all day to compete to pick tea. "I also planted a few tea trees in my garden from the forest, almost two years ago, but when I brought them down here, the trees did not grow as well," Ms. Loan said.

Research on Ma Do tea breeding

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son - Chairman of Xuan Loc Commune People's Committee - said that early spring is the time when Ma Do tea sprouts the most. People who pick Ma Do tea at this time have a good income because it is a natural tea variety harvested seasonally, so the price is always high, up to 3 million VND/kg of dry tea.

"The locality is linking and supporting scientific centers to conduct research and propagate Ma Do tea to produce products with local characteristics," said Mr. Son, adding that because Ma Do tea trees naturally grow in high mountainous areas, conservation work is difficult. However, tea pickers have realized the economic benefits of this tea tree, so they are gradually becoming aware of protecting it to exploit it, not cutting it down like before.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhon-nhip-leo-nui-hai-tra-ma-do-2025012022513042.htm