Coming to Yen Son to listen to the scent of tea "telling stories"

For generations, in the heart of the midland of the homeland, Yen Son land (Yen Son commune, Thanh Son district, Phu Tho (old)) has been fragrant with tea. Stretching along the winding hillsides at the foot of Thu Tinh mountain, the lush green tea hills have become a vivid testament to the changes of the land that once had a difficult time and is now growing strongly...

Where the tea hills wake up with the dawn

5am. While the mist was still covering the trail, we followed Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh from Team 2, Mo Hamlet, Yen Son Commune, with a pineapple sack tied around her waist, up the tea hill. Her calloused hands nimbly plucked each young tea shoot in the rustling wind like a whisper of heaven and earth.

Every morning, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh is present in the tea garden early.

“I have been growing tea here for a long time. At least 30-40 years. In the past, tea was grown in a small, scattered manner, but now it is grown in a concentrated manner, systematically following a clean production process from the tea garden to the tea table,” Ms. Anh shared while her hands were still nimbly picking each young tea bud “one bud, two leaves” as if gliding on the keys of a piano.

People in Yen Son have been attached to tea trees for the past 30 - 40 years.

Yen Son has long been known as one of the cradles of the Vietnamese tea industry. Every handful of soil and hill bears the footprints of generations of tea growers. From traditional green tea, the people here have learned how to make scented tea and fermented black tea to meet the increasingly diverse needs of the market.

Comrade Dinh Van Tinh, Vice Chairman of Yen Son Commune People's Committee, said: In Yen Son, tea is the main crop. Due to the mild climate and suitable soil conditions, especially the red-yellow feralit soil on shale, Yen Son tea has its own unique characteristics and quality, always highly appreciated for its quality, creating a reputation for this land.

The young, lush tea buds have created the distinctive flavor as well as the reputation of Yen Son tea.

for many years.

The young, lush tea buds here contain ideal levels of tannins and other compounds, creating a distinctive flavor. When brewed, Yen Son tea gives water a clear yellow-green color, like the color of the morning sun. The tea aroma is gentle, pure, not harsh but faintly seductive. The most special thing is the rich taste of the tea, with a deep sweet aftertaste, spreading in the mouth and lingering forever. This is the result of a harmonious combination of favorable natural conditions and the long-standing farming experience of the Yen Son people.

The hands of Yen Son people deftly pick each young tea bud as if gliding on piano keys.

Land and people are growing day by day

Unlike the hard-working, petty image of the tea industry in the past, Yen Son people now enter the profession with a new mindset: making sustainable, clean and safe tea. From native tea varieties to high-quality hybrid varieties, people are supported with care techniques and practical experience passed down through generations. People have selected, planted and fertilized with biological products, minimizing toxic chemicals. Many households also apply drip irrigation systems, covering the roots to keep them moist in the dry season.

Yen Son people grow tea with new thinking.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chuyen, owner of a tea processing factory in Yen Son commune, said: Making clean tea is not only to sell at a high price, but also to protect one's own health. Previously, tea was mainly sold to wholesalers, but now market demand requires us to produce according to a standard process, with safety certification. If we do not clean it, we will eliminate ourselves from the game.

According to statistics, the entire Yen Son region currently has about 300 hectares of tea. Of which, Yen Son Tea Company has about 218 hectares planted in association with households. The remaining 100 hectares are invested and developed by the people themselves. The entire tea area is concentrated in the Yen Son commune (old) and some hamlets of Tinh Nhue commune (old). Along with that, the entire region has more than a dozen tea production facilities that meet food hygiene and safety standards, many households have participated in the provincial OCOP program. Some pioneering factories apply fluidized bed drying lines, vacuum pressing, and recycled packaging, creating a closed chain from the garden to the cup of tea.

Tea trees contribute to making Yen Son land increasingly prosperous.

For the people in Yen Son area, tea is the main crop, bringing a prosperous life. Through checking and statistics among the tea-growing households, there is currently no poor or near-poor household. Thanks to tea trees, Yen Son land has gradually become prosperous. Many new solid houses have sprung up among the green tea hills as proof of the development and progress of this land.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thu's family in Mo hamlet has about 5 hectares of tea, each harvest yields about 6 tons, with an average price of 4 - 5 thousand VND/kg of fresh tea buds, which has brought in a significant income. Or like Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hop's family has 2 hectares of tea, all year round her family only lives on the tea hill. Because after harvesting one end, the other end of the tea tree has also sprouted green buds...

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hop's family in Mo hamlet has 2 hectares of tea, bringing in a significant source of income.

Despite many challenges, Yen Son people are still steadfast on their journey to grow from tea trees. Tea hills are not only a livelihood, but are day by day turning Yen Son into a livable countryside. Where people are attached to the land and the traditional tea growing profession.

Tea trees are gradually turning Yen Son into a livable countryside.

In the early morning sun, looking at the full loads of tea being carried from the hills to the drying factory, I imagined a future of Yen Son not only fragrant with the scent of tea, but also warm with the faith and vitality of the midland land that is changing every day. There, sitting around a cup of shimmering, cool-smelling tea with simple farmers, we leisurely listened to stories about the land and people that are growing day by day...

Manh Hung

Source: https://baophutho.vn/ve-yen-son-nghe-huong-tra-ke-chuyen-236382.htm