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| Cooperative societies in the province have prepared a considerable amount of tea to supply the market during the Tet holiday. |
Don't let tea "lie dormant" during the winter.
In the early 2000s, the area dedicated to winter tea production in Thai Nguyen was extremely modest (approximately 2 to 5% of the total area). At that time, only tea plantations located near rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes had the conditions to grow winter tea.
Local households invested in water pumps and sprinklers to irrigate their tea plants during the cold winter months when rainwater was scarce. Later, many households boldly invested in drilling wells, leading to a wider distribution of winter tea production. However, the area dedicated to winter tea cultivation remains quite modest (only about 8 to 10%).
However, since 2015, thanks to the increased application of science and technology in production and investment in automatic irrigation systems, people in Thai Nguyen have been able to grow winter tea on a large scale.
With 24,000 hectares currently under cultivation, Thai Nguyen province leads the country in both tea acreage and production. Accordingly, the area dedicated to winter tea cultivation accounts for 30 to 40%. In particular, the last two tea harvests of the year (out of a total of eight harvests per year) have become a significant source of income for tea farmers.
Mr. Nguyen Ta, Head of the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, spoke enthusiastically about the winter tea crop. He said: "In the journey to conquer the 'billion-dollar' market, expanding the area of winter tea cultivation is considered one of the positive solutions for Thai Nguyen to rapidly and sustainably increase the value obtained from this key crop."
In fact, the expansion of winter tea cultivation in Thai Nguyen is driven not only by farmers' efforts in investing in infrastructure, machinery, and equipment, and actively mastering science and technology, but also by the ever-growing consumer market.
Mr. Hoang Van Tuan, Director of Phu Do Safe Tea Cooperative in Vo Tranh commune, shared: "The increased consumer demand during Tet (Lunar New Year) has led to a stronger development of winter tea cultivation. In particular, thanks to favorable weather, climate, and investment in cultivation, winter tea is always highly regarded for its quality. This is also a major advantage that allows Thai Nguyen tea to capture a significant market share nationwide during the annual Lunar New Year."
Besides being a refined gift, Thai Nguyen tea is also purchased by many people to entertain friends during Tet (Lunar New Year). On the first day of the new year, over a warm cup of tea, sipping and enjoying the honey-colored, clear green liquid, sweet on the tongue, and slightly astringent in the throat, people can reminisce about beautiful memories of the past and share good plans for the future.
According to our own information, the quantity of finished tea produced during the winter season for sale during the Lunar New Year, although not large, can fetch double or even triple the price of tea from the main season.
Currently, many types of high-quality tea from the province's key tea-growing regions are being sold for 500,000 to 1,000,000 VND per kilogram. Some specialty teas, such as "shrimp bud" tea and "nail tea," as well as teas with 5-star OCOP certification, can sell for up to 2,000,000 VND, or even 5,000,000 VND per kilogram.
This year's winter weather has been quite favorable for tea cultivation, with few days experiencing dangerously cold temperatures (below 10 degrees Celsius). As a result, tea yields are 10 to 20% higher than in previous years.
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| The packaging for Thai Nguyen tea sold during the 2026 Lunar New Year is quite eye-catching. |
Brewing fragrant tea to welcome Tet
In the final days of the year, people in Thai Nguyen are busy preparing batches of delicious tea to supply the market and give as gifts during the 2026 Lunar New Year. Besides the new batches of tea harvested during the winter season, many well-off families have set aside finished tea batches harvested two or three times previously to release onto the market for sale during Tet.
Thai Nguyen tea embodies the essence of color, aroma, flavor, and spirit. Therefore, a good cup of tea should not only have a clear green color, a moderately astringent taste, and a lingering sweetness in the throat, but also carry the fragrant aroma of young rice grains, like the scent of freshly harvested rice.
To produce that distinctive, fragrant tea, farmers toil tirelessly on the tea hills every day, quickly harvesting the tea buds with one bud and two leaves early in the morning, while the air is still damp with dew. Then, baskets of fresh tea buds are brought back, undergoing numerous processes from drying and wilting to roasting, rolling, and flavoring…
According to many tea producers in Thai Nguyen, the aroma-making process is one of the most important steps, greatly determining the quality of the tea product. Mr. Tran Van Thang, owner of Thang Huong Tea Production Facility, Hong Thai 2 hamlet, Tan Cuong commune, shared: "Everyone praises Thai Nguyen tea for its fragrant aroma and rich flavor. However, the pure, rice-like aroma of each cup of tea is thanks to the skillful and experienced hands of those who have persistently dedicated themselves to tea cultivation."
While chatting with us, Mr. Thang quickly brewed a fresh pot of tea. As soon as he added the water, the fragrant aroma of the tea filled the cozy atmosphere. Although I'm not a tea connoisseur or a tea addict, I could still sense the difference in the teas bearing the "Thang Huong" brand.
In the Tan Cuong tea-growing region, Mr. Thang's family not only boldly pioneered organic tea production but also boasts one of the highest standards in the commune for producing tea with a distinctive aroma.
Explaining the process of flavoring tea, Mr. Thang said: "Fragrance-generating tea, also known as 'tea molding,' is the final step in the process of roasting fresh tea leaves into finished dried tea buds. This is a high-temperature roasting process that helps the raw tea buds (the kind of tea not flavored with lotus, jasmine, or chrysanthemum flowers...) to have a fragrant aroma similar to young rice, with glossy, beautiful leaves that have a slightly moldy or ash-gray color. Tea makers often call this flavoring process 'molding' the tea."
The process of infusing tea leaves with fragrance determines the color, taste, and aroma of each pot of tea. Therefore, this step is performed very meticulously by tea makers.
Typically, tea is processed in multiple batches, resulting in inconsistent quality. Therefore, before being sold, the finished tea is put back into a rotating machine for further processing. However, not everyone can achieve a truly fragrant and delicious tea flavor.
Mr. Thang said: "Each person has their own secret to extracting the tea's aroma. The most important thing is knowing how to adjust the temperature appropriately during the aroma extraction process. Therefore, the fire should not be too strong, nor too weak. Experienced tea makers can use their hands to 'feel' the temperature. When the tea leaves slip through their hands, it's time to increase the temperature, but they will decrease it when the leaves fall onto their hands and feel burning hot."
Successful batches of scented tea are those that emit a fragrant aroma reminiscent of young rice grains. At that point, the scenter must quickly remove the tea from the oven and prepare the necessary tools and manpower to package the tea, which has now acquired this captivating fragrance.
This shows that each pot of tea not only carries the flavor and color but also the warm, sincere feelings and the hard work and perseverance of the people of Thai Nguyen. Hopefully, with each Tet holiday, the people of Thai Nguyen will not only produce tea with perfect flavor but also earn a lot of money and enjoy an increasingly prosperous life.
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202602/che-tet-len-huong-c020ff2/
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