Awakening Shan Snow Tea

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Thanks to the cool climate year-round and unique soil conditions, Shan Tuyet tea from the Mau Son area boasts a rich flavor, sweet aftertaste, and distinctive aroma. However, the development of Shan Tuyet tea cultivation has not yet lived up to its inherent advantages.

Despite possessing many advantages in terms of natural conditions and distinctive product quality, for many years, Shan Tuyet tea has mainly been grown on a small scale, lacking investment and failing to fully realize its economic value.

Forgotten specialties

With its predominantly hilly terrain, steep slopes, cool climate year-round, high humidity, and frequent fog, the Mau Son mountain area, encompassing the communes of Cong Son, Ba Son, and Mau Son, has favorable conditions for cultivating Shan Tuyet tea. Shan Tuyet tea plants mainly grow naturally in the forests, while some are cultivated and cared for by local people for generations, closely linked to the traditional farming practices of the ethnic communities, especially the Dao people.

Representatives of Thien Son Green, Quality, and Sustainable Cooperative (far right) introduce finished Shan Tuyet tea products and the product packaging process.

According to statistics from the communes, there are currently over 10 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea in the province. Many of these tea trees are 100-300 years old. Shan Tuyet tea trees have large woody trunks, sparsely branched, large, long leaves with evenly serrated edges, and buds covered in fine hairs. They exhibit strong growth and possess great potential for economic value and the development of specialty products. This tea variety grows naturally in high mountainous areas, giving it a distinct flavor compared to many other teas. However, the potential of Shan Tuyet tea in the province has not yet been fully realized. For many years, people have not invested in proper care, mainly harvesting and processing using manual methods on a small scale. The tea products are mostly consumed by families and within the local area, with limited production.

Mr. Hoang Tien Thanh, from Khuoi Cap village, Mau Son commune, shared: "My family has about 300 Shan Tuyet tea trees that were planted nearly 60 years ago. In recent years, due to the lack of buyers, my family has mainly let the trees grow naturally and hasn't focused on investing in their care. During the season, my family only harvests a portion of the tea buds to process manually for family use and hasn't sold them on the market yet."

Similarly, Mr. Dang Tang San, from Khuoi Phieng village, Mau Son commune, said: "My family has about 200 Shan Tuyet tea trees that are over 100 years old. Although we know these trees have economic value, because there are no buyers, my family just lets them grow naturally without harvesting them."

In reality, despite possessing valuable ancient tea plantations with high-quality tea, the exploitation and development of Shan Tuyet tea in the province still faces many difficulties. Currently, most of the tea plants are scattered in the forest, and transportation is difficult, making care, harvesting, and transportation inconvenient. Furthermore, for many years, there have been no traders coming to buy the tea in the communes, and no stable distribution channels have been established. As a result, people have not focused on caring for the tea plants or applying standardized processing procedures, leading to the situation where many Shan Tuyet tea plants are "neglected" and have not brought economic value to the people.

Rediscovering value

Given the current situation where the value of Shan Tuyet tea has not been fully realized, in recent times, relevant agencies and local authorities have implemented many solutions to preserve and develop this specialty tea. These solutions focus on reviewing existing tea cultivation areas and raising public awareness about caring for and protecting Shan Tuyet tea plants.

Mr. Duong Trong Minh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Mau Son commune, said: "In the commune, there are about 5 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea, concentrated in Khuoi Tang, Khuoi Cap, and Bo Pam villages. In the past, people mainly let the trees grow naturally without paying attention to care. To maximize the potential of this specialty crop, the commune's Party committee and government have included the development of Shan Tuyet tea in a resolution to lead and direct implementation; at the same time, they are strengthening propaganda and mobilizing people to preserve and gradually expand the area. In the future, the commune will continue to coordinate with specialized agencies to support people in restoring and caring for the existing tea area; building a raw material area associated with the development of Shan Tuyet tea to become a characteristic product of the locality."

People in Cong Son commune tend to Shan Tuyet tea plants.

In addition to focusing on conservation, some cooperatives in the province have also begun to explore production and experiment with processing Shan Tuyet tea, aiming to purchase raw materials from local people in order to gradually promote the value of the tea plant, improve quality, and market the product.

Mr. Ly Van Cao, Director of Thien Son Green, Quality, and Sustainable Cooperative (Mau Son commune), said: "Through research and investigation, I realized that Shan Tuyet tea is a product with high economic value, while the locality has many favorable conditions for developing this type of tea. Therefore, at the end of 2023, we established a cooperative with 6 members, aiming to produce, process, and develop products from Shan Tuyet tea. We have visited and learned from tea production experiences in provinces such as Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, and Son La . Currently, the cooperative is conducting trial production of some Shan Tuyet tea products and has initially received positive feedback from consumers. In the future, the cooperative will continue to research, invest in machinery, and simultaneously link with households to develop perfected tea products for the market, aiming to build and develop OCOP products."

To gradually conserve and develop Shan Tuyet tea in a sustainable manner, in 2025, the Department of Science and Technology launched the project "Research on the Conservation and Development of Shan Tuyet Tea in Mau Son, Lang Son Province" for the period 2025-2028. The project aims to conserve and develop the Shan Tuyet tea population in Mau Son, while also creating a scientific basis for effectively exploiting the potential of this specialty crop.

Accordingly, the main content of the project is to select superior mother trees for the conservation, exploitation, and development of Mau Son Shan Tuyet tea; to build a model for planting new tea trees; and to research additional technical measures suitable for intensive cultivation and processing of Shan Tuyet tea products. Currently, the department is taking steps to select superior mother trees for the conservation, exploitation, and development of this type of tea; and simultaneously conducting experiments on pruning seasons and application of organic microbial fertilizers, pruning diseased and withered branches, and weed control. Through these experiments, the specialized agency will select the most suitable technical process for the natural conditions in Mau Son to serve as a basis for expanding the planting area in the future.

According to expert assessments, the implementation of this project is of significant importance in the conservation of the valuable genetic resources of Shan Tuyet tea, while also creating a foundation for building concentrated raw material areas and enhancing the economic value for local people. Once the technical procedures are perfected and applied uniformly, Shan Tuyet tea will have better conditions for stable development, improving productivity and quality, and meeting market demands.

Furthermore, the development of Shan Tuyet tea cultivation is expected to be linked to the development of experiential tourism in the Mau Son mountain area. With its centuries-old tea hills and the unique culture of the Dao ethnic group, Shan Tuyet tea is not only an agricultural product but also has the potential to become a distinctive local tourism product.

To unlock the potential of Shan Tuyet tea, a coordinated effort from relevant agencies, local authorities, businesses, cooperatives, and the people is crucial in the coming period. As challenges related to genetic resource conservation, production techniques, processing, and product distribution are gradually addressed, Mau Son Shan Tuyet tea will have the opportunity to establish its brand and become a specialty product that brings sustainable economic value to the people of the mountainous region of Lang Son.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/danh-thuc-tiem-nang-che-shan-tuyet-5092182.html