The fragrant aroma of tea fills all four seasons.

Thai Nguyen is considered the largest tea-producing region in Vietnam, with nearly 24,000 hectares of tea plantations. Thai Nguyen tea, with its subtle aroma reminiscent of roasted rice, its slightly bitter taste on the tongue, and its lingering sweetness, has long been a familiar beverage for tea connoisseurs. More than 20 years ago, Thai Nguyen tea was only produced during spring, summer, and early autumn, but now it is harvested year-round. Each harvest, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, brings its own unique flavor.

People in Thai Nguyen are harvesting tea in the autumn.

Distinctive flavor

For tea connoisseurs, each season brings its own unique flavor profile to Thai Nguyen tea buds. While spring (March and April) offers the first harvest of the year with a flavor reminiscent of budding love—a touch of sweetness, mild astringency, and a hint of richness—summer (May to July) presents an even more captivating taste. Considered the main harvest, when the tea leaves are fully mature in both quality and quantity, summer tea is regarded as the most exquisite of the year, a harmonious blend of sweetness and refreshing freshness.

Autumn tea, harvested from August to October, possesses a unique charm. Thai Nguyen is currently in autumn, the season when the tea plantations are at their most beautiful, with cool, gentle weather and golden sunlight like poured honey.

Unlike the vibrant green of summer, in autumn the leaves turn darker, meaning that the tea buds, when processed, will have a distinctly astringent taste, creating cups of tea with a rich flavor.

Mr. La Anh, a tea lover from Thai Nguyen currently living on Hue Street ( Hanoi ), said: "I've been 'addicted' to Thai Nguyen tea for over 20 years. I've drunk all kinds of tea from spring, summer to autumn and winter, but I still love the feeling of visiting the Thai Nguyen tea region in autumn, in the gentle coolness, with a few close friends, enjoying the scenery and chatting over a hot cup of tea. Enjoying fragrant tea right in the heart of the tea-growing region, I feel that each sip of tea lingers sweetly in my throat, and each conversation shared with friends becomes more intimate and heartfelt…"

In just a few days, the autumn tea harvest will end, making way for the winter tea production cycle. Although it's the slowest harvest time of the year, this crop's tea grows more slowly than previous harvests, but its flavor is subtly sweet and warm.

With limited quantities, winter tea is highly valued for its quality. Along with autumn tea, winter tea is the harvest that serves consumer demand during the Lunar New Year. The value of autumn-winter tea can be one and a half to two times higher than that of the main harvest. Therefore, people in Thai Nguyen invest a great deal of effort in these end-of-year tea crops.

Science and technology have "covered" the tea-growing region.

Using drones to care for tea plants at Hao Dat Tea Cooperative. Photo: Provided.

In Thailand, science and technology have permeated tea-growing regions. This explains why, whether in the dry autumn weather or during the cold, frosty days of winter, the tea buds still awaken, vibrant green and appealing.

Tea growers in Thai Nguyen share that water is a crucial factor determining tea yield and production. In spring, the light drizzle helps the tea plantations sprout and bud, bringing forth tender young shoots. Summer is the time of year with the most abundant rainfall, so the tea plants grow lush and green, yielding high productivity. In autumn, the rain decreases, but the tea plantations do not suffer from drought. Only in winter do the tea plantations need irrigation.

Mr. Pham Van Nhat, one of the long-time tea producers in Tan Cuong, said: "In winter, there is little rain and a lot of cold, while tea plants require high humidity for optimal growth and development. Therefore, most tea growers in Tan Cuong have proactively drilled wells to have a regular water supply for irrigating their tea plants. On dry days, the water brings freshness to the tea plantations. On cold, frosty days, the water dispels the cold, allowing the tea plants to sprout green buds…"

Along with investing in boreholes, people in the Thai tea-growing region have boldly invested in automatic and semi-automatic irrigation systems, which not only reduce labor but also ensure that the tea gardens always receive sufficient water.

Beside his lush green tea plantation, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam from Van Han commune enthusiastically shared: "We installed an automatic rotary valve irrigation system on our tea hills, which is the optimal choice for producing clean tea, using organic fertilizers and biological pesticides. Science and technology are a multi-purpose solution, making tea production increasingly efficient."

Tea plants not only provide a comfortable life for the people of Thai Nguyen but also create beautiful natural landscapes that attract tourists. Photo: Provided

In many places, after the rice harvest, instead of burning the straw and causing environmental pollution, many households collect and store it. When the dry season arrives, the straw is taken out and used to cover the tea plantations to retain moisture and reduce water evaporation. As a result, the tea plantations remain green and lush even during dry and cold days.

Thanks to the application of science and technology, Thai Nguyen has been able to produce tea in all seasons, contributing to increased tea productivity and output year after year. In the first six months alone, Thai Nguyen's tea production reached nearly 150,000 tons of fresh tea leaves, about 10 to 15% higher than the same period last year. Significantly, new tea varieties with high yield and quality have "spread" across the province's tea plantations (currently covering over 80%); the area of ​​tea meeting organic and GAP standards has reached about 5%...

In the process of applying science and technology to production, Thai Nguyen is continuing to expand tea cultivation area, shifting the structure of new and replacement tea varieties with high-yield, high-quality varieties, enhancing product value and food safety. In particular, the province has set a target that by 2030, the area of ​​tea applying GAP and organic standards will account for the majority, at 70%, of the total area. At the same time, it will continue to develop concentrated tea production areas applying advanced techniques and high technology in tea production and processing.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202510/huong-che-thom-ngat-bon-mua-b9c5004/