Take your time with your cup of tea.

Tea drinking is also an art.

Raising a cup of tea, its shimmering surface emitting a gentle wisp of steam, one feels as if they are savoring the lingering taste of the countryside, filled with the fragrant aroma of October rice flakes. For the "poet and scholar" to bring the cup to their face, it's essentially to inhale the accumulated heavenly fragrance before gently sipping the exquisite flavor bestowed by nature upon the land of Thai Nguyen .

No one knows exactly when the enjoyment of tea entered human life. But thanks to tea, many regions around the world have become deeply and distinctly defined in people's minds. That is tea culture. For example, China has the Tea Classic; Japan has the Tea Ceremony; Vietnam has the Tea Style… More than 40 countries and territories around the world have tea plants, a crop that brings many economic benefits to farmers.

In Vietnam, there are also many books about tea, including books on the techniques of growing, caring for, and processing tea, as well as books on the culture of tea appreciation. Especially when friends gather for heartfelt conversations, a pot of Thai Nguyen tea is often used to warm the conversation and keep guests entertained. Thai Nguyen tea has a distinct aroma and flavor compared to teas from Phu Tho, Lam Dong , and Tuyen Quang... It's an aroma and flavor of the harmonious blend of heaven and earth, captivating and enchanting, resulting in a golden hue like honey in the springtime, full of blossoming flowers.

For those drinking tea for the first time, it stirs a feeling of longing, like falling in love with someone, leaving them sleepless all night, lost in vague, inexplicable thoughts. For tea connoisseurs, the sight of a tray displaying earthenware teapots evokes a sense of reluctance to leave. They linger, watching the tea lady's slender hands drop each tea leaf into the teapot, as if hearing the tinkling of bells.

With those same hands filling the teapot, one sees a space filled with the fragrant aroma of a rice field. Then, with a sip of tea, one suddenly awakens, as if a heavy burden has been lifted. The mind is clear, free from dreams and illusions; the soul drifts with the aroma of the tea, and the story of life and the tea unfolds with a sense of grandeur. It feels strange, familiar, and intimately close.

Cau Da tea hill in La Bang commune is an ideal check-in spot.

Regarding tea, agricultural experts argue that the suitable soil conditions for tea cultivation make Thai Nguyen tea products more special compared to other tea-growing regions in the country. However, I believe that besides the good soil and clean water that have made Thai Nguyen tea famous, there is also the diligence and dedication of the tea growers. Furthermore, Thai Nguyen tea embodies a passion, a sense of responsibility—or, more subtly, ethics—a conscientious way of doing business and a sense of responsibility on the part of the farmers.

I'm sure that in Thai Nguyen, tea plants have been intertwined with people's lives for generations, but the real economic benefit and livelihood for farmers came from the time when Mr. Doi Nam and some people from Tan Cuong, carrying their belongings and packed lunches, crossed the forest to Phu Tho to get tea seeds to plant on the alluvial plains along the Cong River. They then established a processing factory, producing Canh Hac tea to sell to people in Hanoi, Hai Phong, and export to France.

For nearly a hundred years, Thai Nguyen tea has been known throughout the country. For almost a hundred years, Thai Nguyen has been honored as the "Number One Famous Tea." It was also from that time that the art of tea, or more accurately, tea culture, began to take shape in the Thai Nguyen region. Life is fleeting; a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. From the small tea plantations of Mr. Doi Nam in the past, today Thai Nguyen is covered with vast stretches of tea plantations.

In the past, tea was just for drinking; today, it's used both as a beverage and an ingredient in food. Currently, there are over 100 unique and delicious specialty dishes made with tea. Initially, there was some skepticism, but after trying a dish made with tea, people are surprised and say: "How delicious and unusual it is!"

"The finest tea of a century." A century has passed, yet the tea plant remains intimately connected to humanity. Each day, raising a cup of fragrant tea, one feels the smooth taste on the lips, the aroma lingering in the throat, and breath freshening, making one feel more confident in friendly conversations. This is what fuels people's yearning for worldly pleasures, their envy of the tea plant that, despite its gnarled roots, continues to flourish with youthful vigor. Each morning, when dew still glistens on the tea buds, picking them to brew fresh tea, or roasting and drying them into dried tea, each brew offers a romantic and invigorating experience.

To put it properly, in the style of the tea-growing people, to achieve that vibrant green color, the subtle bitterness and sweetness contained within the tea buds, and the enchanting aroma of nature that captivates poets and scholars, tea growers must sacrifice a great deal of effort, sweat, and time to cultivate and water the tea leaves before harvest. Then they sit by the stove, roasting the tea with heat, and manually separating the water over a charcoal fire...

The "tea culture" of Thai Nguyen tea region has been built, preserved, and passed down from generation to generation by the local people. Therefore, the tea culture is deeply ingrained in the subconscious and thinking of each individual, constantly reminding them to preserve it and consider it the foundation that sustains the livelihoods of the tea-growing people. Especially in today's market economy, profit is important, but it's not everything for the tea-growing people. Because the "tea culture" doesn't allow people to be careless and produce low-quality tea products to package and sell to tourists.

The tea ceremony is not simply a custom where wives brew tea for their husbands, children brew tea for their fathers, or younger people brew tea for their elders. Rather, a cup of tea is considered an effective means of purifying the soul. Each cup of tea, whether small or large, contains a piece of nature and an intangible cultural beauty, calming the heart and prompting reflection on what should or should not be done – this is the tea ceremony, the culture of the people of Thai Nguyen tea-growing region.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202510/nhan-nha-voi-chen-tra-0c95018/