Suoi Giang Ancient Tea

The tea trees of Suối Giàng are not planted in rows. Their trunks are rough and knotted, their bark is thick with moss, and the base of one tree is as wide as an adult can reach around with both arms. Looking at them, a person understands at once what the word heritage means.

One tree here has stood for 300 years. It grew before the French knew of Sa Pa, before any paved road crossed the Hoàng Liên range, and it is still here today. The Nhân Dân newspaper says many trees in this tea region are more than 300 years old.

Suối Giàng lies 1,371 meters above sea level. The area once belonged to a commune of the same name in Yên Bái province. After the reorganization of administrative units, it now belongs to Văn Chấn commune in the new Lào Cai province.

The tea region covers more than 500 hectares. One local newspaper reports that nearly 300 of those hectares are trees that grew on their own, not trees planted to a plan. In all there are more than 40,000 ancient Shan tuyết tea trees. They are between 100 and 300 years old, and they stand mostly in five hamlets. Two are Giàng Cao and Giàng B. Two more are Pang Cáng and Tập Lăng. The fifth is Suối Lóp.

In 2016, the Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment Protection recognized the Suối Giàng tea region with the title Vietnam Heritage Tree. In 2022, Vietnam's Intellectual Property Office issued the official protection certificate for the geographical indication Suối Giàng Shan tuyết Tea. That means Suối Giàng tea is more than a farm product. The law protects its name and its origin.

The name Shan tuyết comes from the buds. On each young bud lies a layer of fine white down, like a light fall of snow. It is what marks this variety out. The geographical indication describes the brewed tea as greenish yellow, the color of honey, with a mild astringency and a sweet aftertaste that lasts after the cup is empty. These are the technical words of the protection file, not advertising.

Shan tuyết tea is not picked the ordinary way. The old trees are tall and broad, so the Hmong pickers must climb into them to reach the buds. On each round, an experienced picker moves quickly along the old branches and takes the young buds without damaging the branch. It is a skill handed down in the community. It is also why production cannot easily be scaled up the way industrial tea can. Each bud of ancient tea comes from three things at once: the age of the tree, the height of the land and the hand of the picker.

At Pang Cáng there is a tea culture space where white tea, yellow tea, green tea and black tea are presented. All four are made from the same Suối Giàng Shan tuyết tea, through different processes. The slow way of warming the pot, pouring the water and offering the tea is part of the culture. Tea here is not something to drink in a hurry.

The ancient tea trees belong to local households. The local authorities and businesses are said to be working together to protect the Shan tuyết genetic stock and grow more of it, so that the young plants of today can become the ancient trees of 300 years from now.

There is nothing grand to see at Suối Giàng. But stand beneath a tea tree 300 years old, with green leaves overhead. Hold a cup of tea made from buds picked by hand from that same tree, and 300 years suddenly feel very near.