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Vietnam – ancient tea culture and “cradle country” of the tea tree

Vietnam’s Identity as one of the evolutionary “cradle countries” of the tea tree surprisingly is still not common ground in western tea lover circles. Similarly unknown is the fact that – without any exaggeration – some of the world’s best teas come from Vietnam. The country’s ancient tea culture – rooted in the tending of wild tea tree resources through ethnic minorities – had to defy quite some challenges and time and again adopt to new situations.

In particular, the long Vietnam’s colonialization through the French, the communist revolution and the Vietnam War  have left their stamp on the tea cultivation and tea production in Vietnam and influenced them lastingly. You will find more general information about Vietnam’s history as a tea producing country in our relevant article at Siam Tea Blog,

Vietnam Tea – Rebirth of an Ancient Tea Culture

Wild Thuyet Shan tea trees in Ha Giang, Vietnam

In Vietnamese, tea means “Trà”, which – spoken correctly – sounds a lot like “Cha”. Today, besides the maintenance and cultivation of ancient tea tree reserves, tea is also conventionally cultivated. This applies especially to a range of Oolong tea cultivars imported from Taiwan. Nevertheless, when it comes to tea, the ancient tea tree reserves remain the country’s most precious treasure. Particularly sticking out here is the “Thuyet Shan” (“Snow High Mountain”) tea tree variety native to the mountainous central Vietnamese provinces Suoi Giang and Ha Giang.

4 Snow Shan teas from Vietnam – excelling picking and processing standards

Tra Thuyet Shan – Snow Shan Tea

The Vietnamese “Thuyet Shan” tea tree (thuyet = snow, shan = high mountain) is growing up to 15 meters tall. The extraordinary strength of his trunk, tightly covered with moss and mold, the long large leaves and the possibly record-breaking giant buds additionally advocate the idea that the Thuyet Shan could belong among the most ancient tea tree varieties in the world. In the old times, the Vietnamese used to preferably consume tea leaves fresh, i. e. without any “further” processing after picking. Meanwhile, however, the production of green tea, black tea, white tea and a Vietnamese black tea specialty called “Trà Pai Hao” from the leaves of the “Snow High Mountain” tea tree also looks back on a long reaching back tradition.

The variety has its name from the white color of its buds, tightly covered with long white hair. Even after processing the buds and leaves to green tea, these are still well visible in the resulting leaf material. They’ll remain white with green tea, while appearing slightly yellow-colored with Snow Shan black tea and Tra Pai Hao.

Sprouting Thuyet Shan tea tree in spring

‘Bach Shan Tea’, our producer partner in Vietnam, exclusively processes tea leaves and buds from the family’s own tea plantation. The same is located in altitudes of 1400+ meters in Ha Giang province and accommodates quite a proud reserve of 100+ years old Thuyet Shan tea trees. The plantation adheres to biodiverse and health and environment-friendly cultivation principles. This way, the tea trees benefit from the input and the regulating mechanisms of a naturally grown, biodiverse environment. Moreover, the use of pesticides becomes unnecessary.

Seeds on Thuyet Shan tea trees

Ancient Artisan Snow Shan Green Tea – Harvest Time and Picking Standard

Picking standard is only the young buds, each with its the youngest adjacent leaf. The Vietnamese method of processing green tea resembles in principle that of  Chinese green teas. What really sticks out with the picking and processing of Snow Shan teas is less the theoretic framework, but much rather the incredible diligence and passion for detail applied. Whether in China, Japan or India, you’ll rarely find such a consistent picking standard and such fabulously preserved whole leaf. The resulting highly appealing overall aesthetical appearance of leaf material is another effect of that processing excellence.

4 Snow Shan Teas – wet leaves after infusion

Ancient Snow Shan Green Tea – Processing

The processing of Ancient Snow Shan Teas is an artisan process that even today still takes place manually at a large part. After picking, the freshly plucked tea leaves travel to the tea factory. There, after an initial pan roasting round, they are spread on large round bamboo trays. They rest like that for ca. 12 hours in a cool room (glass house) at cool temperatures, good ventilation and exposure to sunlight. The purpose of this process is to reduce both moisture and the content of tannins in the tea leaves.

At the end of this withering phase, the leaves will already exude the characteristic fresh and stimulating natural aroma of Snow Shan Tea. This proverbial olfactory highlight is reminiscent of the original tea flower fragrance. It will remain present up to the first opening of a package of Snow Shan Green Tea at the tea lover’s end of the value chain.

Withering of tea leaves on round bamboo trays

After reaching the desired aroma, the tea leaves receive a roasting at high temperatures in order to stop oxidation processes. In the next step, which is particularly decisive for the final Snow Shan Green tea’s taste, shape and appearance, the leaves go through 3 subsequent rolling cycles. Each of these rolling cycles takes about 15 minutes. To give the rolled tea leaves – now still containing a residual moisture of about 40%, – their final shape, they now undergo another, final roasting cycle. The ensuing end-drying takes place in an air dryer machine. Altogether, the drying cycle must be repeated for 3-5 times, with a break of 3-6 hours after each cycle. The exact number of drying cycles varies from batch to batch, and the tea master will select the drying temperature according to the current humidity conditions.

Taste and Preparation

The taste of Ancient Snow Shan Green Tea’s liquor reflects at 100% the fragrance of the dry leaf material. It’s like a slightly minty spring breeze with a wealth of subtle, smooth floral notes flooding your senses, wiping away even the most persistent shadows.

For preparing Ancient Snow Shan Green Tea, we recommend employing a general standard for Chinese green tea preparation. First, pour 200ml water of a temperature of 70-75°C (let cool down after boiling) over 4g of tea leaves. Then,  let infuse for 2 minutes for a highly delicious first infusion. Several more infusions are possible. In fact, finding then end of this tea’s incredible potential is the harest task…