In that warm and fragrant smoke imbued with the flavors of the mountains and forests, Nguyen Thanh Kien - owner of the " Farmer's Kien" Tea Shop - diligently works next to the ancient snow rolls of rice paper. The man left the city, choosing to stay with the mist and mountain with the only wish: to keep the fire of the craft of roasting handmade tea undying in the midst of the great storm.
Born and raised in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter, Nguyen Thanh Kien was a student at the National Economics University and then continued to teach. A year standing in the chair made him realize that he was living a very "real" life, but not "real". The cramped city and hasteful people make him feel a lack of breath from the ground and simple things.
He could no longer clearly remember the time he set foot in this mountainous area, only remembering that at that time this place did not have the famous name of Ta Xua paradise as it is now. But as soon as he arrived, between the clouds, the wind and the mountains, he felt a strangely peaceful heart. Not that I chose to stay, but Ta Xua chose me, he still jokingly said.
His chance to come to tea was also very coincidental. Once, when he heard the H'Mong people talk about the ancient snow leopard tea hand-crafted by hand - the tea they call "the tea of the dead" because the artisans who know how to make tea in the ancient way have passed away - Mr. Kien was haunted by that saying.
The Hanoian guy at that time secretly thought that if no one had continued, such a beautiful job would have disappeared. From there, he decided to learn about tea not only through books but also by living with the people, going to the forest to pick tea leaves with the H'Mong people.
Ta Xua has snow tea trees hundreds of years old, making the name of the ancient tea product Ta Xua. Ta Xua has nearly 300 hectares of shan Tuyet tea trees that harvest 350 - 400 tons of fresh shoots per year.
Of which, there are 40 hectares of ancient shan Tuyet tea trees, equivalent to 2,500 - 3,000 trees from 100 - 300 years old. Of which, the cluster of 200 ancient snow leopard trees mainly concentrated in Be village was recognized as a heritage tree in 2019. More than 250 hectares of sweet soup under 100 years old are grown in Ta Xua and Chung Chinh villages.
In the early days, he built his own kitchen, learned to drink tea from the most basic steps and then taught the people. Up to now, many kilns have been lit up in the villages around Ta Xua. Not only to keep his profession, he also helps create livelihoods for ethnic minorities here. For him, reviving the craft of roasting handmade tea is not only about preserving a product, but preserving the pride of a community. When the Mong people could make tea themselves, they saw the value of the land they were living in.
Not only producing tea, Nguyen Thanh Kien also organizes tours and experiential workshops - where visitors can pick, stele, brew and enjoy tea in the sky of Ta Xua.
The appealing, sweet taste, interspersed with a little bit of the smoke of the kitchen is really hard to forget, he said and added that he wrote a blog and made media to tell the story of the craft of roasting handmade tea. Many young people, after participating in the experience of learning about the profession of roasting green tea, told him: "Tra doesn't turn out to be as dry as you think, but has soul".
Just listen to it, I feel all the efforts are worth it.
Looking back on his journey from a university lecturer in the capital to a farmer in the mountainous commune of Son La, Nguyen Thanh Kien saw many changes in himself. He learned to listen not only to people but also to nature, learned to be patient and live more slowly.
If I had taught me about economics before, I would have learned about life here, about what is most familiar and practical, he shared.
Now, he no longer cares about how much he has, but thinks more about what he can keep. For him, keeping the tea star profession is to preserve the warmth of the mountains and forests, keeping old values alive through the hands of young people.
In the midst of the thick fog, the smoke from the " Farmer's Kitchen" tea kitchen is still spreading continuously. That fire not only warms the hearts of tourists but also warms the memories of the locals - where the scent of tea blends in the clouds and the love of the people is harvested through each canopy of trees.
