Ancient Green Tea

What is Ta Xua ancient tea?

Ta Xua ancient tea  is made from buds and leaves of hundreds of years old Shan Tuyet tea trees in the Ta Xua mountains – Son La. The tea is handcrafted by the H’Mong ethnic people. The way to make tea mainly depends on the experience of each family. The tea is still mainly roasted by hand on a cast iron pan, with firewood. Therefore, the tea has a very characteristic light smoky smell.

Ta Xua is a high mountainous area, covered with clouds all year round, with a large temperature difference between day and night. This contributes to creating a very high quality tea, with the characteristic flavor of the Northwest mountains and forests.

The Taste of Ancient Tea

Ta Xua Ancient Tea has a very unique aroma, with a hint of smoke and a hint of the flavor of the highlands. When brewed, Ta Xua Ancient Tea has a golden color like honey. Looking at the surface of the tea in the tea cup, you can easily see the tea clinging to the edge of the cup. The water surface is shimmering and golden.

Ta Xua Ancient Tea has a very distinctive bitter taste when drunk, but the sweet aftertaste comes very quickly, and stays in the mouth all day long afterwards.

10 health benefits of Ancient Tea

Ancient Tea is considered a type of “clean tea” due to the very limited care conditions of the highland ethnic people. They are harvested from tea trees hundreds of years old, with good quality and very rich in nutrients. Therefore, this type of tea is very good for health.

Below are 10 effects of Ta Xua ancient tea that many people talk about:

1. Increase metabolism, help lose weight
2. Lower Cholesterol
3. Increased alertness
4. Protect the digestive tract
5. Make hair strong
6. Improve skin condition
7. Stabilize blood sugar
8. Prevent tooth decay
9. Prevent osteoporosis and strengthen bones
10. Boost immune system

How to make Ta Xua ancient tea

3 simple steps to make delicious Ancient Tea at home

Ta Xua Ancient Tea is tea buds harvested from ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, the tea buds are large and firm. So when brewing, use water with a temperature of about 90 – 95 degrees so that the tea can expand.

Step 1 : Heat the teapot: rinse the entire teapot with boiling water, then pour it away.

Step 2 : Wake up the tea

• Put tea in teapot. The amount of tea is about 5-8g.
• Pour water until it covers the tea and then pour it out immediately. At this point you should smell the aroma of the tea, it will be very surprising.

Step 3 : Make tea

• Pour hot water about 90 degrees into the teapot. The amount of water is about 150-200ml.
• Steep the tea for about 20-25 seconds, then pour all the tea in the pot into the teapot or cups. After pouring all the tea in the pot, open the lid to let the tea leaves cool down. When you want to drink the next time, continue to add more water to the pot.
• Now it’s time for some tea.

Let’s watch the video on how to make Ta Xua ancient tea from Tra Viet.

Video tutorial on how to make Ta Xua Ancient Tree Tea by Tra Viet

Some “tips” to make Ta Xua Ancient Tea more delicious

• Add more tea if you want it stronger, but don’t steep it longer.
• When making tea, if you want the tea to be clear and beautiful, you should pour water into the pot very gently, avoiding stirring the tea leaves in the pot. When pouring tea, you should also pour gently, the tea will be very clear and beautiful.
• To easily observe and control the quality of tea, you should brew ancient tea in  a glass  or  ceramic teapot. These are two materials that truly reflect the quality of tea, are easy to clean, and do not retain odors. They can be used to brew many different types of tea.

How to preserve delicious Ancient Tea for longer

Ancient Tea is a product that is very sensitive to air and easily loses its smell and taste when not stored properly. You should pay attention to the following instructions to best preserve the tea:

• If not used immediately, you can store the tea in the freezer while it is still in a vacuum bag.
• Once opened, it is best used within 15 days.
• After each use, close or tie the bag tightly to prevent odors and air from entering.
• Avoid direct sunlight.
• Avoid storing tea in damp places or near strong odors.

Interesting information about Ancient Tea that not everyone knows

In Vietnam, ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees are distributed in many areas. Each area creates very unique qualities for the tea. Let’s find out what interesting features ancient tea in Ta Xua – Son La has.

Raw material area from Ta Xua mountain area – Son La province

Tra Viet’s Ancient Tree Tea is produced in  Ta Xua Commune  – Bac Yen District – Son La Province, where clouds cover the whole year round. For generations, the H’Mong ethnic minority people have harvested and processed tea from natural tea trees that grow in forests, hundreds of years old.

In the whole Son La province, Ta Xua is known as the place with the best ancient tea. That is also the reason why many people use the name “Ta Xua” to name the ancient tea produced from this land.

Characteristics of Ta Xua ancient tea

Ta Xua ancient tea looks spongy on the outside, but the tea leaves are not firm. The tea fibers are larger and a bit rough, not as polished as other types of tea. But when brewed, it is truly different. The tea cup has a golden color like honey, shimmering on the rim of the cup. The bubbles cannot be broken when pouring tea because the water is so thick.

The tea has a very interesting aroma, both the fresh, wild smell of wildflowers and the characteristic smoky scent. The tea is very rich in flavor, but not as harsh as  strong Thai Nguyen tea, very easy to drink. The tea is especially good at brewing, even after the 7th water, it is still rich in flavor.

Types of ancient tea Ta Xua

Ta Xua ancient tea has two types, one with yellow buds and one with white buds. But the white buds are the most delicious, and can be drunk with the most water. Ta Xua ancient tea has a very distinctive astringent taste when drunk, but the sweet aftertaste comes very quickly, and stays in the mouth for the rest of the day.

The way to make Ancient Tea bears the mark of the indigenous H’Mong people

Tea trees in the Ta Xua region are often allowed to grow freely, so the trees are very tall. To pick tea buds, people have to climb the trees, or cut down some branches to make it easier to pick. Nowadays, because they are aware of the need to protect precious tea trees, the indigenous people have come up with other methods to pick without having to encroach on the trees, such as building ladders or scaffolding around the trees…

Every time a batch of tea is picked, no matter how little or much, the tea maker must immediately start processing it regardless of day or night. The tea is roasted by hand on a cast iron pan, kneaded by hand, and partially dried in the sun. The image of a smoky kitchen, a cast iron pan on a fire, and women with skillful hands roasting tea has therefore become a very unique image of the Ta Xua region.

The tea maker carefully cares for each tea bud, working tirelessly until a batch of tea is produced. Just a small mistake can ruin the whole batch of tea. This shows how much effort the tea maker has to put into making a good pot of tea.

Ensure health and safety standards

Ta Xua Ancient Tea is not a cultivated tea but a wild ancient tea growing on the mountain, at an altitude of about 1800m and not much affected by humans. That also partly ensures the purity of this tea.

In addition, Tra Viet always fully complies with production standards, ensuring all product health certificates so you can rest assured when using.

Frequently asked questions about Ancient Tea

1. Is the tea bitter?
   It is slightly bitter and refreshing.
2. Does drinking cause insomnia?
   60% have no effect, 40% say they have insomnia if taken after afternoon.
3. Is food hygiene and safety guaranteed?
   Tra Viet has all food hygiene and safety certificates.
4. The first time it’s good but the next time it’s bad?
   90% of the time it’s due to storage, please review the storage instructions.
5. Is it good to drink a lot?
   Some customers say they get stomach cramps when they drink a lot.
6. Why is the tea red?
   Because the tea was brewed and left for too long.
7. The greener the water, the better?
   Honey-yellow water color indicates good tea, 50% of the quality can be confirmed through the color of the tea.
8. How long can it be kept after mixing?
   No more than 6 hours.
9. Can I drink it with ice?
   Yes, many customers like it strong and ice.
10. Why is the tea not fragrant?
    The tea is old or exposed, please review the storage instructions.

Some pictures of the ancient tea area of ​​Ta Xua

Let’s look at some pictures of ancient tea trees and how the H’Mong people make tea, to better understand and love this delicious tea.