A Mùa A Nênh – The Keeper of Tà Xùa Shan Tuyết Tea Amid the Misty Mountains of Sơn La

Amid the sea of clouds in Tà Xùa in the Northwestern mountains, where the altitude ranges from 1300–1500 meters, there is a young Hmong man quietly preserving the ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees left behind by his ancestors. He is A Mùa A Nênh, born in 1996, living in Bản Bẹ village, Tà Xùa commune, Sơn La province – a place where 100% of the residents are Hmong ethnic people with a deeply preserved traditional cultural identity.

For the Hmong people here, tea is not merely a beverage. Tea is present in everyday life, during festivals and holidays, in conversations by the fire, and even on ancestral altars. On every family altar, four cups of tea are always placed as a symbol of reverence and connection to their roots.

Every spring or festive season, the villages of Tà Xùa become lively with unique cultural activities such as Pa Pao throwing, crossbow shooting, pounding dày cakes, and playing Tô Lô. The colorful traditional costumes are still hand-sewn by Hmong women during their free farming periods – as a way for the people here to preserve every thread of their ethnic culture.

1. Ancient Shan Tuyết Tea Trees Amid the Great Forests of Tà Xùa

A Mùa A Nênh’s family currently owns more than 100 ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees aged between 100–300 years old, along with around 100 trees under 100 years old. These tea trees grow amid mountain forests covered in clouds year-round, absorbing the cold air and mountain mist, creating the distinctive silvery-white fuzzy layer on the tea buds.

According to A Nênh, residents in Bản Bẹ village currently still own approximately 30–40 hectares of ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees distributed across the high mountain slopes. This is one of Sơn La’s tea regions with remarkable ecological and cultural value.

• Average altitude: 1300–1500 meters
• Some forest tea areas remain pristine, covered in dense fog
• Cold climate year-round with frequent mist
• Tea trees grow naturally amid the mountain forests

These natural conditions have created the famous Tà Xùa tea known for its pure aroma, deep sweetness, and uniquely refreshing sensation rarely found in other tea regions.

2. The Journey of Learning Tea Craftsmanship of a Young Hmong Man

In 2015, when taking over the Shan Tuyết tea area left by his family, A Mùa A Nênh realized that tea trees were not only useful within the village, but also a precious product carrying high cultural, appreciation, and economic value.

The early days of tea making were filled with difficulties. He taught himself through experimentation with small tea batches. There were times when mistakes ruined entire batches, while the market was still very limited, making it nearly impossible to sell the products.

But with the perseverance of a highland man, A Nênh did not give up. By 2017, his skills gradually became stable, and customers began to know more about Tà Xùa Shan Tuyết tea. From initially producing only green tea, he continued learning to process many other tea types such as:

• Shan Tuyết green tea
• Shan Tuyết black tea
• Shan Tuyết white tea
• Shan Tuyết raw Pu-erh tea

Customers from Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City gradually became familiar with the flavor of Tà Xùa highland tea and became his loyal tea drinkers.

3. A Young Man Planting More Tea for Future Generations

What makes A Mùa A Nênh admirable is not only his harvesting of the ancient tea trees left by his ancestors, but also his awareness of preserving tea resources for the future.

In 2018, he began planting more than 1 hectare of new Shan Tuyết tea on his family’s mountainous land. The seeds were selected from healthy and high-quality ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees. He personally prepared the nursery bags and cared for the seedlings for about one year before planting them on the mountain.

For highland tea makers, this is not merely planting trees, but sowing hope so that future generations may continue living alongside the ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees of their homeland.

4. The Art of Handcrafted Tea Processing Amid the Mountains and Forests

All Shan Tuyết tea varieties made by A Mùa A Nênh are handcrafted on a small scale. Every step is judged by hand, sight, smell, and the tea maker’s experience.

Tà Xùa Shan Tuyết Green Tea

The green tea is naturally withered lightly for about 1–2 hours to remove dew and moisture, then hand-fired on a cast-iron pan over a wood stove for around 15–20 minutes. This is followed by hand-rolling and drying for nearly 1 hour.

Shan Tuyết Black Tea

The tea leaves are withered overnight for about 6–7 hours, then hand-rolled and fermented in cloth bags for 3–4 hours. Once the desired fermentation level is reached, the tea is sun-dried multiple times until complete.

Shan Tuyết White Tea

White tea is processed mainly through natural withering under gentle sunlight and alternating shade over many days. This tea requires the tea maker to carefully observe weather, temperature, and wind conditions.

Shan Tuyết Raw Pu-erh Tea

Raw Pu-erh tea is harvested with one bud and two or three leaves, hand-fired over a charcoal stove, then hand-rolled before being naturally sun-dried. This tea preserves the forest aroma and its aging potential over time.

6. How to Brew Tà Xùa Shan Tuyết Tea

To fully experience the flavor of highland Shan Tuyết tea, A Mùa A Nênh shares that about 5–8g of tea should be used for 150ml of water at a temperature of 90–95°C.

• White peony tea: steep the first infusion for 10–15 seconds
• White bud tea: steep the first infusion for 15–20 seconds
• Green tea: steep the first infusion for about 40 seconds
• Black tea: steep the first infusion for 10–15 seconds
• Pu-erh tea: steep the first infusion for 15–20 seconds

Steep the first infusion according to the times above, pour all the tea into a serving pitcher and enjoy, then gradually increase the steeping time by 5–10 seconds for the following infusions. Tà Xùa Shan Tuyết tea can be brewed many times while still maintaining a clear and lasting flavor.

Conclusion

Amid the changes of modern life, A Mùa A Nênh is still quietly preserving the ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees of the Tà Xùa mountains and forests with the hands of a Hmong son. His tea is not only an agricultural product, but also a part of the cultural memory of the Northwestern highlands.

In every cup of Tà Xùa Shan Tuyết tea is the aroma of the forests, the cold clouds of thousand-meter altitudes, the diligence of the tea maker, and the spirit of preserving one’s roots among the vast mountains of Sơn La.