The seductive flavor of Quy Hop green tea

The page “antamtour.vn” once wrote: “Dam tea is a specialty of Quy Hop land, a Northwestern region of Nghe An; the main place where the Thai ethnic people live - where there is Dinh river, poetic Thung May lake, Tham Om - Tham Poong cave, Ban Bia waterfall with white flowing water all year round, the legend of the legendary Khun Tinh, the training ground of Le Loi's army in the past...”, “Dam tea is special because it not only contains the quintessence of Nghe tea flavor but also hidden deep in it is the affection of Nghe people...”.

Lured by the “reputation” of that unique drink, on the eve of the traditional New Year of the Dragon, we went up to Quy Hop district, stopping at a tea shop by the poetic Thung May lake. Without anyone telling us, we immediately ordered a few bowls of sweetened tea to enjoy. It was truly “true to its reputation”, the sweetened tea was not only delicious but also immediately “refreshing” as some of our colleagues said.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chau - the owner of the tea shop and also the "author" of the "che dam" dish said that in Thai language, "che dam" is called "bath tea". Che dam originated from the lifestyle of the local Thai people here. In the past, the Thai people had a nomadic life on the hillsides, with a life of hunting, gathering, close to nature. At first, they went into the forest to peel tree bark and pick forest leaves to pound to boil and drink. When the tea tree appeared and entered their lives, by instinct, they also pounded tea and boiled it to drink, gradually it became a familiar and indispensable drink for the people of this land.

Among green tea drinks, pounded tea is the most elaborate. To make a delicious bowl of tea with a beautiful green color, the tea picker must choose thick-leafed tea branches, not red at the top, not exposed to the sun, then bring them home and wash them gently so that the tea leaves are not bruised. The tea must be pounded while the tea is still wet. The tea must be cut, including both leaves and branches to meet the requirements. The tea pounding tool is a mortar made from an old meter tube with a piece of wood at the bottom, a wooden pestle and a huot (a woven bamboo object with small holes) to sift the tea residue. After pounding the tea, take a pot of cold boiled water and pour it in, then pour it through a filter. When drinking, add hot water (according to the formula 3 boiling 2 cold). Depending on the weather and each person's preference, it can be served hot or cold.

Continuing the story, with a sophisticated look, Mrs. Chau said: "Drinking Che Dam with Cu Do candy is incomparably delicious. When drinking Che Dam, you have to sit and sip, let your soul into the cup of tea, relax and feel like the Japanese way of drinking tea, then you can feel the unique flavor of Che Dam."

Another very important thing, to create the unique character of Quy Hop tea, you must use a bowl or cup made of porcelain to drink it well. Local people often use Hai Duong porcelain bowls to drink.

For those who are addicted to black tea, they can drink 2-3 bowls early in the morning without eating anything to wake up before going to work. Some people have back pain or tired knees due to hard work, adding molasses or white sugar to black tea and drinking it makes them feel much better.

According to many people, drinking green tea is very beneficial for health, helps the digestive system work better, brings alertness to people after stressful working hours, on the other hand, drinking green tea regularly also helps prevent tooth decay and mouth ulcers...

Nowadays, not only the Thai people but also many Kinh people and some other ethnic groups in Quy Hop district learn how to make Che Dam to drink every day. Che Dam has also followed the Thai ethnic people in the Northwest of Nghe An to big cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City...

But perhaps tea must be grown on hills and water from laterite soils like in Quy Hop district to have the "ultimate" delicious tea. Go to Quy Hop district, walk along the road surrounding the poetic Thung May lake, come across any tea shop, stop in and enjoy, you will have an experience to confirm that.