Vietnam ranks 5th in area and 6th in tea production in the world. In 2017, Vietnam had a tea growing area of 129.3 thousand hectares with an output of 1,048.8 thousand tons of fresh tea. The Vietnamese tea culture, from daily life to international diplomacy, is imbued with the elegance and simplicity of the Vietnamese people.
Historical evidence
It is no coincidence that the 1927 Tea Factory located at 45 Doi Can, Loc Son Ward, Bao Loc City, contains valuable historical values of the tea industry in the Southern Central Highlands. According to historical documents, based on the potential of climate, soil, and terrain bestowed by nature, in 1927, the French brought tea trees to grow in the B’Lao area (Dong Nai Thuong Province – now Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province). The tea variety chosen by the French to grow in this area was Indian Assam tea (one of the 10 famous tea varieties in the world at that time). This is a historical milestone, marking the appearance of tea trees in Lam Dong.
Over time, the tea trees were well taken care of and rooted in the values of the land, sky and people of the Southern Central Highlands. In 1930, the 1927 Tea Factory was invested in by the French in Bao Loc, with a capacity of 3 tons of tea/day. The investor of the 1927 Tea Factory was French, so the entire system of machinery, technology for tea production and processing had a modern Western appearance. By 1950, the Factory was transferred to a Chinese person and continued to be upgraded and expanded to meet the demand for tea products at that time.
The entrance of the factory.
In 1975, after the complete liberation of the South, the 1927 Tea Factory was taken over by the State, with many different names. The 1927 Tea Factory is a symbol of the development milestone of the tea industry in Lam Dong.
After nearly 100 years of existence, the factory has stopped operating, but the facilities and equipment serving the tea production and processing process are still preserved intact, being valuable antiques of the tea industry.
Tea Factory 1927 – place to preserve the soul of tea
Along with its historical values that have endured over the years, the 1927 Tea Factory is the place that preserves the tea production and processing technology throughout the formation and development of the Lam Dong tea industry.
To produce and process tea products for export, right from the time of its construction, the 1927 Tea Factory was equipped with quite modern equipment and machinery using French technology, with 2 production lines for OTD black tea (traditional black tea production method) and CTC black tea (modern black tea production method).
Tea mixer
After being harvested, the tea is transported to the Factory, then workers put it in a bin with a wood-fired furnace system that generates heat to wither the tea. The withering process helps the tea to release some of the water vapor, but still retains the original green color of the tea.
Before the advent of modern machinery, all stages of tea production were done manually by human power.
After that, the tea is transferred to the screen, combined with the labor of the workers to help remove impurities. Next, the tea is put into the crusher to crush and transferred to the cutting machine. From there, the tea continues to be circulated through the rolling machine system.
Preliminary crusher
At this stage, the tea is shaped into round balls and continues to be loaded into the fermentation machine for fermentation. This is the most important stage, the tea is fermented for 4 – 5 hours. During this time, the workers will spray mist, adjust the temperature and air so that the fermented tea meets the standard characteristics of black tea.
The finished product after fermentation is transferred to the dryer, dried according to standards and transferred to the packaging stage, and stored in the warehouse.
Tea packaging system
Through the production process of black tea products at the 1927 Tea Factory, it has contributed to making the brand of Lam Dong tea products famous domestically and reaching out to the world. These are also the historical and cultural values of the tea industry that have contributed to Bao Loc being known as the “Tea Capital” of Vietnam.
Vietnamese Tea Culture – Vietnamese ways of enjoying tea
Today, tea production and processing technology is increasingly modern, with a system of machinery developed according to automation technology. From the beginning of 2024, the equipment and machinery at Tea Factory 1927 have been requisitioned for preservation and exhibition to serve tourism.
Here, all the artifacts, machinery, equipment, production lines, and tea processing lines that are nearly 100 years old are displayed in their original form for people and tourists to enjoy and experience.
Source: collected by An
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