It’s usually my policy to never write about something here without trying it myself first. In this case I’m making an exception because this is a truly extraordinary collection of teas. Sense Asia has put together 32 different teas, all from Vietnam. I was immediately struck by their unique approach. Included with the collection is a book containing profiles of Vietnamese people from all walks of life. From poor farmers to wealthy business people, you really get a sense for the country and its citizens. The packing was incredibly beautiful and well thought out. Each tea had its own little cube that lists steeping information and features the face of Vietnamese people that were interviewed. When you flip the cubes over, they make a picture map of Vietnam. How cool is that?
For an adventurous tea drinker this is a great way to get to know the terroir of this region. Needless to say, it’s going to take me quite some time to review all 32 teas. There’s everything from greens and oolongs to puerh. I’m really excited to dive in as I have not had many opportunities to try Vietnamese teas. I’ll be adding the link to each individual review to this post as I publish them.
On a side note, rumors are often heard in the tea world about Vietnam teas being contaminated with dioxins. Blogger friend +Linda Gaylard recently shared an article that strongly disputes that claim:
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2014/11/insiders-give-evidence-to-prove-vietnam-tea-is-dioxin-free/
Here are the teas from this box that I’ve reviewed so far:
All Vietnam in One Box sample provided by Sense Asia.