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| Photo: Single Origin Teas |
Country of Origin: Vietnam
Leaf Appearance: small, dark
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: bright reddish brown
Although Vietnam is the sixth highest producing country for tea, I had yet to try anything from this region until now. This particular tea is sourced from a farmers cooperative in Northern Vietnam. Although the leaves resembled a typical black tea that you might find in Assam or Kenya, the taste was a whole other story. It was earthy and complex with a bold astringency. Each sip was all at once nutty, chocolaty, spicy and almost mushroomy (is that a word?). I made a single cup but when it was finished found myself wishing that I had brewed a whole pot. Even though this tea leans on the strong side, I wouldn’t recommend adding milk or sugar to it. That being said, the product description suggests that this would make a good base for chai. I don’t disagree with that if you are preparing in the traditional stove top method. Single Origin Teas does a really great job of finding unique teas. You might remember that I very much enjoyed their Jun Chiyabari Second Flush Nepal. I’ve got one more tea from them waiting to be reviewed and I am really looking forward to it.
You can find out more about this tea here.