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Vietnamese Hook Tea
Vietnamese Hook Tea
Fortune Cookie
A day without laughing is a day wasted.
A day without laughing is a day wasted.
Một ngày mà không cười là một ngày lãng
phí.
I was given by a friend in Vietnam a small carton of hook tea. It was a left-over present used to distribute to wedding guests. Wrapped in gold paper inside were deep-smelling hooks of green tea or cha goi meaning 'tea hook.' The shape comes from the way the tea is rolled. The tea has a lot of presence and a strong character. The aroma is not strong but the flavour is distinctive. There is some astringency which ends in a long sweet finish.
Hook tea is grown in the Thai Nguyen region of north Vietnam.
And now a gift of Hook tea. Two boxes in fact.
Hook tea is grown in the Thai Nguyen region of north Vietnam.
And now a gift of Hook tea. Two boxes in fact.
It doesn't need long to steep and can be brewed gong-fu style and used multiple times, although after the fourth time maybe you want to give up on getting your value for money.
For more on Vietnam Tea see:
Tea in Vietnam
Moderate to strong astringency
Strong grassy taste
Origin:
Thai Nguyen Province Vietnam
Altitude: 250 metre
Brewing
Heat water to 85 C
Use 2 teaspoons
Brew for 1 minute
Drain tea into jug to avoid bitterness from over-brewing
Re-use leaves a second and third time
Experiment with tea quantity and brewing times to suite your taste
These images were taken in Saigon. Read about Saigon here:
Sai Gon Fishing
For more on Vietnamese teas visit
http://singingbirdsingingbird.blogspot.com/2013/09/tea-in-viet-nam.html
Happy Tea Drinking in 2015!
