Singing Bird Tea: Hook Tea

Welcome to readers from Kenya and Mexico

Vietnamese Hook Tea

Fortune Cookie

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.

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

http://singingbirdsingingbird.blogspot.com/2013/09/tea-in-viet-nam.html

Tasting Notes
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