Vietnamese Lotus Tea (Green)

This tea came as a sample from the lovely Indigobloom, thank you dear!

I’m not sure that I’ve ever had a Vietnamese green tea before, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. I got a light greenish-yellow infusion that is very vegetal, almost artichoke like. I feel like there’s a tiny bit of smoke perhaps, and also a slight pungency. I’m picking up on some lime notes in the finish, which are really interesting… It reminds me a bit of another green tea I’m fond of from Nepal.

Overall, it’s pretty good! Thank you, IB for letting me try it.

Can’t say I’ve ever heard of Vietnamese Lotus Tea, but it definitely sounds interesting! Therefore right up my alley :D

Hummm… I think this tea may have been contaminated with the lapsang souchong I also got. Which is weird, because they wouldn’t have been near one another for more than the ride back from Toronto to my house! Basically, I’m tasting a decent, vegetal green tea with hints of smokiness. Rather significant hints. That said, it’s kind of interesting! Just, I suspect it’s not supposed to taste smoky. It’s possible that I’m misinterpreting, but I don’t think I am.

I’m really not getting anything floral, just a vegetal taste and there’s kind of a prickly sensation on my tongue. Not any sort of astringency I’m familiar with, although that’s what it’s most akin to. Ah… and that’s the first cup gone, so I’m out of notes for it.

However, conveniently the second infusion is also sitting right here! Uh…. whoops, that one was Cantaloupe & Cream, infusion #4. peers into cups Ah, ok, here it is. Haha, pitfalls of too many teas on the table. Good thing I like tea lukewarm or warm!

Definitely getting a smoky aroma from this one as well. It tastes similar, but it’s really hard to distinguish what’s under the smokey flavour. I think I’m getting a touch of sweetness though. Still no astringency, and this infusion was at 82C for 1:15. Although yet again, that sparkly kind of tingling on my tongue. Weird!

Thanks for the sample, Indigobloom! You’ll have to let me know about that smokiness I’m tasting. (Coincidentally, I have brought down the lapsang souchong to try tonight, but there’s no way they cross-contaminated in 30 seconds… is there? Or from a foot away in 5 minutes?)

What a novelty!! Vietnamese green tea! atleast that’s what my friend thinks it is. The leaves are infused with Lotus blossom scent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_lotus_tea
I must say, the floral aspect is not very strong… but I like it that way. The green-ness overwhelms the floral somewhat.
Dry, the leaves are medium grey with some light grey interspersed and smell somewhat like pu-erh. Wet, they turn olive green with a kale scent.
Steeped… To me, the floral bit comes across as smoky at the beginning of the sip, and when the cup is hot. As it cools, the vegetal taste comes through more. Kindof a brussel sprout taste with that hint of bitter.
Second infusion is significantly more bitter, again like brussel sprouts and creamed spinach… and definitely less floral. The natural sweetness is there to, hiding around the edges and underneath.
I’m not generally a fan of greens, but there is no nausea here so once I get past that it could be an awesome alternative! It’s quite enjoyable, just not my favourite.
Anyhow, I have a sandwich ziploc full of this. Would anyone like a sample?

Thanks for sharing IndigoBloom

This is a lovely green tea. I’m in the middle of work…yes on the weekend BLAH so not much brain power to think about proper tasting notes. BUT i’m really enjoying this. I haven’t had a straight green in a while so this is a freshing tea for this evening.