Vietnamese lotus tea

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**Vietnamese lotus tea**

Type:	Green

Other names:	NA
Origin:	Vietnam

Quick description:	Similar to Yunnan green but scented

Vietnamese lotus tea (Vietnamese: trà sen, chè sen, or chè ướp sen) is a type of green tea produced in Vietnam that has been flavored with the scent of Nelumbo nucifera. It is a specialty product of the Vietnamese tea industry and is consumed as part of celebratory events or festivals.

[edit] Production

The tea is made by allowing the green tea to absorb the flower's natural scent. This is either done through several methods, either by:

Stuffing green tea leaves into a flower and leaving them overnight
Pulling the entire stamen from the flower or just their anthers and then either
- Jar them overnight with the tea leaves with them
- Bake the tea leaves with them

These steps can be repeat multiple times to increase the floral scent in the tea leaves.^[1] Many modern production tend towards flavoring or perfumes to scent the tea.

A higher grade of lotus tea is made with lotus petals mixed in with high quality green tea leaves.

[edit] Brewing

Lotus teas are typically very potent and are best brewed for under 2 minutes using cooler brewing temperatures (160°F/70°C). Some fanciers will brew 3-4 times from one set of leaves.