‍How to pick good Vietnamese loose leaf tea‍

Vietnam produces almost all the types of tea – green, oolong, white and black. There are various brands of Vietnamese tea, such as high-quality specialty artisanal teas and mass-market lower-quality blended teas. 

Nowadays, there are many offers in the global tea market. Companies create wonderful, bright advertisements for their products, but how do you know how good the tea is? How can you pick good quality Vietnamese loose leaf tea?

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Vietnamese tea has a unique taste‍

Vietnamese tea is unlike other Asian teas. It has an incredible flavour, described as a mix of Chinese and Indian black teas and Taiwanese oolongs. Loose leaf tea from Vietnam has saturated and colourful taste notes and it has a full, flowery and soft aroma.

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Look at the leaves‍

Hold the tea and look at the length and appearance of the leaves in the blend. The golden rule is that larger leaves mean a higher quality tea. Of course, that is not applicable to oolongs.

Look at the colour of leaves. Light green teas usually have a soft flavour, whereas a dark green colour will give a stronger infusion.

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Pay attention to the aroma‍

Most good Vietnamese loose leaf teas are made from fresh leaves (shan snow tea is an exception). Fresh leaves always smell good, and tea brewed from those leaves always has a great taste. If you are on a hunt for herbal teas, focus on the colour and scent. If the herbs have faded or don’t have a fragrance, they are probably stale.